USA Scholarships
Scholarships in the USA - Study & Research Guides
Scholarships in the USA
The United States is home to many of the world's top-ranked universities and attracts students from every corner of the globe. Scholarship opportunities range from fully funded research positions to partial tuition awards at elite business schools. Below you'll find our guides for US scholarships, each covering eligibility, documents, benefits, and how to apply.
Berea College Scholarship 2027 - No Tuition, Fully Funded
Berea College charges no student tuition, and has not done so since 1892. Every admitted student receives the Tuition Promise Scholarship, which covers whatever tuition is left after federal, state, institutional and private aid has been applied. Tuition is listed at $56,900 for 2026-2027, and Berea funds as much of the $5,000 housing and $4,142 food charge as your FAFSA allows, which is why 85 per cent of the fall 2025 class paid nothing at all. From Fall 2027, the intake this guide covers, Berea guarantees 100 per cent of tuition, housing, food, fees and supplies for every enrolled student with no loans. Admission is restricted to students with high financial need and strong academic promise, and every student works at least 10 hours a week in the Labor Program.
Iowa State University Scholarship 2027 - Up to $40,000
The Iowa State University Scholarship most international undergraduates chase is the International Merit Scholarship, awarded to first-year and transfer students assessed international tuition rates. First-year students can receive an Award of Achievement worth $5,000 to $10,000 a year, up to $40,000 across eight semesters, or an Award of Distinction worth $2,000 to $4,000 a year. Transfer students have their own smaller ladder that runs up to $20,000 over five semesters. Unlike the automatic International Student Excellence Award, the Merit Scholarship needs the OneApp scholarship application, and the Fall 2027 priority date for first-year applicants is 15 February 2027.
Alabama Presidential Scholarship 2027 - $28,000/Year
The Alabama Presidential Scholarship is the second-highest automatic merit award at The University of Alabama, and you never fill in a separate form for it. Out-of-state and international freshmen entering in 2027 get $28,000 per year on a 3.50 GPA with a 32 to 36 ACT or a 1420 to 1600 SAT. Alabama residents qualify a tier lower, from a 30 ACT or a 1360 SAT, and their award is the value of tuition rather than a fixed sum. The UA Undergraduate App doubles as the scholarship application, and the priority deadline for Summer and Fall 2027 entry is 4 December 2026.
Eastern Michigan Presidential Scholarship 2027 - Full Ride
The Eastern Michigan Presidential Scholarship is the most prestigious award Eastern Michigan University gives an incoming first-year student. It covers full tuition plus room and board for four years, which EMU values at roughly $100,000, and every Presidential Scholar joins The Honors College. Applications for the class entering Fall 2027 close on 15 December 2026, and EMU says no exceptions will be made. You qualify on a 3.85 high school GPA with no test score, or on a 3.5 to 3.84 GPA paired with a 25 composite ACT or a 1200 SAT. A campus visit during the 2026 calendar year is part of the application, and a virtual honors session counts.
SMART Scholarship 2027 - Full Tuition, $30k-$46k
The SMART Scholarship is the Department of War Scholarship-for-Service Program for STEM students in the USA. It pays full tuition with no monetary cap, an annual stipend of $30,000 to $46,000 depending on degree level, a health insurance allowance up to $2,500 a year and a miscellaneous allowance up to $1,000 a year, then places you in a civilian job at the sponsoring facility that picked you. Every funded year carries one year of service in return. The cycle closing at 5 p.m. EST on 4 December 2026 funds study from Fall 2027, and it is open to citizens of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
Miami University Presidential Fellows Scholarship 2027
The Presidential Fellows Scholarship is Miami University's top merit award, and it is a genuine full ride: tuition, mandatory fees, housing and food for four years, plus a one-time academic enrichment fund of up to $5,000. Miami publishes the cohort size as fifteen students a year, all of them inside the Honors College, though the most recent incoming class came in at 22. There is no separate scholarship form. You indicate your interest on the Miami admission application, and your complete file has to be in by the firm 1 December 2026 deadline for Fall 2027 entry. One thing changed this cycle: self-reported ACT or SAT scores are now required for Presidential Fellows consideration, even though Miami stays test optional for everyone else. International applicants are eligible, and the Class of 2030 cohort includes a student from Mongolia.
University of Rochester Chemistry PhD Scholarship 2027
Every PhD student in the University of Rochester Department of Chemistry gets the same package: a full tuition scholarship, health insurance and a living stipend set at $35,520 for the 2026-2027 academic year. The GRE is not required, applications close on 1 December for fall entry only, and the $70 application fee is waived automatically for anyone with a 3.5 GPA or better. Teaching is part of the deal at six units across the degree, usually three semesters in the first two years, and departmental fellowships such as Sherman-Clarke, Ewart and Weissberger add a bonus on top of the base stipend later on.
Undergraduate International Merit Scholarship 2027
The Undergraduate International Merit Scholarship is the University of Memphis merit award for newly admitted international students on an F-1 or J-1 visa who are starting a bachelor's degree on campus. It is an admissions-based award, so the UofM admission application is the scholarship application and there is no separate form. The Scholarship Office sets 1 December as the priority date for scholarship consideration, and advises applying before 1 November of the year before you enrol. The university does not publish a dollar figure for this award, so the amount is confirmed with your admission decision. Dual citizens, permanent residents, continuing students and anyone already holding an assistantship or other UofM funding are not eligible.
Simmons Distinguished Scholar Award 2027
The Simmons Distinguished Scholar Award is the largest merit award Simmons University offers its incoming first-year class, and the only one that asks for a separate application. It covers full tuition, mandatory fees other than health insurance, and housing and meals for four years, and it replaces any other merit scholarship Simmons has already offered you. Simmons publishes no dollar figure for the award, but measured against its own published 2026-2027 rates the package is worth about $68,600 a year for a non-nursing resident student. You apply by sending a 300 to 500 word essay on your leadership style alongside your admission application by 1 December 2026, for entry in Fall 2027. First-year applicants entering in the fall are eligible, international students included, and transfer, Dix Scholar and spring applicants are not.
Boston University Presidential Scholarship 2027
The Boston University Presidential Scholarship is BU's headline merit award for incoming first-year students, given by the Board of Admissions to applicants with exceptional academic records who also lead in their schools and communities. It pays half tuition and renews for up to four years of undergraduate study. There is no scholarship form, no extra essay and no interview round: the one thing you have to do is get your complete admission application in by 1 December 2026 for Fall 2027 entry, a full month before BU's regular application date of 5 January. US citizens, permanent residents and international students are all eligible, which matters because BU's need-based aid is closed to international students.
UofL Kentucky & Southern Indiana Scholarship 2027
The University of Louisville runs a separate scholarship ladder for first-time freshmen entering in Fall 2027 who live in Kentucky or the seven Southern Indiana reciprocity counties. Trustees Scholarships pay $2,500 to $8,000 a year automatically on admission, the GSA, GSP, GSE, Gatton Academy, Craft Academy and Rogers Scholars awards pay $5,000 to $10,000, and National Merit finalists and semifinalists get full in-state tuition. Above those sit four awards that need a separate application by 1 December 2026: the Henry Vogt Scholarship at $16,000 a year to roughly 150 scholars, Trustees Competitive top-ups of $1,000 to $5,000, the Grawemeyer Scholarship at $22,000 a year for in-state students, and the Martin Luther King and McConnell Scholarships, which both pay full in-state tuition plus around $10,000 more. In-state tuition and fees are $13,614 for 2026-27.
UofL Out-of-State Scholarship 2027 - $5,000-$30,000
The University of Louisville runs a tiered set of admissions scholarships for first-time freshmen entering in Fall 2027 who live outside Kentucky and the seven Southern Indiana reciprocity counties. Where you live decides which ladder you land on: the Border Benefit Award drops out-of-state tuition to the Kentucky in-state rate, worth roughly $16,000 a year and rising to about $21,000 with academic top-ups; the Regional Scholars Program pays $12,000 to $16,000; and the National Scholars Program pays $5,000 to $15,000. National Merit finalists and semifinalists get $20,000, and ten Grawemeyer Competitive Scholarships of $30,000 a year go to out-of-state students who apply by 1 December 2026. Every award except the Grawemeyer is automatic on admission, with no scholarship form to fill in.