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Funding

Scholarships for Studying in the US

How students from India and Pakistan can pay for US study: university scholarships, assistantships (paid teaching or research jobs) and Fulbright grants. US government student aid is not open to international students.

United States Scholarship Overview

Funding comes mostly from universities, through scholarships and paid assistant jobs.

Funding Your US Studies

Most funding comes from your university.

Aid and scholarships differ by university. Check each one.

Why Apply for Scholarships?

  • Lower tuition through a scholarship or tuition waiver (you do not pay tuition)
  • Paid work through an assistantship

Types of Funding

The main ways students pay less.

Government programmes

Fulbright, run by USEFP in Pakistan and USIEF in India.

  • Fulbright Program (Pakistan): master's and PhD
  • Fulbright-Nehru (India): PhD research

University scholarships

Given by the university, often during admission.

  • Scholarships for good marks for graduate students at the Naveen Jindal School of Management, UT Dallas

Assistantships

Paid teaching or research jobs, often with a tuition waiver.

  • Teaching, research and graduate assistantships at the University of Illinois

Fulbright for India and Pakistan

Fulbright is funded by the US government and run in each country by a local office.

Pakistan: all fields can apply except clinical medicine. Apply online on the USEFP website.

Fulbright Program, Pakistan (USEFP)

Pays all costs for master's and PhD study in the US. Priority fields for 2027 include sciences, technology and AI, trade and economics, and natural resource management.

Fulbright-Nehru grants, India (USIEF)

For PhD students at Indian universities to do part of their research in the US, and to build work skills.

Key Benefits of United States Government Scholarships

Pakistan: tuition, books, air tickets, a small living allowance and health insurance

University Scholarships and Assistantships

Most funding for international students comes from the university.

Need-Based Aid

Some universities help students who cannot pay. Others give scholarships for good marks or sport.

University of Illinois assistantships

Teaching, research and graduate assistant jobs, with tuition waivers (you do not pay tuition). You may have to pay tax on the money you save.

UT Dallas, Naveen Jindal School of Management

Some scholarships for good marks for graduate students, for a Fall start (August or September) and a Spring start (January).

Northeastern College of Science

Graduate applicants at the Oakland, Portland and Toronto campuses are considered for a Regional Campus Scholarship automatically.

How to Find University Scholarships

Where to Look

  • Your university's financial aid office
  • Your department, for assistantships
  • Your admission offer

Application Tips

  • Ask your department about assistantships early

Tips

Simple steps to find funding.

Ask your department

At UT Dallas, ask your academic department about teaching and research assistantships.

Read the admission offer

At Northeastern, some scholarships are given during admission, so check your offer.

Use EducationUSA

EducationUSA is a US government advice service with centres in more than 170 countries.

Frequently Asked Questions

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