If you want to study in the United States of America, and you really need a scholarship, you should consider applying to one or more of these 250+ schools.
Universities in the USA are very generous with scholarships for international students who show academic promise, research experience, and potentials to succeed in their programs.
Compared to many other countries, there are also more universities in the USA and this increases the options for many students to choose from. There are over 5,000 universities and colleges in the United State of America, so there is enough space for everyone!
I used the Carnegie Classification of Very High Research Activity (R1) and High Research Activity (R2) to classify the schools. You can read more about the classification here
As you may already know, one additional hack to increase your chances of getting a scholarship is to apply for a research-based program, or apply to a research-intensive institution! That’s where to find the funds.
What can you do to position yourself for these scholarship opportunities?
- Intensify your effort in securing a prospective supervisor in any of the schools (if you are applying for a research-based program).
- Write professional examinations like GRE, or SAT for undergraduate study in the USA
- Build your research portfolio by publishing academic articles or making presentations at academic conferences
- Focus your research on the signature areas of research in the particular universities
- Check the finance section or the financial aid section of the university websites for available funding opportunities and how to apply for them
- If you have an ND/HND, or have a low grade in your first degree, do a WES course-by-course evaluation for a country like USA (so they can convert your grade to a 4.0 scale and remove the courses you failed).
One more thing, you see all those State Universities in the R2 category, don’t sleep on them too! They don’t get so many applications like the R1 universities, and they have lots of funding to offer as well.
Below you will see a list of the 250+ schools to focus on if you really need a scholarship to study in the USA.
The list is in no particular ranking, and you will find links to their websites/program pages for you to dig into and serve yourself!
FOOD IS READY!
Category 1: Very High Research Activity (R1) Institutions
1). Arizona State University – Tempe
Available programs here
2). Auburn University
Available programs here
3). Binghamton University
Available programs here
4). Boston College
Available programs here
5). Boston University
Available programs here
6). Brandeis University
Available programs here
7). Brown University
Available programs here
8). California Institute of Technology
Available programs here
9). Carnegie Mellon University
Available programs here
10). Case Western Reserve University
Available programs here
11). Clemson University
Available programs here
12). Colorado State University – Fort Collins
Available programs here
13). Columbia University in the City of New York
Available programs here
14). Cornell University
Available programs here
15). CUNY Graduate School and University Center
Available programs here
16). Dartmouth College
Available programs here
17). Drexel University
Available programs here
18). Duke University
Available programs here
19). Emory University
Available programs here
20). Florida International University
Available programs here
21). Florida State University
Available programs here
22). George Mason University
Available Programs here
23). George Washington University
Available programs here
24). Georgetown University
Available programs here
25). Georgia Institute of Technology – Main Campus
Available programs here
26). Georgia State University
Available programs here
27). Harvard University
Available programs here
28). Indiana University – Bloomington
Available programs here
29). Iowa State University
Available programs here
30). Johns Hopkins University
Available programs here
31). Kansas State University
Available programs here
32). Louisiana State University
Available programs here
33). Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Available programs here
34). Michigan State University
Available programs here
35). Mississippi State University
Available programs here
36). Montana State University
Available programs here
37). New Jersey Institute of Technology
Available programs here
38). New York University
Available programs here
39). North Carolina State University at Raleigh
Available programs here
40). Northeastern University
Available programs here
41). Northwestern University
Available programs here
42). Ohio State University
Available programs here
43). Oklahoma State University
Available programs here
44). Oregon State University
Available programs here
45). Pennsylvania State University
Available programs here
46). Princeton University
Available programs here
47). Purdue University
Available programs here
48). Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Available programs here
49). Rice University
Available programs here
50). Rutgers University – New Brunswick
Available programs here
51). Stanford University
Available programs here
52). Stony Brook University
Available programs here
53). SUNY at Albany
Available programs here
54). Syracuse University
Available programs here
55). Temple University
Available programs here
56). Texas A & M University-College Station
Available programs here
57). Texas Tech University
Available programs here
58). The University of Alabama
Available programs here
59). The University of Tennessee-Knoxville
Available programs here
60). The University of Texas at Arlington
Available programs here
61). The University of Texas at Austin
Available programs here
62). The University of Texas at Dallas
Available programs here
63). The University of Texas at El Paso
Available programs here
64). Tufts University
Available programs here
65). Tulane University of Louisiana
Available programs here
66). University at Buffalo
Available programs here
67). University of Alabama at Birmingham
Available programs here
68). University of Arizona
Available programs here
69). University of Arkansas
Available programs here
70). University of California-Berkeley
Available programs here
71). University of California-Davis
Available programs here
72). University of California-Irvine
Available programs here
73). University of California-Los Angeles
Available programs here
74). University of California-Riverside
Available programs here
75). University of California-San Diego
Available programs here
76). University of California-Santa Barbara
Available programs here
77). University of California-Santa Cruz
Available programs here
78). University of Central Florida
Available programs here
79). University of Chicago
Available programs here
80). University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Available programs here
81). University of Colorado Boulder
Available programs here
82). University of Colorado Denver
Available programs here
83). University of Connecticut
Available programs here
84). University of Delaware
Available programs here
85). University of Florida
Available programs here
86). University of Georgia
Available programs here
87). University of Hawaii at Manoa
Available programs here
88). University of Houston
Available programs here
89). University of Illinois at Chicago
Available programs here
90). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Available programs here
91). University of Iowa
Available programs here
92). University of Kansas
Available programs here
93). University of Kentucky
Available programs here
94). University of Louisville
Available programs here
95). University of Maryland-College Park
Available programs here
96). University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Available programs here
97). University of Miami
Available programs here
98). University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Available programs here
99). University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Available programs here
100). University of Mississippi
Available programs here
101). University of Missouri – Columbia
Available programs here
102). University of Nebraska – Lincoln
Available programs here
103). University of Nevada – Las Vegas
Available programs here
104). University of Nevada – Reno
Available programs here
105). University of New Hampshire – Main Campus
Available programs here
106). University of New Mexico-Main Campus
Available programs here
107). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Available programs here
108). University of North Texas
Available programs here
109). University of Notre Dame
Available programs here
110). University of Oklahoma – Norman Campus
Available programs here
111). University of Oregon
Available programs here
112). University of Pennsylvania
Available programs here
113). University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus
Available programs here
114). University of Rochester
Available programs here
115). University of South Carolina – Columbia
Available programs here
116). University of South Florida – Main Campus
Available programs here
117). University of Southern California
Available programs here
118). University of Southern Mississippi
Available programs here
119). University of Utah
Available programs here
120). University of Virginia – Main Campus
Available programs here
121). University of Washington – Seattle Campus
Available programs here
122). University of Wisconsin – Madison
Available programs here
123). University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Available programs here
124). Vanderbilt University
Available programs here
125). Virginia Commonwealth University
Available programs here
126). Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Available programs here
127). Washington State University
Available programs here
128). Washington University in St Louis
Available programs here
129). Wayne State University
Available programs here
130). West Virginia University
Available programs here
131). Yale University
Available programs here
Category 2: High Research Activity (R2) Institutions
132). Air Force Institute of Technology – Graduate School of Engineering & Management
Available programs here
133). American University
Available programs here
134). Arizona State University – Downtown Phoenix
Available programs here
135). Arizona State University – Skysong
Available programs here
136). Arkansas State University – Main Campus
Available programs here
137). Azusa Pacific University
Available programs here
138). Ball State University
Available programs here
139). Baylor University
Available programs here
140). Boise State University
Available programs here
141). Bowling Green State University – Main Campus
Available programs here
142). Brigham Young University – Provo
Available programs here
143). Catholic University of America
Available programs here
144). Central Michigan University
Available programs here
145). Chapman University
Available programs here
146). Claremont Graduate University
Available programs here
147). Clark Atlanta University
Available programs here
148). Clark University
Available programs here
149). Clarkson University
Available programs here
150). Cleveland State University
Available programs here
151). College of William and Mary
Available programs here
152). Colorado School of Mines
Available programs here
153). CUNY City College
Available programs here
154). Delaware State University
Available programs here
155). DePaul University
Available programs here
156). Duquesne University
Available programs here
157). East Carolina University
Available programs here
158). East Tennessee State University
Available programs here
159). Eastern Michigan University
Available programs here
160). Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University
Available programs here
161). Florida Atlantic University
Available programs here
162). Florida Institute of Technology
Available programs here
163). Fordham University
Available programs here
164). Gallaudet University
Available programs here
165). Georgia Southern University
Available programs here
166). Hampton University
Available programs here
167). Howard University
Available programs here
168). Idaho State University
Available programs here
169). Illinois Institute of Technology
Available programs here
170). Illinois State University
Available programs here
171). Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis
Available programs here
172). Jackson State University
Available programs here
173). Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University)
Available programs here
174). Kennesaw State University
Available programs here
175). Kent State University at Kent
Available programs here
176). Lehigh University
Available programs here
177). Louisiana Tech University
Available programs here
178). Loyola Marymount University
Available programs here
179). Loyola University Chicago
Available programs here
180). Marquette University
Available programs here
181). Marshall University
Available programs here
182). Mercer University
Available programs here
183). Miami University – Oxford
Available programs here
184). Michigan Technological University
Available programs here
185). Missouri University of Science and Technology
Available programs here
186). Montclair State University
Available programs here
187). Morgan State University
Available programs here
188). New Mexico State University – Main Campus
Available programs here
189). North Carolina A & T State University
Available programs here
190). North Dakota State University – Main Campus
Available programs here
191). Northern Arizona University
Available programs here
192). Northern Illinois University
Available programs here
193). Nova Southeastern University
Available programs here
194). Oakland University
Available programs here
195). Ohio University – Main Campus
Available programs here
196). Old Dominion University
Available programs here
197). Ponce Health Sciences University
Available programs here
198). Portland State University
Available programs here
199). Rochester Institute of Technology
Available programs here
200). Rockefeller University
Available programs here
201). Rowan University
Available programs here
202). Rutgers University – Camden
Available programs here
203). Rutgers University – Newark
Available programs here
204). Saint Louis University
Available programs here
205). San Diego State University
Available programs here
206). Seton Hall University
Available programs here
207). South Dakota State University
Available programs here
208). Southern Illinois University – Carbondale
Available programs here
209). Southern Methodist University
Available programs here
210). Stevens Institute of Technology
Available programs here
211). SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
Available programs here
212). Teachers College at Columbia University
Available programs here
213). Tennessee State University
Available programs here
214). Tennessee Technological University
Available programs here
215). Texas A & M University – Corpus Christi
Available programs here
216). Texas A & M University – Kingsville
Available programs here
217). Texas Christian University
Available programs here
218). Texas Southern University
Available programs here
219). Texas State University
Available programs here
220). The New School
Available programs here
221). The University of Montana
Available programs here
222). The University of Texas at San Antonio
Available programs here
223). The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Available programs here
224). University of Akron Main Campus
Available programs here
225). University of Alabama in Huntsville
Available programs here
226). University of Alaska Fairbanks
Available programs here
227). University of Arkansas at Little Rock
Available programs here
228). University of California – Merced
Available programs here
229). University of Colorado – Colorado Springs
Available programs here
230). University of Dayton
Available programs here
231). University of Denver
Available programs here
232). University of Idaho
Available programs here
233). University of Louisiana at Lafayette
Available programs here
234). University of Maine
Available programs here
235). University of Maryland Eastern Shore
Available programs here
236). University of Maryland – Baltimore County
Available programs here
237). University of Massachusetts – Boston
Available programs here
238). University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth
Available programs here
239). University of Massachusetts – Lowell
Available programs here
240). University of Memphis
Available programs here
241). University of Missouri-Kansas City
Available programs here
242). University of Missouri – St Louis
Available programs here
243). University of Nebraska at Omaha
Available programs here
244). University of New England
Available programs here
245). University of New Orleans
Available programs here
246). University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Available programs here
247). University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Available programs here
248). University of North Carolina Wilmington
Available programs here
249). University of North Dakota
Available programs here
250). University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras
Available programs here
251). University of Rhode Island
Available programs here
252). University of San Diego
Available programs here
253). University of South Alabama
Available programs here
254). University of South Dakota
Available programs here
255). University of Toledo
Available programs here
256). University of Tulsa
Available programs here
257). University of Vermont
Available programs here
258). University of Wyoming
Available programs here
259). Utah State University
Available programs here
260). Villanova University
Available programs here
261). Wake Forest University
Available programs here
262). Western Michigan University
Available programs here
263). Wichita State University
Available programs here
264). Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Available programs here
265). Wright State University – Main Campus
Available programs here
266). Yeshiva University
Available programs here
Conclusion
While these are not the only universities in the USA, they are some of the schools that will increase your chances of getting a scholarship. Other schools you can also check are:
Check the program requirements, prepare a strong application, and apply!
If you are looking for information on how to prepare a strong application, I made a post on how to apply for admission to Canadian universities earlier, and many of the resources provided there are useful for applications to universities in the USA as well.
It contains useful information on the documents you will need for the admission application, and how to prepare a strong application. You will find the post here
You can also find other resources for your study abroad application here
I wish you all the best in your application!
If you have questions on Career & Personal Development, Education Decisions, Global Opportunities, Building a Personal Brand, or related discussions, and want to reach out to us, click here.
NB: The posts and information on this website are not legal advice.
© Olu of Canada
Good day, I recently applied for GRE here in Nigeria as advised by a friend living in USA… I have HND in mechanical engineering technology and presently working as a technologist taking Undergraduate students practical classes in Thermodynamics and Fluid Mechanics with a private university here in Abuja Nigeria. What’s is the next step and which school do you think can be the best for me in the USA.
Thank you for this information.