Need-based aid and merit scholarships
Need-based aid starts from your family's finances. The college reads the CSS Profile or its own forms, works out what your family can pay, and covers part or all of the gap. A merit scholarship starts from your application: grades, courses, activities and sometimes an interview. In a pure merit award, your family's finances play no part.
| Point | Need-based aid | Merit scholarship |
|---|---|---|
| What decides it | What your family can pay, from the CSS Profile or the college's own forms | Your application. Vanderbilt and Rochester award merit scholarships regardless of financial need |
| What it includes | Grants, loans and work-study, at Rochester for example | A set amount or a share of the cost, up to the full cost at a few colleges |
| Each year | You reapply, because your family's finances can change (Rochester) | It renews automatically while you meet its conditions, such as a minimum GPA |
| How common it is | Not everywhere: Boston University, USC and Wake Forest give none to international students | Often scarce: Vanderbilt offers one to roughly 1% of its first-year applicants, while Rochester gave one to about 75% of admitted students for 2026-27 |
Each college picks its own mix for international students:
- Merit only: Boston University, USC and Wake Forest offer international students merit scholarships but no need-based aid. USC adds that none of its merit scholarships covers its full cost of attendance.
- Both: the University of Miami, the University of Rochester and Tulane offer international students both. Tulane gives international students up to US$30,000 in need-based aid, if they have not already been awarded that much or more in merit scholarships.
- Merit and need together: some named scholarships ask for both. Duke's Karsh International Scholarship is open only to international applicants with demonstrated financial need, and Cornell's Tata and Levitan scholarships go to admitted students who qualify for need-based aid.
When you get both kinds, some colleges count the merit award first. Emory awards merit scholarships first, then need-based grants and loans if need remains. Vanderbilt adds need-based aid when your need is greater than your merit scholarship.
Merit scholarships open to international first-years
Each college below says on its own page that international applicants can receive these awards. Vanderbilt, Boston University and Tulane are in the financial aid guide, with more on two of them further down. Sports awards follow their own rules, in the athletic scholarships guide.
| College | Scholarship | Value | How to be considered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emory | Robert W. Woodruff Scholarship | Full tuition, required fees, on-campus room and meals | Answer "Yes" to the Scholars question on the application and apply by 1 November (Early Decision I) or 15 November (Early Decision II and Regular Decision) |
| University of Miami | Stamps Scholarship | Full cost of attendance, plus a US$12,000 enrichment fund | Apply Early Decision I or Early Action by 1 November |
| University of Miami | Isaac Bashevis Singer Scholarship | Full tuition | Apply Early Decision I or Early Action by 1 November |
| University of Miami | President's Scholarship and Canes Achievement Award | Up to US$30,000 and up to US$20,000 a year | Automatic, with a complete application by the deadline |
| Wake Forest | Carswell, Gordon, Reynolds and Stamps Scholarships | Full cost | Apply by 15 November. The admission application is the scholarship application |
| Duke | Karsh International Scholarship | Tuition, room and board, mandatory fees, any demonstrated need above those, and three summers of funding | Apply to Duke and request financial aid: you must have demonstrated need. Early Decision 2 November, Regular Decision 4 January |
| University of Rochester | Meliora Scholarship | US$10,000 to US$35,000, average US$20,000 | Every applicant is considered. Send all materials by 1 December for the highest consideration |
| Case Western Reserve | Milton A. and Roslyn Z. Wolf Scholarship, and Andrew and Eleanor Squire Scholarship | Wolf: tuition, room, board, fees, books and summer experiences. Squire: tuition | A separate competition with an essay, due 15 February. Winners are told by 1 April |
| University of Minnesota | Global Excellence Scholarship | US$5,000 to US$20,000 a year for up to four years, toward tuition only | Apply by 1 November, 1 December or 1 January, and send the Certification of Finances form |
Three details sit behind the table. Miami considers all applicants for merit scholarships regardless of citizenship, but two of its full-tuition awards, the Hammond and the Weeks, are for US citizens and permanent residents only. At Case Western Reserve, the scholarships given automatically are listed for US citizens and permanent residents, while international students can enter the essay competitions unless a competition says otherwise. Minnesota tells recipients by the end of March.
What the table does not tell you
- Your odds: Vanderbilt offers a merit scholarship to roughly 1% of its first-year applicants. About 10,000 students apply each year to Emory's scholar programs, and 175 to 200 become finalists. Case Western Reserve gives each competition award to a single student a year. Rochester is the exception: about 75% of admitted students received a merit scholarship for 2026-27, with an average award around US$20,000.
- Renewal: awards last four years only while you meet their terms. Miami asks for a 3.0 GPA and at least 24 credits a year, and Vanderbilt renews the Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship at a 3.0 GPA. Minnesota requires at least 12 credits a semester, satisfactory academic progress and a valid visa status.
- Tuition is not the whole cost: housing, food, books and insurance remain. Minnesota's award covers tuition only, and USC says none of its merit scholarships covers its full cost of attendance. The cost guide shows the rest of the bill.
Early Decision and merit
A binding early plan can mean committing before you know about merit money. Vanderbilt tells Early Decision applicants that merit recipients hear in late March, so an admitted student commits without knowing whether a merit scholarship will follow. Emory picks its scholar finalists by the end of February and awards scholarships in late March. If a merit award decides whether you can attend, read Early Decision when you need aid before you choose a plan.
More at Vanderbilt and Tulane
- Vanderbilt: for students applying for fall 2027, the Chancellor's Scholarship is no longer offered. The signature awards are now the Cornelius Vanderbilt Scholarship and the Ingram Scholars Program, about 225 awards in all, and both applications are due 1 December 2026.
- Tulane: besides its Global Scholarships for international students, Tulane lets them compete for its other merit awards. They include the Stamps Scholarship, which covers the full cost of attendance for about 10 students a year, and the Grossman & Cohen Scholarship, which covers tuition, mandatory fees, housing and meals, worth roughly US$400,000 over four years.
Named scholarships tied to financial need
Some colleges fund named scholarships for international students who have financial need. Cornell, which weighs aid requests from international applicants in its admission decisions, has two:
- Tata Scholarship: for students who attended secondary school in India, are admitted to Cornell and qualify for need-based aid. About 20 students hold it at any time, for up to eight semesters while their need lasts. Preference goes to architecture, art and planning, engineering, applied economics and management, and majors in the sciences and social sciences.
- Levitan Family Scholarships: full scholarships for five students a year who attended secondary school outside the US and need significant aid. Recipients keep the award with a GPA of 3.0 or higher, among other conditions.
For the Tata Scholarship there is no separate application: you are considered when you apply for admission and for aid. Cornell's aid application, which includes the CSS Profile, is due for international students on the same day as the admission application: 1 November for Early Decision or 2 January for Regular Decision. If you miss it, you cannot apply for aid at any point in your degree.
The CSS Profile and the college's own forms
The CSS Profile is the College Board's online form that colleges and scholarship programs use to award their own aid. It opens on 1 October each year, so the form for fall 2027 is already open. You or your parents can enter amounts in your home currency, and the College Board converts them. The fee is in the financial aid guide.
Fee waivers are the catch. The College Board's automatic waivers are for domestic students, and it grants none outside that process. Some colleges run their own: Rochester buys a limited number of CSS Profile waivers for high-need international students, who request one by 15 January.
Each college sets its own deadline, and for international students it is often the same day as the application. The College Board advises submitting by midnight eastern time on your earliest priority date.
| College | Early round | Regular round |
|---|---|---|
| Cornell, international students | 1 November (Early Decision) | 2 January |
| Duke | 2 November (Early Decision) | 1 February |
| University of Rochester, international students | 1 November (Early Decision I) | 5 January (Early Decision II and Regular Decision) |
Many colleges add a form of their own, often a certification of finances that shows who will pay:
- Minnesota considers you for the Global Excellence Scholarship only if you send its Certification of Finances form.
- Tulane asks international students for its Declaration & Certification of Finances, alongside the CSS Profile, to be considered for all scholarships.
- Wake Forest asks for its Confidential Financial Information for International Applicants form before it will consider you for admission, unless you are offered a merit scholarship.
- USC asks for its Financial Statement of Personal or Family Support within two weeks of your application deadline.
Outside scholarships
Outside scholarships come from governments, foundations, companies and community groups, not from the college. Most are local, so start at home. Minnesota, for example, encourages international students to look for scholarships in their home country and community and to contact the nearest EducationUSA office. EducationUSA, the US State Department's advising network, keeps a financial aid search that you can filter by level of study. For some countries, filtering by country shows government-sponsored scholarships.
| Program | Who it is for | What it gives |
|---|---|---|
| EducationUSA Opportunity Funds | Highly qualified students likely to get full aid from US colleges who cannot pay the up-front costs of applying | Help with costs such as tests, application fees and airfare. Each student is chosen by an EducationUSA adviser, a regional manager and the US embassy or consulate |
| Líderes Estudar, Fundação Estudar | Brazilians aged 34 or under who are being admitted to, or study at, a university, including for a full undergraduate degree abroad | Up to 90% of the amount needed, for tuition, housing, transport and other essentials, and it can be combined with college aid. Selection opens once a year |
| Davis United World College Scholars | Graduates of the 18 United World College schools | Need-based aid at more than 100 partner colleges in the US |
Ask an adviser at your nearest EducationUSA center about Opportunity Funds. More than 150 US colleges have enrolled its students since 2006.
Check the level of study
Many well-known programs fund graduate study only. The Fulbright Foreign Student Program is for graduate students, young professionals and artists. The Mastercard Foundation's pages for its US partners Arizona State University and UC Berkeley list post-graduate and master's study. Before you spend time on an application, find the line that says undergraduate.
Tell your college about outside money
An outside scholarship can change your college aid. At Vanderbilt, outside scholarships count as part of your need-based package: they first replace the earnings expected of you during the year and the summer, and Vanderbilt reduces its own grants only as a last resort. Case Western Reserve uses outside scholarships first to reduce the loans and work in your package. Tell your college's financial aid office about every award you receive.
Scholarships and your I-20
Before it issues your I-20, your college must see proof that you can pay. Study in the States, the US government's site for international students, lists scholarship letters and financial aid letters among the evidence that counts. A scholarship from the college lowers the amount your family has to show. The I-20 guide explains how much and which documents.
At merit-only colleges, you may have to prove the money before you know about a scholarship. USC asks every international applicant to document the full cost of attendance for at least the first year, verified by a bank, and says applicants may not rely on its merit awards to show they can pay. Wake Forest asks for its financial form before it will consider you for admission, unless you are offered a merit scholarship.
Keep your award letter and its renewal terms with your other financial documents. An award you lose because of grades or credits is money your family must find, and Minnesota's award also requires a valid visa status.
If you are a national of one of the 38 countries under Proclamation 10998, among them Nigeria and Angola, new F, M and J visas have been suspended since 1 January 2026 unless an exception applies, so read the student visa pause guide before you accept an award.
How to spot a scholarship scam
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) says never pay to apply for a scholarship. If a company promises you a scholarship or grant in exchange for a "processing cost", a "redemption fee" or any other upfront payment, walk away. Scams often start with a social media post, an email or a letter that says you have been selected.
The FTC lists phrases that mark a scam:
- "The scholarship is guaranteed or your money back."
- "You can't get this information anywhere else."
- "I just need your credit card or bank account number to hold this scholarship."
- "We'll do all the work. You just pay a processing fee."
- "You're a finalist", for a contest you never entered.
Some companies legitimately sell lists of scholarships, but the FTC notes that legitimate companies never guarantee or promise an award. Check every offer against the college's or program's own website, and ask your school counselor or an EducationUSA adviser before you pay anyone.