Ways to pay · International undergraduates
Paying for a U.S. bachelor's degree as an international student
By the Scholastic Leaders team · Last reviewed · How we research
International students can't get U.S. federal aid (Pell Grants, federal loans or work-study), and most state aid is for residents. Almost all aid you can get comes from the college itself, so where you apply matters more than anything else. Who can get federal aid
1. Know each college's policy
- Need-blind and meets full need: your finances don't affect admission and the college covers your demonstrated need. Very few colleges do this for internationals.
- Need-aware: asking for aid can affect admission. Some still meet full need for admitted students.
- Merit only / no need-based aid: plan to pay the full cost unless you win a merit award.
2. Need-blind for internationals and meets full need (10 in our data)
- Amherst College reported — confirm
- Bowdoin College reported — confirm
- Brown University reported — confirm
- Dartmouth College reported — confirm
- Harvard University reported — confirm
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology reported — confirm
- Princeton University reported — confirm
- University of Notre Dame reported — confirm
- Washington and Lee University reported — confirm
- Yale University reported — confirm
Need-aware but meet full need of admitted internationals (11):
- Columbia University official page
- Cornell University reported — confirm
- Duke University reported — confirm
- Johns Hopkins University reported — confirm
- Northwestern University reported — confirm
- Pomona College reported — confirm
- Rice University reported — confirm
- Stanford University official page
- Swarthmore College reported — confirm
- University of Pennsylvania official page
- Williams College reported — confirm
From our hand-checked university records, with the source level shown. Policies change; confirm on each official aid page.
3. Apply for aid with the right form
Most colleges that give internationals need-based aid use the CSS Profile for international students. Some use the ISFAA (International Student Financial Aid Application) or their own form, and many ask for a Certification of Finances. Each college's aid page lists its forms and deadlines, which are often the same as the admission deadline.
4. Merit scholarships
Many public and private universities give automatic or competitive merit scholarships to internationals. On each school page, “Your real cost” shows the school's own reported aid to international undergraduates (Common Data Set H6) where we verified it, and says so plainly where we haven't.
5. Outside funding
Some governments and foundations fund study in the U.S. Browse EducationUSA listings (only verified ones are shown by default) and your local EducationUSA advising center.
Compare colleges
We link only to official government, school and program pages and don't publish award amounts we haven't confirmed. Rules change every year, so check each official page before you rely on it.