USA Scholarships
Partial Funding Masters PhD Fellowship the USA

AAUW International Fellowship 2028 - Up to $25,000 in STEM

Deadline Expected mid-September 2027 (2027-28 cycle closes 17 Sept 2026) 370 days left · Hosted by American Association of University Women · Published

The AAUW International Fellowship is a one-year award from the American Association of University Women for women who are not US citizens or permanent residents and who are studying full time for a first master's degree or a first doctorate in a STEM field at a US institution. Master's fellows receive $20,000 and doctoral fellows $25,000, paid in two equal instalments that can go on tuition, fees, rent, food or childcare. The 2027-28 window opened on 17 August 2026 and closes at 5pm Eastern on 17 September 2026, with decisions in March 2027. If your transcripts, test scores and two recommendation letters are not ready by then, you are applying to the 2028-29 cycle. AAUW has not announced those dates yet, but they are expected to follow the 2027-28 calendar: the portal opening in mid-August 2027, a deadline in mid-September 2027 and notification in March 2028.

One-year award
$20,000-$25,000
First degree at that level
Masters & doctorate
Expected next deadline
Mid-Sep 2027
Women in STEM
Non-US citizens
How to apply Am I eligible? Official website

What is the AAUW International Fellowship?

The AAUW International Fellowship is one of the oldest awards in the United States set up specifically for women coming from abroad to study. The American Association of University Women has funded women in higher education since 1881, and this programme is its door for applicants who are not US citizens or permanent residents. You get $20,000 if you are doing a master's degree or $25,000 if you are doing a doctorate, for one year of full-time study at an accredited US institution. The award is not tied to one university, so you can take it to any eligible school that admits you.

The biggest change for the 2027-28 cycle is scope. AAUW now funds only STEM programmes, from biology and physics to computer science, engineering, statistics and medicine. It also wants your first master's or your first doctorate, not a second degree at the same level, and it wants a strong record behind you: a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale and a solid English test score. Beyond those hard gates, reviewers give preference to applicants from countries that are underrepresented among fellows, women on their first international academic experience, first-generation graduates, single parents, carers, and students at R2 or lower-resourced institutions. If one of those describes you, say so plainly in your narrative.

The money is flexible but capped. You can spend it on tuition, fees and required books, and on rent, food and childcare, which matters more than it sounds if you are moving a family. It will not pay research assistants, publication costs or your children's school fees, and at $25,000 at most it will not cover a full year at most US universities. AAUW scores your financial plan for exactly that reason. Show the committee where the rest of the money comes from, whether that is a teaching assistantship, a tuition waiver, savings or another award such as the GEM Fellowship for STEM graduate study.

On timing, the 2027-28 window closes at 5pm Eastern on 17 September 2026. If your file is complete, submit it now. If not, use the year to get ready for the 2028-29 cycle, which is expected to open in mid-August 2027 and close in mid-September 2027. AAUW has moved its deadline before, so check the official AAUW International Fellowships page in early August 2027 for the confirmed dates. Once you are a fellow you cannot hold another national AAUW award, so if you later finish a doctorate and want funding to publish, the AAUW Research Publication Grant is closed to you. That rule is worth knowing before you choose which AAUW programme to apply to first.

Who can apply

Eligibility

Your progress 0 / 7
  • ✓
    You identify as a woman
    AAUW has backed women in higher education since 1881, and its International Fellowships are open only to applicants who identify as women.
  • ✓
    Not a US citizen or permanent resident
    You must be a non-US citizen who does not hold US permanent residency and has not applied for it. US citizens and green card holders are pointed to AAUW's American Fellowships instead.
  • ✓
    A first master's or first doctorate, full time
    You must be admitted to or enrolled in your first master's degree, or your first academic or professional doctorate, as a full-time student at an institution accredited by the US Department of Education. Part-time programmes do not qualify. In the 2027-28 cycle the programme had to start by 15 September 2027 and run until at least 30 April 2028.
  • ✓
    A degree in a STEM field
    From the 2027-28 cycle the AAUW International Fellowship is limited to STEM. Eligible areas include life, physical, earth and environmental sciences, health and medical sciences, computer and data sciences, engineering, mathematics and statistics, plus professional doctorates such as the MD, DDS, PharmD and DVM.
  • ✓
    A 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale
    You need at least one degree equivalent to a US bachelor's, and a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale for the highest degree you have earned. You calculate and submit that CGPA yourself as part of the application.
  • ✓
    Minimum English test score
    AAUW sets minimum scores of 79 on the TOEFL iBT, 60 on the paper-delivered TOEFL, 8.5 on TOEFL Essentials, 6.5 on IELTS, 176 on Cambridge English and 120 on the Duolingo English Test.
  • ✓
    No earlier national AAUW award
    Anyone who has already held a national AAUW fellowship or grant cannot apply, although a Community Action Grant does not count against you. AAUW board members, staff, review panelists and their immediate families are also excluded.
What you get

Benefits

  • AAUW International Fellowship award $20,000
  • Payment schedule Two equal instalments
  • First instalment July to September of the fellowship year
  • Second instalment December or January, after the mid-year report
  • Tuition, fees and required course materials Allowed
  • Housing, food and dependent care Allowed
  • Renewal for a second year Not available, one-time award
  • AAUW International Fellowship award $25,000
  • Payment schedule Two equal instalments
  • First instalment July to September of the fellowship year
  • Second instalment December or January, after the mid-year report
  • Tuition, fees and required course materials Allowed
  • Housing, food and dependent care Allowed
  • Renewal for a second year Not available, one-time award
  • Research assistants Not covered
  • Publication costs Not covered
  • Tuition for your dependants Not covered
  • Costs outside the fellowship term Not covered
  • Part-time study Not eligible
What to prepare

Document checklist

Documents gathered 0 / 8
  • ✓
    Online application
    Filed through the AAUW Fellowships and Grants Application Portal, where you create an account and write the narrative sections. The portal for the 2027-28 cycle opened at 9am ET on 17 August 2026.
  • ✓
    Two letters of recommendation
    From academic or professional referees who know your work. They submit through the portal, so ask early and give each one your study plan and career goals.
  • ✓
    Proof of your degree or degrees
    Evidence of every degree you hold, with a certified English translation for anything not issued in English.
  • ✓
    Official transcripts
    Transcripts from each institution you attended, again with certified English translations where needed. Registrars and translators are the slowest part of the file, so request them first.
  • ✓
    Your CGPA on a 4.0 scale
    A calculation of your cumulative GPA for your highest degree converted to a 4.0 scale. It has to show 3.5 or above to clear the academic gate.
  • ✓
    English proficiency score
    An official TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge English or Duolingo English Test result at or above AAUW's minimum for that test.
  • ✓
    Admission letter or proof of enrolment
    Evidence that a US Department of Education accredited institution has admitted you or that you are already enrolled full time in an eligible STEM programme.
  • ✓
    Graduate Women International membership
    Needed only if you plan to study outside both the US and your home country. Applicants from a country under a US travel ban who cannot get a student visa are exempt from this requirement.
Step by step

How to apply

Confirm you identify as a woman, hold neither US citizenship nor permanent residency, and are heading into a first master's or first doctorate in a STEM field. If any of those fails, no amount of polish on the application will help.
You need an admission letter or proof of enrolment from a US Department of Education accredited institution. For the 2028-29 cycle, expect the programme to need to start by mid-September 2028 and run into the spring of 2029, as the 2027-28 rules required a year earlier.
Convert your highest degree to a 4.0 scale and make sure it reaches 3.5. Book a TOEFL, IELTS, Cambridge or Duolingo test in time for the result to arrive before the portal closes.
Request official transcripts and degree certificates from every institution you attended, and arrange certified English translations for anything in another language. Allow several weeks for both.
Choose academic or professional referees who can speak to your academic record and your plans. Send them a short summary of your programme, your long-term STEM career goal and how you plan to serve your home country or community.
Reviewers score academic excellence, the feasibility of your plan, your commitment to women and girls, your long-term career objectives and the strength of your financial plan. Doctoral applicants are also judged on the originality of their work. Show exactly how the award fits with your other funding.
The 2027-28 cycle closes at 5pm ET on 17 September 2026. The 2028-29 portal is expected to open in mid-August 2027 and close in mid-September 2027, so check the official page in early August for the confirmed dates.
When

Deadline and timeline

Application deadline
Expected mid-September 2027 (2027-28 cycle closes 17 Sept 2026)
370 days left
17 Sep 2026
The 2027-28 cycle closes at 5pm Eastern. Late applications are not accepted.
Mar 2027
AAUW notifies 2027-28 applicants of the outcome.
Mid-Aug 2027
Expected opening of the 2028-29 application portal, if AAUW keeps the 2027-28 calendar.
Mid-Sep 2027
Expected deadline for the 2028-29 cycle, at 5pm Eastern.
Mar 2028
Expected award notification for the 2028-29 cycle.
Jul 2028 - Jul 2029
First instalment from July to September, a mid-year report and second instalment around December, and a final report due at the end of July 2029.
Questions

FAQ

What is the AAUW International Fellowship?

It is a one-year award from the American Association of University Women for women who are not US citizens or permanent residents and who are studying full time in the United States. From the 2027-28 cycle it funds a first master's degree or a first doctorate in a STEM field, and AAUW looks for fellows who plan to use their expertise to serve their home country or the community they live in.

How much is the AAUW International Fellowship?

Master's fellows receive $20,000 and doctoral fellows receive $25,000. The money arrives in two equal instalments, the first between July and September and the second around December or January after a mid-year report. The award is one-time and cannot be renewed.

Who is eligible for the AAUW International Fellowship?

Women who are neither US citizens nor US permanent residents, who are admitted to or enrolled in a first master's or first doctorate in a STEM field at a US Department of Education accredited institution, and who study full time. You also need a bachelor's-equivalent degree, a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale for your highest degree, and a minimum English test score such as 79 on the TOEFL iBT or 6.5 on IELTS.

When is the AAUW International Fellowship deadline?

The 2027-28 cycle runs from 17 August 2026 to 5pm Eastern on 17 September 2026, with decisions in March 2027. Older cycles closed later in the autumn, so the date can move. The 2028-29 deadline is expected in mid-September 2027, and AAUW will confirm it on the official page when the portal reopens.

Is the AAUW International Fellowship fully funded?

No. The award is a fixed $20,000 or $25,000, which will cover a large share of a year's costs at many US universities but not all of them. That is why AAUW asks for a financial plan and scores it: you need to show how tuition, living costs and any gap will be met from other sources.

Can non-STEM students apply for AAUW International Fellowships?

Not from the 2027-28 cycle onward. AAUW now limits the programme to STEM disciplines, covering the sciences, health and medicine, computing and data, engineering, mathematics and statistics, plus professional doctorates such as the MD and PharmD. Humanities, social science, business and law students no longer qualify.

Can I use the AAUW International Fellowship to study outside the US?

Normally no, since the award is for full-time study in the United States, and foreign branches of US universities count as outside the US. There are two exceptions. Citizens of a country under a US travel ban who cannot get a student visa may study elsewhere, and Graduate Women International members from other countries may study outside the US.

What GPA do you need for the AAUW International Fellowship?

At least 3.5 cumulative on a 4.0 scale for the highest degree you have earned. If your university grades on a different scale, you convert it yourself and submit the calculation alongside your transcripts, so check the conversion carefully before you apply.

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