USA Scholarships
Partial Funding Scholarship Guides
Partial Funding Scholarships
Not every scholarship covers 100% of your costs, but partial funding can still make a huge difference. The scholarships listed here cover a significant share of tuition or living expenses, reducing what you need to pay out of pocket.
Harvard University MBA Scholarship 2027 - 75% of Tuition
The Harvard University MBA Scholarship is funded by the Boustany Foundation and granted once every two years to a single candidate joining Harvard Business School. It pays 75% of tuition fees and covers travel, accommodation and food for a compulsory two-month internship at the Foundation's office in Monaco. You can only apply once Harvard Business School has offered you a place, and the Foundation asks for a CV with a photograph, official GMAT scores and your acceptance letter. The next award goes to the class commencing Autumn 2027, with candidacies closing on 31 May 2027 and the winner named during June 2027.
NIAF Scholarship 2027 - $2,500 to $12,000 Awards
The NIAF Scholarship is the National Italian American Foundation's annual award programme for Italian American students at US colleges and universities. Individual awards run from $2,500 to $12,000, and the Foundation says it has put over $10,000,000 into scholarships since it was founded. One application matches you to every fund you qualify for, from business and STEM awards to funds for music, law, Italian studies and students from particular states. You need an active NIAF membership, a 3.5 GPA, US citizenship or permanent resident status, and full-time enrollment for Fall 2027. The application reopens on 1 December 2026 and closes at 11:59 p.m. EST on 1 March 2027.
Harry S. Truman Scholarship 2027 - $30,000 Award
The Harry S. Truman Scholarship is the federal memorial to the thirty-third President and the best known graduate award in the USA for students headed into public service. Scholars receive up to $30,000 toward a graduate or professional degree, a required Leadership Week in Missouri, an optional summer in Washington DC, and a direct hiring authority with the federal government. You apply in your junior year, through your campus, and the Foundation picks one Scholar from each state plus up to 15 at-large Scholars. Nominations for the 2027 competition are due by 11:59 p.m. in your own time zone on 2 February 2027.
NRF Founders Engineering Scholarship 2027 - $13,000
The NRF Founders Engineering Scholarship is the Natural Refrigeration Foundation's award for undergraduate engineering students heading into the natural refrigeration industry. Applications for the 2027-2028 academic year are open now and close on 31 January 2027, with recipients expected to be announced in June 2027. A junior-year award pays $4,000 in two installments of $2,000. The senior-year award pays $9,000 in two installments of $4,500 for recipients who attended IIAR's Annual Natural Refrigeration Conference and Expo in the spring of their junior year, or $4,000 for those who did not, which puts the full package at up to $13,000 of tuition assistance. Funds go straight to your college. The award also covers conference registration, coach airfare, lodging and meals, and puts you in front of the people who hire in this field.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.