The USA is often considered the most preferred study abroad destination worldwide. With cutting-edge teaching techniques, superior learning standards, eminent universities, and high employability, many international students aspire to study in the state to make a lucrative career! 

However, due to the country’s high cost of living and tuition fees, many international students get deterred from pursuing their education here. But no need to worry, as there are ways to fund your higher education, such as finding a relevant scholarship!

Upon hearing the word ‘scholarships,’ we start to believe they are only available for academic achievers. But that’s just one of the myth about scholarships as there are different types of scholarships available in the USA that you can apply for financial aid.

And to guide on it, we have prepared this article where we talk about the six common types of scholarships available for international students in the USA. So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!

Merit Scholarships

Merit scholarships are the most popular financial aid in the USA. However, there is a typical misconception around merit scholarships that they are limited to one’s academic performance. But this is not true, as merit scholarships are awarded based on a student’s excellence in various other aspects. 

Following are the three types of merit scholarships that you can apply for:

Academic Scholarships:

These scholarships are funded by universities, colleges, or private organizations and are awarded to international students based on their grades in high school and ACT or SAT Exam scores. 

Sports Scholarships:

If you are a talented athlete in basketball, football, etc., there is good news! You can apply for sports scholarships in US universities. However, sports scholarships tend to be very competitive to win, as many high school athletes apply for this scholarship to get into their desired college.

Read More: [Guide] How to get Sports Scholarship for study in USA

Average Academic Scholarships:

These scholarships are awarded based on a student’s overall performance, which includes extracurricular activities, community work, artistic skills, etc.

Need-Based Scholarships

Financial scholarships or need-based scholarships are for students with low-income backgrounds. Many US universities, like Harvard University and Cornell University, offer need-based scholarships to students. However, the majority of financial scholarships are reserved for US residents. 

But there are still some universities that offer financial scholarships to international students. You can visit the websites of your applied universities to find out whether they have such scholarships available for international students or not!

Country-Based Scholarships

In the USA, many universities and colleges provide country-based scholarships to international students. These scholarships are reserved for international students from developing countries to encourage higher studies in their country. In addition, many private institutions in the US also give out these scholarships to international students as a means to support their education.

University Scholarships

Many US universities and colleges offer scholarships to international students who meet specific eligibility criteria, such as scholarships for a particular field of study. Many of these scholarships are funded through private donations from university alumni.

Most of these university or college-specific scholarships are entrance-based, which means you don’t have to apply for them; still, you get eligible for these scholarships via university admission.

Privately Funded Scholarships

In the US, privately funded scholarships are awarded to international students by individual donors, private businesses, etc. However, they keep stricter eligibility criteria and select particular groups for the scholarships, such as women, minorities, students from developing countries, etc. These scholarships are also referred to as external or private scholarships.

Read More: Fully Funded Scholarships for abroad Study

Government-Funded Scholarships

The US government does offer scholarships to international students to support the globalization of their educational systems. However, there are few scholarships available for international students as most are reserved for domestic students.

Some US government-funded scholarship initiatives are Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program, Fulbright Foreign Student Program, etc.

Final Takeaway

As we conclude, we would like to highlight the most crucial point: checking the scholarship’s eligibility criteria before applying. If you fail to fulfill even one scholarship requirement, your entire hard work will go in vain as your application will not even be considered. So make sure to proceed in the right way. Best of luck!

Read More: Tips to write Scholarship winning Essay

Where to stay when studying abroad?

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