Universities Offering 100% Scholarships for International Students luk4sammy@gmail.com, November 22, 2025November 22, 2025 In today’s guide, we are going to talk about universities offering 100% scholarships for international students.These are USA universities which provide for international students in their comprehensive financial package which covers their education, living expenses, and subsistence. In USA universities, two types of scholarships are provided first is merit based scholarship and second is need based scholarship. As obvious from the names, merit based scholarships merit, academic competence and more facets are given. Whereas, need based scholarship, financial need and exigency are given. Some universities give only one type of scholarship and some universities provide both types of facilities. So, without any further ado, let’s take a look at the list of universities which provide very good financial aid to international students. Universities Offering 100% ScholarshipsUniversities that Offers Need Based ScholarshipsHarvard UniversityYale UniversityYale ScholarshipsStanford UniversityPrinceton UniversityUniversities that Offers Merit-based ScholarshipsKarsh International Scholars ProgramDuke UniversityUniversity of ColumbiaUniversity of ChicagoTipsConclusion Universities that Offers Need Based Scholarships Harvard University Harvard University does not provide merit based scholarship. It only offers need based scholarships. Before we go into the greater details of scholarships, let’s understand the key parameters of Harvard University scholarships. Zero discrimination policy on the basis of an applicant’s economic and financial stature. To explain in simple words, it’s very simple. Harvard University does not discriminate on the basis of any student’s economic class. It treats everyone fairly. This process is described as need blind admissions. Fulfillment of 100% scholarship needs. This means that the financial support requirement stated by the students Harvard University gives 100% of it without fail. Now the question is, how does Harvard University get grants for scholarships? Harvard University has stated these sources on its website which could be Harvard’s endowment funds, alumni gifts, federal and state grants. Scholarships are given on the basis of a student’s annual family income. Generally, families whose annual income is less than $65,000 do not receive any college fees. And those whose income is between $65,000 and $1,50,000 are asked for 0-10% of their income contribution and that too on a case-by-case basis. Yale University Yale University is also one of the prestigious universities. It’s an Ivy League school so many international students apply to get a chance to study in Yale University. And again, like Harvard University, Yale also follows a needs-blind admission policy. Let’s take a look at the scholarship by Yale University. Yale Scholarships This is open to international students for undergraduate, post-graduate and Ph.D. level programs. Where the scholarship amount starts from a few dollars and can go up to $70,000 per year. Generally, almost every year, the average scholarship amount exceeds $50,000. Stanford University Stanford University provides need-based financial aid for undergraduate students which covers their tuition fees, room, boat and other expenses. And Stanford University offers fully funded scholarships for Masters and Ph.D. level students which covers their tuition fees, room, boat and other expenses. Stanford University also accepts international students through external scholarships. For example, Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program, QuestBridge National College Match, Fulbright Program. In fact, Stanford University may be the office of global scholarships run by the Bechtel International Center’s office that connects students with some of the best scholarship opportunities. As it enlists scholarship opportunities that can get you to Stanford. Princeton University Princeton University is an Ivy League institution which follows a need-blind admissions policy and does not offer merit-based scholarships. In fact, they have displayed an aggregate scholarship amount table on their website to give students a clearer view about how many grants you can get to study in the Princeton University. For undergraduates, tuition fees and accommodation costs are covered. For graduates, they offer full tuition, a living stipend, in fact, teaching assistantships and lab assistantships. In undergraduate scholarships, it offers first-year grants in which you only get partial funding. Scholarship amount is $2,000. In fact, MIT has shared the deadline for applying for these scholarships. The MIT Scholarship is a fully-funded scholarship giving students 100% of their demonstrated financial need. In postgraduate scholarships, MIT provides Presidential Graduate Fellowship Program which is open for masters and PhD students. It covers tuition fees, monthly stipend and student insurance plan for one academic year. Second one is Research and Teaching Assistantships which offers partial or full tuition coverage and a monthly stipend. External scholarships may accept American Association of University, Women’s International Fellowship and Fulbright Foreign Student Program, Duke University. Universities that Offers Merit-based Scholarships Karsh International Scholars Program Well, finally, we are talking about a university that offers merit-based scholarships. The first one is Karsh International Scholars Program. It covers the full cost of tuition, room, board and mandatory fees and provides funding for research, unpaid internships and other things. If you want to qualify for this scholarship, then you should have an impeccable academic performance plus a need for these scholarship grants. Duke University Duke University provides many wholesome merit-based scholarships to both freshmen applicants and continuing students. You will find a comprehensive list on the website. University of Columbia University of Columbia offers need-based and needs-blind scholarship. As per its policy, students from those families whose calculated annual total income is less than $1,50,000, their tuition fees are completely exempt. In fact, first-year students who come from low-income family groups can also get $2,000 statum grant. University of Chicago University of Chicago mostly offers merit-based scholarships starting at $2,000 for over 4 years. It also offers the First Phoenix Scholarship for first-generation college students. It is a need-based scholarship package so whoever qualifies, doesn’t have to pay tuition fees. And whoever does not, they get a $20,000 scholarship over 4 years. Similarly, most of the USC universities need-based and needs-blind scholarship opportunities follow. And they post regular updates about their scholarships on their website. But again, even if it’s a need-based scholarship, your academic record matters. Tips You have to prove yourself worthy for the scholarship to get into a particular university. USA universities’ scholarship policies are mostly generous with no discrimination for international students. Similarly, other colleges like Amherst College, University of Notre Dame, University of Pennsylvania, California Institute of Technology, Brown University, Dartmouth College, Vanderbilt University, University of Southern California, University of Virginia, University of Michigan, and University of Rochester offer merit-based and need-based scholarships to attract international students to their campuses. The amount of scholarships can differ. And as per the scholarships, international students prefer Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford, MIT, and Princeton University because they offer comprehensive financial aid and what is even more amazing is that scholarships awarding process is completely online and paperless. There is no need to fill a separate window or even separate form in most of these cases. You can demonstrate your financial needs while submitting your university application forms. So, it is quite hassle-free and easy to apply. Which is very important because international students across different continents apply for these scholarships. Conclusion We reveal many scholarships offered by the top USA universities for international students. What is also important, if you have noticed that most universities are ready to fulfill 100% of demonstrated financial needs. That means, most universities are not following an insular pre-set process that we have announced this much scholarship and students can apply if they are interested. In fact, universities are following a more flexible and empathetic scholarship awarding process where students understand the financial conditions and decide the scholarship amount which is the way to go as it attracts students even more. Scholarship Grants Universities Offering 100% Scholarships