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.
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.
Harvard Environmental Fellows Program 2027 - $92,000
The Harvard Environmental Fellows Program places recent doctorate recipients with a Harvard faculty host for two years of environmental research in any discipline. The 2027 cohort is paid a salary of $92,000 a year, with employee health insurance eligibility, up to $2,500 in relocation costs and a $2,500 annual professional expenses allowance. HUCE expects to award around five fellowships, and applications close on 1 December 2026 at 5pm ET.
Notre Dame Doctoral Program 2027 - Sustainable Development
The University of Notre Dame's Doctoral Program in Sustainable Development at the Keough School of Global Affairs opens for a Fall 2027 start, with applications closing on 1 December 2026. Admitted students get a five-year funding guarantee: a 12-month stipend set at $39,000 for Keough doctoral students in 2026-2027, a full tuition scholarship worth $69,510 a year, a health insurance premium subsidy, summer research support and up to $4,000 for conferences and professional development. The programme is STEM-designated, takes about five years, and trains researchers in climate change mitigation and adaptation, environmental governance and development policy.
Richmond Scholars 2027 - Full Tuition, Housing & Food
The Richmond Scholars Program is the University of Richmond's most prestigious merit award, given to about 25 incoming students each year and worth full tuition plus on-campus housing and food, renewable for up to eight consecutive semesters. Scholars also get a one-time enrichment grant of up to $5,500, priority course registration, guaranteed on-campus housing and a faculty mentor. There is no separate scholarship application: every first-year admission application on file by 1 December 2026 is considered automatically, whichever plan you apply under. Finalists hear through the Spider Portal by 1 February 2027, interview with a faculty committee over Zoom in mid-February, and final selections are made by 1 March 2027.
East-West Center Fellowship 2027 - Study at UH Manoa
The East-West Center Graduate Degree Fellowship pays general graduate tuition and fees at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, gives you a single room in an East-West Center residence hall, and adds a stipend that partly covers food and incidental costs. The Center values the package at roughly $22,000 a year before tax, with extra aid possible where you can show financial need. Awards run for one academic year and can be renewed once, to a maximum of two years. Applications for the 2027 intake close on 1 December 2026 at 11:59 PM Hawaii Standard Time, and you have to apply to UH Manoa by that same date if you are not already enrolled there. Open to US citizens and permanent residents and to citizens of listed countries across the Pacific, Southeast Asia, South Asia and East Asia.
University of Hawaii ADB Scholarship 2027 - Fully Funded
The University of Hawaii ADB Scholarship 2027 is the Asian Development Bank-Japan Scholarship Program run by the East-West Center for masters study at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. It pays full tuition and fees, roundtrip airfare to Honolulu, housing in an East-West Center residence hall, a monthly stipend, book funds, health insurance and J-1 visa sponsorship. The East-West Center runs this competition every other year, and the cycle for the Fall 2027 academic year opened on 18 August 2026 and closes on 1 December 2026 at 11:59 PM Hawaii Standard Time. Applicants must be citizens and current residents of one of the 40 ADB developing member countries, aged 35 or under, holding a four-year bachelors degree and at least two years of full-time professional work after that degree. US citizens, permanent residents and anyone already living or working outside their home country cannot apply.
Neukom Fellowship 2027 - $70,000 at Dartmouth
The Neukom Fellowship is a two-year postdoctoral appointment at the Neukom Institute for Computational Science at Dartmouth College, with the option to request a third year. Fellows receive a $70,000 stipend for 2027-2028, mentors in two departments, and funds for equipment, travel and research materials. Applications for positions starting 1 September 2027 close on 1 December 2026.
Education Matters Scholarship 2026 - $5,000 Unigo Award
The Education Matters Scholarship is Unigo's $5,000 award for a 250-word answer to one question: what would you say to someone who thinks education does not matter, or that college is a waste of time and money? It is the largest of the scholarships Unigo runs under its own name, and the application asks for no transcript, no GPA figure, no recommendation letters and no financial paperwork. Anyone aged 14 or older who is a legal US resident of the 50 states or the District of Columbia can enter, as long as they already attend an accredited college, university or trade school or will enrol no later than the fall of 2031. The current cycle opened on 30 November 2025 and closes on 30 November 2026 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. A panel picks one winner on or about 28 February 2027, and the $5,000 goes to the winner's school as a check rather than to the student in cash.