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.
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.
Editing Services Scholarship 2026 - $1,000 Essay Award
The Editing Services Scholarship 2026 is a $1,000 award from editing.services, the writing and editing marketplace run by ServiceScape Incorporated. One winner is chosen on the quality of a 300-word essay answering a single question: how does writing impact today's world? There is no transcript, no GPA floor, no recommendation letter and no fee. You need to be at least 18 and attending, or about to attend, an accredited college, university or trade school in 2026. Entries opened on 1 December 2025 and close on 30 November 2026 UTC, with the winner notified by email in December 2026 and the $1,000 mailed as a check within four weeks.
University of Detroit Mercy Scholarships 2027
University of Detroit Mercy Scholarships are awarded from your admission file, so applying for admission puts you in the running for every university award automatically. Detroit Mercy does not publish freshman merit tiers, but the figures it does publish are concrete: transfer grants of $6,000 to $14,000 a year by GPA, a $2,000 Catholic Education grant, a $1,000 Visit Grant, and international awards up to $10,000 a year. Above those sit four routes to full tuition, the Titan Edge for Michigan students, the Jesuit Founders and Phi Theta Kappa scholarships for transfers, and the MPLCC award. The date that decides how much is in play is 1 December 2026, the Scholarship Priority deadline for Fall 2027 entry.
Tulane University Merit Scholarships 2027
Tulane considers every first-year applicant for merit money automatically, with no separate scholarship form. Partial tuition awards run from $1,000 to $32,000 a year. Above them sit the full-tuition Dean's Honor Scholarship, the Grossman & Cohen Scholarship worth roughly $400,000 across four years, and around five Stamps Scholarships a year that cover the entire $98,710 cost of attendance plus an enrichment fund. International students compete for the same awards through the Global Scholarships route, up to full tuition and fees. The date that decides how much is still in play is 10 November 2026, the Early Action deadline for Fall 2027 entry, because several scholarship supplements close in December.
University of Michigan-Dearborn Scholarship 2027
The University of Michigan-Dearborn Scholarship is awarded from your admission file, with no separate scholarship form anywhere in the process. Non-resident and international first-year students are placed on a GPA ladder worth $5,000 to $12,500 a year, or $20,000 to $50,000 across four years. Students from eight nearby states and Ontario can instead be assessed at the in-state rate through the Great Lakes Scholarship, worth around $18,000 a year. Non-resident graduate students on in-person programmes receive the Graduate Dearborn Scholarship, which pays $1,250 to $8,000 a semester depending on credit load. Every merit award renews on a cumulative 3.0 GPA and full-time enrolment for up to eight semesters. The next date that matters is 15 November 2026, the Winter 2027 deadline for applicants who need a visa.
UMass Lowell Scholarship 2027 - Up to $20,000/yr
UMass Lowell decides merit scholarships from your admission application, and there is no separate scholarship form to chase. Out-of-state, national and international first-year students are considered for awards of $8,000 to $20,000 a year. Massachusetts residents compete for the Chancellor's Scholarship at full tuition and mandatory fees, or the Dean's Scholarship at up to half. New England students see $8,000 to $14,000 and students from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania see $5,000 to $13,000. Every award renews for up to eight consecutive semesters on a 3.000 GPA and full-time enrolment. Apply by Early Action I on 5 November 2026 for Fall 2027 entry.