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Scholarships for international students can be hard to come by, often requiring specific eligibility requirements such as being from another country or part of a minority group.
There are thankfully some scholarships that do not impose such limitations, including five independent scholarships listed below as examples of what may be available.
1. Organization of American States
The Organization of American States is an intercontinental body which works to promote democracy and cooperation in the Americas. It focuses on strengthening political, social, and economic systems within its region – its members include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador Mexico Peru Venezuela USA
This organization can trace its roots back to Simon Bolivar’s 1826 Congress of Panama, convened by him and attended by representatives from Central and South America. At that meeting, representatives drafted the Treaty of Perpetual Union League Confederation which was eventually only ratified by Gran Colombia (now comprising Colombia Ecuador Panama Venezuela).
Scholarships offered by the Organization of American States are intended to enable scholars from member countries of OAS to pursue graduate studies leading towards either a Master’s or Ph.D. Scholarships are awarded based on academic excellence, demonstrated commitment to their community or country of origin and excellent communication skills.
Candidates seeking admission must meet admissions requirements for the degree program of their choice. In particular, this means being in good physical and mental health while possessing sufficient language ability to complete their planned program of study in accordance with academic activities conducted at their institution of choice. Furthermore, candidates must be capable of traveling and living in the city or municipality where their study takes place.
ISS and the Organization of American States (OAS) have joined forces to offer OAS country students from Rotterdam an exceptional opportunity to study at ISS in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The ISS-OAS scholarship covers 60% of tuition fees.
OAS Scholarship and Training Program provides additional attractive scholarship options for scholarly studies through its Partnerships Program for Education and Training, supported by partner universities worldwide. All programs adhere to each company contract’s provisions as well as those detailed in OAS Manual of Procedures for Scholarship and Training Program.
2. MPower
MPower was established by two former international students with the goal of eliminating financial obstacles that prevent many international students from fulfilling their college dreams in America. MPower offers student loans for undergraduate juniors and seniors as well as graduate students. Furthermore, loans are available to DACA recipients and refugees; students may use these funds for both tuition and costs of living expenses.
International and DACA students can apply for an MPower loan without needing a cosigner, even without an established U.S. credit history. MPower works with over 350 schools nationwide and its loan application process is straightforward. Repayment options available through MPower include interest-only, deferment, hardship forbearance policy (with 6 month delays available for payments) as well as its generous hardship forbearance policy which allows borrowers to delay payments until after graduation training or fellowships have completed; unfortunately it doesn’t offer repayment plans post graduation training or fellowships nor offers repayment plans post graduation training/fellowships either (due to charges being higher compared with other private lenders).
Keep in mind that MPower’s interest rates tend to be higher than other lenders due to its focus on international students and DACA recipients, but it may still be worth investigating whether its loan terms provide you with the optimal solution.
MPower Scholarships for International Students are open to any full-time degree program accepted or enrolled at one of its supporting schools, provided you qualify as both an international student and either a DACA recipient or refugee. Furthermore, applicants must demonstrate how their degree will benefit society or humanity in some way.
MPower offers various scholarship programs tailored specifically towards women working in STEM fields. Their aim is to reduce gender disparity, especially within engineering and computer science fields where gender inequities are most evident. Women hold only 20 percent of STEM degrees in the United States according to Society of Women Engineers; MPower scholarships are open to female students studying computer engineering, nuclear physics or software development degrees at American colleges or universities.
3. Scholars4dev
Scholars4dev provides an excellent way for those searching for scholarships focused on international development to narrow down their search by gender, ethnicity, country of origin, major area of study and school. Furthermore, it also features information about fellowships which provide funds specifically designed to be applied toward specific fields of study.
Berkeley College stands out among universities by awarding pre-law degrees with international student scholarships, with awards ranging from 25% to 100% of tuition costs covered by these scholarships. Furthermore, Berkeley also provides numerous other scholarships that help offset education costs for its students.
Many European countries provide tuition waivers or lower costs for international students studying there, with Switzerland being particularly accommodating by offering multiple tuition waivers at various universities as well as tuition-free online universities such as The University of the People which offer associate and bachelor degrees to international learners.
Students from developing countries may apply for a Commonwealth scholarship to attend one of the UK universities. This scholarship covers living expenses, travel costs, accommodation costs, insurance premiums, books and tuition fees for up to one year of university study.
Another scholarship option available to students interested in technology and looking to make an impactful statement about its future is the CGTrader Scholarship, awarded annually. Students interested must submit a video explaining their vision for its future before answering some questions about themselves; applicants could receive up to $10,000 as this scholarship.
No matter your reason for studying abroad or simply seeking money to pay tuition costs, it’s always smart to research scholarship opportunities early. Many scholarships have deadlines up to a year ahead and it may be easy to miss out if you wait too long – to maximize your chances of receiving funding, start searching 9-12 months prior to when you plan to study abroad.
4. YouAreWelcomeHere
The YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship campaign honors international students while encouraging intercultural understanding. Each participating university offers an annual, renewable scholarship covering half of tuition. These awards are given out only to applicants applying to first year undergraduate international studies programs; other merit scholarships cannot be stacked with it. Applicants must first apply for admission into one of 57 participating colleges and universities before being considered for this scholarship award.
This initiative was initiated as a response to statements some colleges made regarding their policies toward international students, and has also been inspired by similar campaigns elsewhere such as #WeAreInternational in the U.K. Administered by NAFSA: Association of International Educators, participating colleges have agreed to make their scholarship policies clear on their websites.
Some universities that participate in this program have created videos to express their message. Eastern Michigan University features students celebrating diversity on campus while welcoming international students; University of Kentucky International Center has another video which shows its students offering welcomes to international students.
Additionally to these initiatives, many universities also provide other scholarships and grants for international students. At UMBC alone, multiple talent scholarships exist, such as Academic Talent Scholarships and Artistic Expression Talent Scholarships; these awards can cover an array of disciplines up to $10,000!
Other universities also provide special scholarships to international students studying specific majors. For instance, SUNY Stony Brook offers its #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship exclusively to first-year international undergraduates that is not stackable with other scholarships; it can cover up to 50% of tuition based on academic merit.
Students applying for this scholarship must have completed secondary school education outside the US and demonstrated an interest and personal initiative in activities that promote leadership development and intercultural learning. If awarded the scholarship, recipients will need to provide a statement of intent highlighting how their studies will further build intercultural understanding and leadership capabilities.
