U.S. University Scholarship Categories
Scholarships at U.S. universities should be differentiated between undergraduate and graduate levels. Generally, undergraduate scholarship amounts are significantly lower than graduate awards. Undergraduate scholarships depend not only on academic performance and personal achievements but also on the student’s family financial situation. Graduate scholarships, on the other hand, can be substantial if you are outstanding enough.
Undergraduate scholarships are categorized into Need-based, Merit-based, and Need-Blind. Graduate scholarships fall into Fellowship, Scholarship, RA/TA, and Tuition Waiver.
Undergraduate Scholarship Categories
Need-based Scholarships
These scholarships function like domestic financial aid, awarded to students with demonstrated financial need. Key evaluation criteria include parental income, family assets, and other economic factors. They are primarily aimed at U.S. domestic students, with only a very limited number of private U.S. universities offering them to international students.
Difficulty: ★★☆☆☆
Merit-based Scholarships
These awards are designed to encourage outstanding students. The amount depends on academic ability, grades, personal character, and development potential. As long as you are sufficiently excellent, you can apply.
Difficulty: ★★★★☆
Need-Blind Scholarships
This type differs somewhat from the conventional understanding of scholarships. It is actually an admissions policy at some U.S. universities. If the school deems you meet their admission standards, they will assess your family situation and find a way to cover the costs you cannot afford. Naturally, this generous policy is typically only offered by extremely well-endowed private universities such as Harvard, Yale, and Princeton.
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Graduate Scholarship Categories
Fellowship (Full Scholarship)
This is the highest-value scholarship but also the most competitive and hardest to obtain. It typically covers tuition, fees, accommodation, books, insurance, and also provides a stipend for personal expenses. Usually granted by the school or department, it requires no out-of-pocket cost from the student, so requirements are extremely high and the number of recipients is small. Applicants must have high TOEFL and GRE/GMAT scores, an excellent domestic academic record and GPA, plus outstanding written materials (recommendation letters, resume, personal statement) that make every component stand out and fully showcase your strengths.
Difficulty: ★★★★★
Scholarship (Non-Full Scholarship)
These scholarships typically appear in forms such as Graduate Scholarship, Economic Scholarship, etc., awarded to students with outstanding academic performance. They can also take the form of a tuition or fee waiver, like Tuition Scholarship or Tuition & Fees Scholarship. The specific amount depends on the tuition and fees set by the department. The odds of receiving a Scholarship are higher than a Fellowship, but the amount is smaller.
Difficulty: ★★★★☆
RA/TA (Research/Teaching Assistantships)
These are the most common and most attainable scholarship forms. They are service-based awards, requiring the recipient to perform a set amount of teaching or research assistance, generally offered only to master’s or doctoral applicants. RA funding typically comes from the advisor’s or department’s research grants; the student works for the advisor (boss), i.e., joins a project group or lab to conduct research. TA work mainly involves instructing lab sessions, grading assignments, answering questions, proctoring exams, etc. It usually requires strong spoken English, with specific TA speaking score thresholds often seen in applications, ranging from 24–26 or even higher. Funding is usually provided by the department or school. An interview is often required before admission to assess the applicant’s speaking ability.
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Tuition Waiver
Based on your circumstances, the school waives all or part of the tuition. Strictly speaking, this is not a scholarship but a form of financial assistance, and the amount varies by institution. Some schools may also convert international students to in-state tuition status, reducing costs by half or more, which essentially functions as a tuition waiver.
Difficulty: ★★★☆☆
For international students, the most common scholarship forms are often a combination of one or two of the above.
With so many scholarship types, are you feeling a bit overwhelmed? Some of these are not available to international students. The CheersYou（清柚教育） consultant summarizes the types that international students can commonly apply for with relatively high success rates:
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Merit-based Scholarship: Apply if you have outstanding grades
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Scholarship: Apply if you have outstanding grades
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Fellowship: Apply if you have outstanding grades
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Tuition & Fee Waiver: Apply if you have outstanding grades
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Teaching Assistantship: Obtainable through faculty recommendation or self-nomination
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Research Assistantship: Obtainable through faculty recommendation or self-nomination
How to Apply for U.S. Scholarships
International students rarely take the initiative to apply for scholarships, partly because they find the process troublesome and partly because they feel they won’t succeed, so they don’t want to waste time. But this mindset is very wrong. Based on the CheersYou（清柚教育） consultant’s experience helping students apply, scholarship applications are not difficult—it depends on your own hard qualifications and communication skills with the school.
Each school has different requirements and application methods for scholarships, usually done when applying for admission. The CheersYou（清柚教育） consultant strongly recommends contacting the university first with an inquiry email before applying.
The first email ✉ should generally include asking whether the institution offers scholarships for international students and, if so, what the eligibility requirements are. Additionally, the email should contain a detailed return mailing address, your intended degree and major, proposed enrollment date (semester) to facilitate sending admission and scholarship application forms. You may also briefly describe your background and standardized test scores. Most application forms can be downloaded from the school’s official website, but it is still advisable to contact the school for specific application details.
Next is the normal school application process, including test score preparation and document preparation, which the CheersYou（清柚教育） consultant won’t elaborate on here.
After submitting your application, never forget to keep in touch with the school. When it comes to email communication, we must mention “taoci” — building rapport via email with the school or professors to boost your chances of success (there’s a bonus at the end~).
Inquire whether application materials are complete, whether the application has been processed, whether scholarship funding has been approved, etc., to avoid delays due to the school handling a large volume of applications. Frequent contact with the school serves two purposes: ensuring your submitted materials are in order and expressing your strong interest in the scholarship through repeated engagement. Especially for RA positions, the decision rests largely with the professor—the scholarship you receive is essentially part of the professor’s research funding. If you successfully connect with a professor through taoci and spark their interest, your chances of winning the scholarship increase dramatically. But avoid over-contacting or using inappropriate language, as that could lead to rejection—truly more tragic than the legendary Dou E.
Most schools use a rolling review process to decide on scholarships, often making a decision within two to three weeks or even sooner after receiving your materials. Once a decision is made, the school will notify you in writing of the scholarship award and specific amount, whether the funding covers the total annual cost, and ask you to promptly reply whether you accept. If the funding is not full, the school may also require you to find alternative financial sources to make up the difference. At this point, if you still desire full funding, you can continue to request a full scholarship. Because once a school awards a student a scholarship, they consider that applicant academically excellent and will try to accommodate their needs as much as possible. If the scholarship conditions offered are satisfactory, accept the scholarship quickly and remember to express your gratitude.
TIPS
To successfully apply for a scholarship, besides not having subpar standardized scores, your application materials are actually very useful. Because from the perspective of foreign professors, applicants’ TOEFL, GRE, GMAT scores and undergraduate GPAs are often similar. This is where materials like recommendation letters, personal statements, study plans, and research direction carry significant weight. In addition to meeting or exceeding the necessary test scores, the school places greater emphasis on your practical ability and research background, focusing on showcasing your strengths in academic activities, research capability, and collaboration skills. Thus, excellent application documents serve as a great platform. Make every effort to highlight your unique qualities, align with the school’s requirements, fully demonstrate your advantages and individuality, and avoid clichés.
Scholarship Difficulty Showdown by Major
Generally, engineering and science majors are more likely to receive scholarships than humanities and business majors. “Hot” majors receive more government funding and corporate/private grants, so scholarship amounts tend to be larger than in other fields.
Five-Star Difficulty
★★★★★
Business Administration, Dentistry, Law, Surgical Medicine, Marketing, Finance, Fine and Performing Arts, etc.
Four-Star Difficulty
★★★★
Computer Science and Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Materials Science, Information Science, Automatic Control, Intelligent Technology, Aerospace Technology, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Science, Management Engineering, Psychology, Internal Medicine, Clinical Medicine, Market Economics, Food Science, etc.
Three-Star Difficulty
★★★
Systems Science, Operations Research, Architectural Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Naval Engineering, Power Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Electrical Power Engineering, Laser Technology, Chemical Technology, Molecular Genetics, Biochemistry, Immunology, Pharmacology, Brain Neuroscience, Criminal Psychology, Comparative Literature, American History, Political Science, Sociology, etc.
Two-Star Difficulty (Guesthouse Level)
★★
Mathematics, Statistics, General Physics, High-Energy Physics, Basic Chemistry, Astronomy, Geography, Geological Engineering, Physiology, Marine Biology, Zoology, Botany, Agricultural Science, Philosophy, Education, European History, Native American History, Anthropology, Archaeology, African History, etc.
Already Received an Offer? How to Apply for Scholarships!
So, if you’ve already received an offer, have you missed the chance to get a scholarship?
No!!!
Even if you’ve already received that school’s offer, no matter the reason you missed the scholarship application, as long as it’s before the scholarship deadline, you can still negotiate for a scholarship with the school. And the most common way to negotiate for scholarships remains “taoci.”
So, what should you pay attention to when “taoci” for scholarships?
How to increase your scholarship success rate?
Carefully review the admitted student website
After receiving an offer, if you want to continue pursuing a scholarship, first ensure that the school you’ve been admitted to accepts scholarship negotiation. This information can often be found on the admitted student website. If you can’t find any information, start by contacting the financial aid office for an initial inquiry.
The CheersYou（清柚教育） consultant reminds you to make sure you are within the scholarship application deadline before applying!
Clarify what makes you unique
When communicating with the school, first express your excitement and gratitude for the offer, and actively explain what makes you an exceptionally valuable addition to the school—that is, present your strengths to the admissions officer. After conveying your genuine enthusiasm for the school, politely explain why you need the scholarship.
Stay polite and sincere
Regardless of whether the school can offer you a scholarship, remain polite and sincere in your correspondence. First ask yourself how much you need this funding and what level of assistance you require, then communicate that to the school. Based on your qualifications, make an objective and reasonable “assessment and self-rating,” think about the maximum possible scholarship you could secure given your profile, and then convey your assessment to the school in a polite manner to persuade them.
