Studying in the United States can be very expensive, especially as an international student. Considering the exchange rate and other factors, it is almost impossible to pay for tuition, boarding, feeding and other fees out of pocket.
Scholarships and financial aid are tools that help to massively reduce the Cost of Attendance at these universities and as such, are very important. In this article, I will be discussing the scholarship and financial aid opportunities available for undergraduate students. If you are a graduate student, feel free to skip this article. I should probably make a guide for graduate students soon.
Let’s get to it.
Scholarships vs Financial aid
Scholarships: Based on the Oxford Languages dictionary, a scholarship is “a grant or payment made to support a student’s education, awarded on the basis of academic or other achievement.” Thus, scholarships are financial assistance given to a student based on their academic prowess or achievements in other areas.
Financial aid: According to the US official federal student aid website, “Financial aid is money to help pay for college or career school. Grants, work-study, loans, and scholarships help make college or career school affordable.” Financial aid is generally given based on need. They can come from several sources like the federal and state government, private sources and the university itself. Most international student financial aid come from universities and private sources.
Generally, how much a student can contribute to their education is first calculated before financial aid is given to them. Two main methods used to calculate this are the College Board® CSS Profile™ and ISFAA (International Student Financial Aid) forms provided by individual universities.
What Schools offer Scholarships and Financial Aid
I like to divide schools that provide financial aid/scholarships into three categories:
Elite schools/top tier schools
These are mostly Ivy League schools (search Google to learn more about Ivy League schools). For these schools, once you are admitted, they make sure finances will not stop you from attending. This means, they pay the difference between the total cost of attendance and what you are able to pay.
These schools generally use the CSS Profile™ to calculate your expected contribution and they provide financial aid to cover the rest. While this is currently true, follow the instructions provided to you by each school when you are applying as things may change periodically. Note that admission to these schools are quite competitive though not impossible, so sit tight if you are targeting these schools.
Some of these schools are:
- Harvard
- Yale
- MIT
- Columbia
- Cornell
- Vanderbilt
There may be more, so it is advisable to research more on this.
Some HBCUs
Some HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) provide scholarships and financial aid to international students. These are usually by merit based, based on financial need or a combination of both. Expected student contribution is usually calculated using ISFAA forms provided after you submit your applications.
Some of these schools are:
- Howard
- Fisk
- Hampton
- Spelman (girls only)
- Alcorn State
- Morgan State
Other universities
These are other universities known to give a substantial amount of financial aid and/or scholarships to international students.
They are:
- University of Houston (Tier One Scholarship)
- Armhest
- Lafayette
- Williams
- Swathmore
- Villanova
- Oberlin
- Calvin
Note that some universities will ask you in the admission application if you are interested in financial support. Don’t skip this question.
Conclusion
A lot of universities offer scholarship and financial aid packages and a few of them are mentioned in this article. Visit the financial aid websites of these universities and see what packages they offer.
Join the growing community where we share and discuss study abroad opportunities for Africans: https://discord.gg/bdCerMDnh8
Follow us on Instagram for bite-sized content: @nimquest
Learn more about the nimquest project: https://nimquest.com/
