Are there any scholarships available for studying in the USA for a Master's/PhD?
Yes, most funding comes from your university through Teaching or Research Assistantships, which usually cover full tuition plus a monthly stipend, especially for PhD students. International students can also apply for Fulbright, AAUW International Fellowships, and Civil Society Leadership Awards, though masters funding is harder to secure than PhD funding.
Yes, you can fund a Masters or PhD in the USA, but you should know that most support comes directly from your university rather than a single national scholarship. Your funding strategy will differ depending on whether you are applying to a research based PhD or a coursework Masters.
Main Funding Sources You Can Target
| Funding Source | Who It Suits | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching or Research Assistantships | PhD students, some thesis Masters | Full tuition plus a monthly stipend for 10 to 20 hours of work |
| Fulbright Foreign Student Program | International students in over 160 countries | Tuition, airfare, stipend and health insurance |
| AAUW International Fellowships | Women pursuing graduate study | Funding for full time graduate or postdoctoral study |
| NSF Graduate Research Fellowship | US citizens and permanent residents in STEM | Major research funding package |
Why Masters and PhD Funding Differ for You
You will find that PhD programs in STEM and the humanities are far more likely to be fully funded through departmental assistantships, since departments actively want to bring in strong research candidates. If you are applying for a Masters instead, you should expect to self fund more of the cost and actively search for TA positions, merit fellowships, or external scholarships like the Civil Society Leadership Awards or Prospanica Foundation grants for business fields.
My Advice
Reach out directly to professors whose research matches yours before you apply, since they often control dedicated research assistantship funding that never appears on a general scholarships webpage. Prioritize PhD applications if full funding matters most to you, and treat a self funded Masters as a step you can offset later with a TA role once you are enrolled.
Which US scholarships can you actually get?
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