US Scholarships for Students Looking to Study in the USA

Studying in the US has been one of the most popular choices for UK students over the past few years, especially given the wide range of courses that students can study and the opportunity to explore one of the biggest land masses in the world and US Scholarships are a great way to make that a reality!

However, while it might be hugely expensive to study in the US, there are plenty of different ways to make the dream work for you. There are plenty of scholarships available for students who are looking to make their dreams of learning in the US a reality.

How do Scholarships work in the US?

Scholarships are similar to how they work in the UK. There are two specific designations for scholarships in the US, Government-Funded and Non-Governmental. The difference between these is pretty much in the titles, one is provided by the government, the other isn’t.

There is a very key distinction here because there are plenty of universities who offer their own scholarships for students looking to study with them.

Many students who look to study abroad are often let down because they do not meet certain criteria for governmental scholarships, so they require universities to help them in any way that they can, in much the same way as Britain helps international students looking to study in the UK.

Now, let’s have a look at some of the scholarships that are available for students looking to study in the US, shall we?

Fulbright Foreign Student Programme

The Fulbright Foreign Student Programme is a government-funded scholarship. The scholarship operates in 155 countries and around 4,000 students use the scholarship every year! The scholarship is offered by the US-UK Fulbright Commission. The selection criteria for this scholarship changes from year-to-year. It is easily the most popular scholarship offered to students and it covers all fields of study in university, with the exception of a Medicine degree.

The scholarship itself is administered by the Institute of International Education in Africa, Eurasia, East Asia, Pacific, Europe, South and Central Asia, parts of the Middle East and the Western Hemisphere.

Abbey Road Summer Scholarships

Though America does have a certain fixation with The Beatles, this is not, in fact, a reference to the band’s hugely successful eleventh studio album, the Abbey Road Summer Scholarships is a scholarship programme that was founded by a Stanford University alumni in 2000.

The scholarship is for language and at students. The scholarship offers $1,000 and a further $500 for students who study for ‘summer enrichment’ activities in the summer.

Tortuga Backpacks Study Abroad Scholarship

Here we have a very cool scholarship for the students who are obsessed by travel.

The Tortuga Scholarship is offered on a biannual (twice-a-year) basis to students who want to explore the world. The scholarship is a big step towards helping you with any travelling you want to do as it gives you a whopping $1,000, you also get a free travel backpack.

The scholarship itself has to be used for educational use though, it can only be used for room and board, travel, books and tuition. The funds will be sent to your study abroad programme or to your university.

Bat and Ball Game Women’s Sports Scholarship

The Bat and Ball Game Women’s Sports Scholarship is specifically for women. The scholarship offers any woman who is studying a sports-related degree $1,000.

The funds are either paid directly into your account, or it can be paid into your university’s Financial Aid department. To qualify for this particular scholarship, you need to write an original essay, which focuses on four separate topics:

• What women in sports today do you consider to be a role model?
• Why is Baseball so important in the sporting world?
• Where do you see Baseball in ten years time?
• How has sport changed over the last twenty years?

Your essay has to be submitted in English and has to be between 400 and 600 words.

Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Programme

This scholarship provides students with ten months of non-academic study and any professional experiences in the US. The selection process for this scholarship takes into account:

• Potential for leadership
• Commitment to public services/private sector

The scholarship is named after the former US Vice-President in 1965-1969, Hubert H. Humphrey, which is why the scholarship is so focused on public service.

The Herbert Humphrey scholarship is given to 200 people annually and is open to 13 universities in the US. These universities are chosen specifically for their speciality in the scholarship’s main focus areas. You need to have a minimum of five years professional experience, work experience in the United States, leadership qualities (that can be easily demonstrated), a record of serving your community and impeccable English skills.

The scholarship is again, offered by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the US Department of State and is a government-funded scholarship.

AAUW International Fellowships

The AAUW International Fellowships scholarship is offered by the American Association of University Women and is again specifically for women. The scholarship programme has been in place since 1917. The scholarship is open to any women who are part of Graduate Women International (GWI).

It doesn’t specify a certain area that you need to be studying in to qualify for this, but preference is given to applicants who have shown prior commitment to the advancement of women and girls through professional or communal work.

The scholarship is also renewable for a second-year too!

Do American universities offer scholarships for international students?

All universities offer scholarships, though not all of them offer scholarships for international students. We have listed some of the best scholarship programmes for international students below.

• Brandeis University Wien International Scholarship Programme: Brandeis University offers the Wien International Scholarships Programme (WISP) to all students. Its name is a reference to Mae L. and Lawrence A. Wien and their family and has been running since 1958 and operates in over 100 different countries worldwide.
• Clark University Global Scholars Programme: This scholarship, offered by Clark University can give international students around $10,000 and $2,500 for expenses in a paid internship. The scholarship is for first-year applicants only and does not carry through to the second year, however.
• New York University International Merit Scholarships: The scholarships offered by New York University are offered on merit and the scholarship itself makes up 20% of NYU’s enrollment figures. They have a wide variety of scholarships and you can find many in your chosen subject area. NYU has one of the largest selections of scholarships.
• University of Minnesota International Excellence Scholarships: To qualify for this scholarship, you will need to be on an F1 Visa (a non-immigrant visa). The scholarship usually allows for between $5,000 and $10,000, however, these rates tend to fluctuate from year-to-year, depending on how the University of Minnesota has performed each year.
• University of Oregon International Scholarships: The University of Oregon offers a number of international scholarships for international students. Most of the scholarships offered by the university are dedicated to each continent and have specific scholarships for each country within that continent.
• A great idea is to contact the US Embassy in London and speak to them and see if there are any specific scholarships for students that are looking to study abroad there. The Embassy will have a number of scholarships that we won’t have listed and many that won’t be listed by universities too!

There is obviously no limit to the number of scholarships that are out there and are available for students and there are so many for you to take advantage of! We recommend you do as much research as possible before you commit yourself to a scholarship.

If you’re thinking of studying in America or studying abroad, then you should take a look at our other articles below:

• Student Finance in America
• Applying for an American University: Everything You Need to Know
• International Scholarships for International Students
• Erasmus Programme

Good luck!