Scholarships and loans
While international students are not eligible for federal financial aid, there are still a variety of ways to help fund your education in the United States. The three most common types of tuition support are grants, scholarships, and loans.
- A grant is money provided to help cover your tuition costs that is usually based on your financial need to pay for your studies. Grant money does not need to be paid back.
- A scholarship is money provided to help cover your tuition costs that is usually based on your merit, or your academic abilities and performance. Scholarship money does not need to be paid back.
- A loan is money that you borrow from a lender to help you cover your tuition costs. Loans eventually need to be paid back and may or may not accumulate interest while you are completing your academic studies.
Funding opportunities
-
Undergraduate scholarships
Merit-based scholarships
First-year undergraduate students who complete their admission application to Wayne State University by the scholarship deadline are considered for a variety of merit-based scholarships, including the Warrior Award, Gold Award, Green Award, and Scholar Award. These scholarships are awarded to students who have demonstrated strong academic ability in their application. You will be notified upon admission if you have been awarded any of these scholarships.
Community College Transfer Students
International students who transfer to Wayne State from a community college with at least 30 credits and at least a 3.25 GPA by the scholarship deadline are considered for a variety of merit-based scholarships, including the Warrior Award, Gold Award, Green Award, and Pathway Award. You will be notified upon admission if you have been awarded any of these scholarships.
Departmental and Private Scholarships
Currently enrolled students can also apply for departmental and private scholarships. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the criteria and deadline for each scholarship.
-
Graduate scholarships and assistantships
Graduate students are encouraged to apply for any Graduate School scholarships or private scholarships for which they may be eligible. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the criteria and deadline for each scholarship.
Additionally, many graduate students earn tuition support through a graduate assistantship by working as a teaching assistant, research assistant, or student assistant. Assistantship appointments are made direcrly by academic departments, so please contact your faculty/academic advisor for your program to learn more about assistantship opportunities.
-
External grant and scholarship opportunities (undergraduate or graduate)
There are many organizations outside of Wayne State University that offer grants and scholarships to international students. While this is not a comprehensive list, here are some of the organizations we are aware of that grants or scholarships that international students can apply for. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the criteria and deadlines for each grant/scholarship.
- Fulbright Foreign Student Program
- Davis-Putter Scholarship
- Armenian Students Association of America
- Nepal Student Organization
- Margaret McNamara Education Grants
- NATO Science for Peace and Security
- EduCanada
- Society of Exploration Geophysicists Scholarships
- The Elie Wiesel Foundation Prize in Ethics Essay Contest
- The Ford Foundation International Fellowships Program
-
Loan opportunities (undergraduate or graduate)
While international students are not eligible for federal loans, some private lenders do provide loans to non-citizens. If you are interested in exploring loan opportunities, you can contact the lenders that our students have utilized to help with educational expenses. You can If you have questions about private loans, you can contact Wayne State's Office of Student Financial Aid by emailing studentservice@wayne.edu or calling 313-577-2100.
-
Additional resources
There are a variety of search engines and databases online that allow you to search for international scholarships, grants, or loans that you can apply for to help you cover tuition costs. We encourage you to use the following online resources to identify additional forms of tuition support: