Which US colleges fund international students
For the 2026-27 cycle, ten US colleges confirm they admit international first-year students need-blind and meet full need. Stanford meets full need but is need-aware, colleges such as Vanderbilt, Boston University and Tulane give merit scholarships, and many public universities give little or no aid.
| Kind | What it means for you | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Need-blind for international students, full need met | Asking for aid does not affect admission, and admitted students get all the aid they need | Harvard, MIT, Yale, Princeton, Amherst, Dartmouth, Bowdoin, Washington and Lee, Notre Dame, Brown (first-years) |
| Need-aware, full need met | Asking for aid counts in the decision, but admitted students get all the aid they need | Stanford |
| Merit scholarships for international students | Awards based on your record, not your finances | Vanderbilt, Boston University, Tulane |
| Little or no aid for international students | Plan to pay the full cost | Many public universities. Check each college |
The need-blind colleges guide lists each verified college with its official page and its rules.
How need-based aid works
The college works out what your family can pay, from the CSS Profile and your parents' income documents. The gap between the cost of the year and that amount is your demonstrated need. Colleges that meet full need cover the gap with grants and campus jobs. If your family can pay nothing, grants and campus work cover the college's full cost of attendance.
It is rarely zero effort: at Amherst, the first US$1,800 of need is met with a campus job, and students are expected to save from summer work. Some colleges publish income levels. At Harvard, families earning up to US$100,000 with typical assets pay nothing, health insurance and travel included, and the rule is the same for international students.
Two terms appear on every aid page:
- Need-blind: the college does not consider whether you applied for aid when it decides to admit you.
- Need-aware: the college takes your aid request into account. For international applicants, that usually makes admission harder.
Ask for aid when you apply
This is the rule that catches most international students. At Stanford and Washington and Lee, if you do not apply for aid with your application, you cannot get it later, in any year. At Stanford, the only exception is a change of citizenship that makes you eligible for US federal aid. Yale says international students apply for aid only once, at admission.
If there is any chance you will need help, apply for aid from the start.
What you submit
To be considered for need-based aid in 2026-27, you usually submit the CSS Profile, which costs US$25 for the first college, and your parents' income documents. Once admitted, you also show proof of funds for the I-20.
- CSS Profile: the College Board's aid form. It costs US$25 for the first college and US$16 for each additional one. If the fee is a burden, Washington and Lee accepts a fee waiver request, and Amherst and Bowdoin accept the ISFAA form instead. Yale does not accept the ISFAA.
- Parents' income documents: some colleges, such as MIT, ask for tax returns or income statements through IDOC, translated into English. At MIT, your family may do the translation.
- Proof of funds for the I-20: once admitted, you show that your family can pay its share. The I-20 guide explains the rules.
Aid deadlines differ from admission deadlines. At Harvard, the CSS Profile is due 1 November for early applicants and 1 February for regular applicants. At Notre Dame, it is due 15 November for early applicants and 15 January for regular applicants. Bowdoin asks international students to send aid documents only after admission, within 7 days.
What a package covers
At Yale, aid for international students includes housing, meals and two round trips a year, and students do not reapply each year. Harvard includes a travel allowance in every aid award, for international and US students alike. At Washington and Lee, the International Grant is set from your first-year application, lasts four years and rises with tuition, with no new documents.
Merit scholarships
Merit scholarships reward your record, not your finances. For 2026-27 they range from half tuition at Boston University to full tuition at Vanderbilt and up to the full cost at Tulane, and each sets a deadline between 1 November and 1 December to be considered.
| College | Scholarship | Value | How to be considered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanderbilt | Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship | Full tuition, plus a one-time summer stipend | Apply by 1 December 2026. Early Decision applicants only hear in late March |
| Boston University | Presidential Scholarship | Half tuition | Apply by 1 December |
| Tulane | Global Scholarships | Up to full tuition or the full cost | Apply Early Decision (1 November) or Early Action (10 November) |
Boston University gives international students merit aid only, not need-based aid. Tulane offers both. At Notre Dame, merit aid can reduce your need-based aid rather than add to it. Stanford gives no merit aid, apart from a limited number of athletic scholarships.
Who pays, in practice
Across all international students in the US in 2024/25, graduate students included, 51.5% rely mainly on personal or family funds, and 19.3% mainly on the US college. Full aid exists, but it is competitive. Build a list that includes colleges your family can afford.