Finding funding for US undergraduate study
Last updated on 23 September 2022
For UK residents, study in the US can be a broader alternative to undertaking an undergraduate degree in Britain. The US also affords more institutional choice, and in some instances, a greater degree of financial support for those with demonstrable need or exceptional talent.
For those interested in studying in the US, your first port of call should be the Fulbright site. You should also inform your school, ideally in Year 12, and apply for the Sutton Trust US Scholar programme if you qualify. Please bear in mind, though, that the UK remains the best option if you are considering medicine.
Cost is a significant barrier to access in the US, and you may need to shape your choices around where aid is available. Competition for aid is often high, so it pays to plan and diversify your choices. It’s also essential that you focus on your UCAS options first; unless you opt to do an apprenticeship, it is the only route that comes with a guarantee of fee support.
The following list is strictly intended as a starting place for your search, and draws heavily from third party financial aid information. You will need to verify the offer of aid, as well as review any qualifying criteria. You may also be able to find institutions offering aid that are not included on this list, and you will be able to find other sources of funding on sites like FastWeb, EducationUSA, and the College Board Big Future.
Most importantly, you will need to think critically about whether an institution is a good match for your interests, despite how it might rank or what aid it may offer. Inclusion does not imply endorsement, nor does this list constitute advice.
This list has been developed by the London Association of Phi Beta Kappa, which is independent of Phi Beta Kappa. Phi Beta Kappa is not involved in the provision of this information.
Universities/colleges known to have accepted Sutton Trust scholars are marked with a *. Universities gifting aid to over 100 students are in bold.
Universities that are need-blind to international students
The following universities (or institutes, or colleges; terms that are broadly interchangeable in the US) will consider your application without knowing your financial circumstances. If you are accepted, they will often meet most financial need. You will notice that they are all highly competitive. The number of total international students supported in 2017/2018 is in parenthesis.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (357)*
Harvard University (591)*
Princeton University (459)*
Yale University (368)*
Amherst College (135)
Dartmouth College (254)*
Bowdoin College (52)
Georgetown University (Limited, 29)
Brown University (effective 2025, currently 128)*
Universities that offer full scholarships to international students
These universities offer scholarships that cover most costs of study. There is more information on the Good Schools Guide site, as well as on the university’s own site, on what they cover and how to apply.
American University
Centre College
Davidson
George Washington University
Indiana University
New York University Wagner
Rice University
Richmond University, Virginia*
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill*
University of Virginia
University of Washington at St Louis*
Wake Forest
Universities that offer more than $40,000 on average
The following universities offer more than $40,000 on average, but bear in mind that this may not cover the full cost of attendance. They may also focus their support on specific groups of students, including athletes.
Your need may be factored into admissions decisions.
Bard College
Barnard College*
Bates College
Bennington College*
Brandeis University*
Bryn Mawr*
Bucknell University
California Institute of Technology
Carleton College
Claremont McKenna College
Colby College
Colgate University
College of the Atlantic
College of the Holy Cross
Colorado College
Connecticut College*
Cornell University
Dickinson College
Duke*
Emory University*
Franklin & Marshall
Grinnell*
Hamilton College
Haverford College*
Hollins University
Kenyon
Lafayette College*
Lehigh University
Lewis & Clark College
Luther College
Macalester College
Middlebury*
Morehouse College
Mount St Mary's University
Pitzer College
Pomona College
Providence College
Reed College
Rhodes College*
Saint Anselm College
Skidmore College*
Smith College*
Spelman College
St John's College
St Olaf College
Stanford University*
Swarthmore*
Texas Christian University
Trinity College (CT)
Tufts*
Union College
University of Chicago
University of Notre Dame
University of Pennsylvania
University of Richmond
Vanderbilt*
Vassar
Villanova University
Washington and Lee
Wellesley
Wesleyan*
Whitman College
Williams*
Other colleges and universities to consider
The following colleges and universities grant in excess of $20,000 of financial support on average and offer a good standard of education, as qualified by either inclusion in Phi Beta Kappa or ranking above 250 on the Times Higher Education US Schools list.
Agnes Scott
Albion College
Alma College
Babson College*
Beloit College
Bentley University
Birmingham-Southern College
Boston University
Case Western Reserve University*
Clark University
Clarkson University
Coe College
College of Wooster
Cornell College Iowa
Creighton University
Denison College*
Earlham College
Eckerd College
Elmira College
Fairfield University
Fordham University
Furman University
Gettysburg College
Gonzaga University
Goucher College
Hampden-Sydney College
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
Hope College
Illinois College
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Wesleyan
Ithaca College
James Madison University
Juniata College
Kalamazoo College
Knox College
Lawrence University
Linfield College
McDaniel College
Mercer University
Michigan State
Millsaps College
Muhlenberg College
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Northwestern*
Oberlin
Occidental College
Ohio Wesleyan
Quinnipiac University
Roanoke College
Rollins College
Samford University
Scripps College*
Sewanee: The University of the South*
Simmons University
Southern Methodist University
Southwestern University (TX)
St Lawrence University
Stetson University
Trinity University (TX)
Tulane University
University of Alabama
University of California Los Angeles
University of California Santa Barbara
University of Hawaii-Manoa
University of Maine
University of Miami
University of Mississippi
University of New Hampshire
University of Portland
University of Rochester*
University of Vermont
Ursinus College
Wabash College*
Washington & Jefferson College
Wheaton College (IL)
Wheaton College (MA)
Wittenberg University
Wofford College
The following universities and colleges are listed on scholarship databases and meet the standards criteria as listed above, but the amount they award is either not known or is below $20,000 on average.
Arizona State University
Berea College
Butler University
Columbia University
DePauw University
Drake University
Florida Institute of Technology
Kansas State University
Kent State University
Manhattan College
Marquette University
Miami University Ohio
Michigan Technological University
Missouri University of Science
Ohio Northern
Oregon State University
Rockford University
Saint Michael's College
SUNY University of Buffalo
Temple University
University of Albany, SUNY
University of California Irvine
University of Cincinnati
University of Colorado Denver
University of Connecticut
University of Delaware
University of Denver
University of Iowa
University of Mary Washington
University of Minnesota
University of Missouri
University of Rhode Island
University of South Dakota
University of Wisconsin
Valparaiso
Wayne State University
West Virginia University
Western Michigan
Wilson College
To request a correction, please email members@pbkldn.org. Please note that we cannot answer questions relating to admissions queries nor provide application support.
