What are the criteria for scholarships abroad at universities like the one I'm applying to? Are they based on financial need or academic merit?

Both types exist, and which one applies to you depends entirely on the specific university's policy rather than a single global rule. You need to check each university's own financial aid and scholarship pages to know which criteria apply to international applicants.

Need based versus merit based scholarships

What to check at your target university

• Availability for international students: Some universities, such as Johns Hopkins, offer both need based aid and merit scholarships to international applicants.
• Need only policies: Universities such as the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton award financial aid purely on demonstrated need, with no academic merit scholarships at all.
• Need aware admissions: At some universities, your stated financial need can factor into the admission decision itself, which is different from the scholarship award being need based.
• Coverage level: Confirm how much of your demonstrated need a university actually covers, since it can range from partial to full funding.

My Advice

Read the specific scholarship page for your target university rather than assuming its policy matches a similar sounding university elsewhere, since need only, merit only and combined policies genuinely differ from one institution to the next. If your family income is limited, prioritise universities that explicitly state need based aid for international students over those offering merit scholarships alone.