Here, we have compiled a list of verified external scholarships for international students. There are many external scholarships that require students to be US Citizens/Permanent Residence or require students to be living in the US at the time of the application. We have excluded scholarships that have those eligibility criteria since most international students do not meet those requirements. Many international students will be eligible for scholarships listed here.
This is not a complete list whatsoever, but it is a good start for you to take a look at. Unfortunately, there can be a lot of scams such as those asking for application fees or scholarships that are for publicity and don’t really give actual money to the recipients. We’ve been in this industry for several years, so we can tell if an external scholarship is a scam or not.
What Are External Scholarships?
You are probably familiar with the term scholarship since scholarships are money given out for free that you don’t need to pay back. In college, you can apply for two different types of scholarships, and they are need-based (scholarships given based on your financial need) and merit-based (scholarships given based on your personal achievements).
However, there is another type of award called external scholarships that are given by private organizations and charity foundations. This form of financial aid is called external since these types of organizations are not related to the college that you are applying for. If you do win an external scholarship, you can use the money that you receive to pay for your college tuition or any undergraduate-related expenses.
How Can You Tell if an External Scholarship is a Scam?
The easiest way to tell that an external scholarship is a scam is if they ask for an application fee. I have not seen any legitimate external scholarship that asks for an application fee, so if an external scholarship does ask for a fee to process your application, you should run away. Please note that this applies to external scholarships only and does not apply to universities. You do need to pay an application fee to apply to most universities.
Another easy sign is if they don’t have any past winners in previous years. Many legitimate external scholarships post profiles, universities that they are currently attending, and stories of their past winners, so if you don’t see something like that, it is a red sign.
A not-so-easy way of telling is to see if the external scholarships are made for SEO purposes ONLY. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. There are tons of websites that post external scholarships in hopes of getting backlinks from sites like ours. Backlinks help sites to rank on search engines like Google, so websites make up scholarships and send them our way. So, if we link to their sites, then they will rank higher on Google. The problem comes when these are made-up scholarships where many students apply, but no one gets a single penny.
Now, note the emphasis on the word ONLY in the previous paragraph. There are legitimate scholarships that do provide scholarships, and their secondary (or even primary) reason is to earn backlinks and rank higher on Google. This is completely fine if they do provide the actual money for the scholarship.
Check Also: Available Programs for International Students
Are External Scholarships a One-Time Thing?
The answer to this question can be yes or no. If the scholarship is sponsored by an organization that has limited funding, the external scholarship might be offered for only that one year. However, if a major corporation decides to establish an external scholarship program, the external scholarship might be offered year after year.
Since we like things to be more consistent, we have only included external scholarships that are offered every year. In the list down below, we have included different external scholarships that are offered by major corporations and small foundations, so please take your time when browsing through our external scholarship list.
Annual External Scholarships
1. GlobalScholarships.com $3,000 Scholarships for International Students
- Official Link
- Award Benefits: $3,000
- Eligible Institutions: Any Country
- Eligible Degrees: Diploma, Associate’s, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D., as well as professional programs like law and medicine
Global Scholarships is the most comprehensive scholarship database in the world. Starting in 2023, Global Scholarships has established this $1,000 scholarship for prospective international students who are studying abroad at any legitimate institution around the world. International students pursuing any eligible degree are eligible to apply.
2. ExpressVPN Future of Privacy Scholarship
- Official Link
- Award Benefits: $5,000
- Eligible Institutions: Any Country
- Eligible Degrees: Undergraduate and Graduate Schools
If you ever browsed through the internet, you have probably heard of this acronym called VPN, and VPN is a shortened version of Virtual Private Network, which provides you with privacy and security even when connected to a public network. In order to raise public awareness regarding online privacy, ExpressVPN has established this external scholarship program that requires all applicants to submit an essay related to online security.
3. B. Davis Scholarship
- Official Link
- Award Benefits: $1,000
- Eligible Institutions: Any Country
- Eligible Degrees: Undergraduate and Graduate Schools
Offered by Student Award Search Aid, the B. Davis Scholarship is offered to all seniors and juniors who are currently attending high school. In order to apply for this scholarship, you need to submit an essay that answers the question that is being asked in the link above. Each year, the essay topic changes, so be sure to submit your application on time before the deadline closes! Please note that this scholarship is kind of “iffy” due to its poor website, but we believe that this is a legitimate external scholarship.
4. Achieving Your Goals Scholarship
- Official Link
- Award Benefits: $1,000
- Eligible Institutions: USA
- Eligible Degrees: Undergraduate and Graduate Schools
Being one of the foremost law firms when it comes to car accidents, the Atlanta Personal Jury Law Group has established this external scholarship program to help students achieve their personal dreams. In order to be considered for Achieving Your Goals Scholarship, you need to be enrolled either in undergraduate, graduate, or law school in the United States.
5. Good Works Scholarship
- Official Link
- Award Benefits: $1,000
- Eligible Institutions: USA
- Eligible Degrees: Undergraduate and Graduate Schools
Initiated by Karin Riley Porter, the Good Works Scholarship is awarded to students who are interested in being a lawyer or other demanding careers. In order to be considered for this external scholarship, you need to show dedicated interest in community service through your actions and also show interest in criminal justice through your service projects.
We hope this article on the best external scholarships for international students was informative and insightful. If you’re interested in studying abroad, you can check out the Available Programs for International Students!
