Indiana University Bloomington Scholarships for International Students 2026

Yes—Indiana University (IU) does offer scholarships that can apply to different study modes, but availability depends on the campus and program. For fully online study, some IU programs have their own admissions and requirements, so scholarship options are usually program-specific rather than “one scholarship fits all.”

IU scholarships exist across a wide range of subjects, STEM, engineering, business, humanities, and more, because many awards are based on student status, academic strength, and departmental criteria rather than a single major. In Munkhjin’s case, her scholarship supported a Master of Public Affairs focused on “Sustainability and International Development,” showing that scholarships can absolutely cover social sciences and policy fields as well as STEM-adjacent sustainability work.

IU offers scholarships for international students (non-U.S. citizens) as well as scholarships restricted to specific nationalities or groups. For example, IU notes academic scholarships for incoming international first-year students, and some awards are nationality-specific (e.g., alumni chapter scholarships). From the Global Scholarships side, Munkhjin is Mongolian and received a fully funded Fulbright pathway to IU, and she notes Fulbright supports students “from over 160 countries,” which signals broad nationality coverage through external government-funded routes.

Often yes, especially for international applicants, though exact requirements vary by program and campus. In Munkhjin’s story, English testing clearly mattered: she describes “increasing my IELTS score from 6.5 to 7.5,” showing that raising an English score can be part of becoming competitive for IU-linked graduate study through scholarships. Some programs (including online programs) explicitly require English proficiency scores for international applicants, so it’s best to confirm the exact requirement for your target department.

It depends on the level (undergraduate vs. graduate) and the specific program, but strong grades help, especially for merit-based scholarships. In the Global Scholarships recipient example, Munkhjin reports a “GPA of 3.7” in her undergraduate Journalism degree, and she also emphasizes that grades weren’t the only factor. Her professional and volunteer work strengthened her case. Practically, many IU scholarship decisions (and external scholarship decisions tied to IU study) weigh both academics and overall profile.

Many scholarships do not have a strict age limit, but some awards may prefer certain career stages or student types.

A strong academic record plus a coherent, well-supported story is a common scholarship pattern at IU and beyond. For IU merit scholarships aimed at international first-year students, IU indicates students are considered based on the information in the admission application and academic performance (often with no separate scholarship application). From the recipient side, Munkhjin shows what “good background” can look like for competitive funding: she had a “GPA of 3.7,” invested heavily in test prep (including taking the GRE multiple times), and built a profile around real impact in media, nonprofit, and development work, and then tied that experience to a clear graduate goal.

The exact document list depends on your program (undergraduate vs. graduate, on-campus vs. online), but commonly includes transcripts/academic records, proof of English proficiency (for many international applicants), and written materials like essays or a personal statement; some graduate programs also request references/recommendations and a CV/resume. In Munkhjin’s experience, she highlights the importance of “crafting a compelling personal statement” and building a cohesive application package, and she describes choosing recommenders who could speak to different sides of her profile (e.g., a former professor and professional supervisors). If you’re applying to a policy/public affairs-type program, expect the personal statement + references to matter a lot.

Yes, there is typically an application fee, and the amount depends on whether you’re applying for undergraduate or graduate study. For international undergraduate applicants, IU commonly lists a $65 application fee, and for many graduate programs IU lists a $70 fee.