U.S. Government Funding
Although international students are not eligible for U.S. federal student loans or in-state tuition, there are many educational exchange programs for students and professionals that are managed through U.S. embassies and partnering higher education institutions. Examples include Foreign Student Fulbright Program and Humphrey Fellowship and one-semester Global UGRAD for emerging undergraduate student leaders. Also, the Opportunity Funds Program is a source of U.S. funding that covers some international students’ initial costs, such as testing, application fees, and airfare. Students who are likely to receive significant financial aid from a U.S. university are eligible for that program.
For the most up-to-date information on applying for U.S. sponsored programs, prospective students can check the U.S. Embassy Education and Culture webpages in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajkistan, and Uzbekistan.
Other Scholarship Sources
Some international students’ governments provide financial aid to those who have been accepted into U.S. universities, if they meet certain criteria. For example, students from Kazakhstan who are applying for master’s and doctoral programs in the United States are eligible for the Bolashaq International Scholarship. Other funding sources, such as the Aga Khan Foundation offer scholarships for students from Central Asia who are enrolled in development studies programs. Note, a condition to maintain scholarships could be earning a minimum GPA each semester of study. Information on some non-government scholarship opportunities can be found in the following table.
Scholarships for International Students
| Organization | Scholarship Information |
| Aga Khan Foundation (AKDN) | The International Scholarship Program is for graduate students from designated countries who are enrolled in development-related study programs. See more |
| American Association of University Women | Fellowships and grants are available for women studying in graduate university programs and leading innovative community projects to empower women and girls. See more |
| NAFSA: Association of International Educators | Colleges and universities that participate in #YouAreWelcomeHere award two scholarships each year to future undergraduate student leaders. See more |
| Rotary | Rotary Peace Centers Program provides funding for international students who are pursuing master’s degree or professional certificates in the field of peace and development. See more |
Scholarship Search Tools
There are many organizations that compile university scholarship information. Even if the scholarship amounts are small, several scholarships added together can make a significant difference in the overall cost of attending university. Scholarship search tools vary in quality and relevance. However, links to some useful ones are provided in the table below.
Scholarship Search Tools
| Organization | Tool Description |
| CareerOneStop | CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor has a search tool that can filter more than 8,000 scholarships, fellowships, grants, and other financial aid award opportunities in order of closest deadline, keyword, award types, locations, and level of study. See more |
| College Board | The College Board, a not-for-profit organization has a scholarship search tool that uses information from the National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA) and includes more than 2,200 programs. It uses information from the applicant to filter funding opportunities. See more |
| EducationUSA | EducationUSA, a U.S. Department of State network of international advising centers worldwide has a search tool that filters special opportunities and financial aid by degree and U.S. state. See more |
| Institute of International Education (IIE) | IIE, an organization involved in education exchange and aid has a U.S. funding search tool that filters funding by program name, sponsoring organization, area of study, and state location. See more |
| International Student | The company International Student has a tool that filters scholarships by area of study and location of study. See more |
| Next Student College Athlete (NSCA) | For students who intend to compete in sports at their university, the NSCA tool filters scholarships by sport, then U.S. state, then competitive division. See more |
Additional scholarship databases which are free, but could require users to create an account are maintained by education companies including:
Prospective students should use care when using scholarship search sites to avoid any scams, especially if they are prompted to share personal information such as credit card or bank account information.