The US may be the number one overseas study destination for students but, the cost of overseas stay and the huge university fee never fails to apprehend parents of overseas education aspirants.

For those students who wish to study in the US and are apprehensive as to the cost of the venture, this may come as a relief: more than 600 American universities offer scholarships worth $20,000 or more to international students according to the Fulbright Commission.

Scholarships are awarded in the form of tuition waivers, or as a fixed amount for meeting educational expenses. Some prestigious scholarships also offer a monthly stipend in addition to covering education fee and living costs. Let’s take a look at some government, private and University-specific Scholarships for International Students in USA.

International Tuition Award (University of Arizona, Tucson)
It is a highly competitive undergraduate tuition scholarship offered annually to a select number of international students. The candidate qualifies for the scholarship if he earns the specified ACT or SAT scores with an English language proficiency test score from among IELTS, TOEFL or PTE academic and meets the minimum GPA requirements. Scholarships are awarded ranging from $12,000 to $35,000 depending on the combination of scores.

AAUW International Fellowships for Women
These fellowships offered by the American Association of University Women, are awarded to women who are not U.S. citizens, for full-time study or research in the United States. It covers both graduate and postgraduate studies at accredited U.S. institutions.
These are merit-based awards with a prerequisite that the applicants must have earned the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree. $18,000–$30,000 worth of funding is awarded to selected candidates.

Aga Khan Foundation Scholarships
Provided by the Aga Khan Foundation, these scholarships are offered each year for postgraduate students from select developing countries. Priority is given for Master's level courses and students under 30 years of age.
The scholarship offer is on 50% grant: 50% loan basis covering tuition fees and living expenses. The loan amount must be reimbursed with an annual service charge of 5%. The loan-repayment is to be done in five years, starting six months after the study period.

Fulbright Scholarship Program
Sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), the Fulbright Program operates in over 160 countries worldwide. The program offers grants to qualified Indian graduate students to study Master’s programs in the United States.
Fulbright programs for Indian students include; Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowship for Leadership Development, the Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral and Professional Research Fellowship, and Fulbright-Nehru CII Fellowship for Leadership in Management.

University of Cincinnati Global Scholarship
The UC Global Scholarship is a merit-based award for which international students applying within deadline are automatically considered. Eligibility criteria must be met for GPA, English proficiency test (TOEFL/ IELTS) and SAT or ACT scores. An average amount of $9,000 per year is offered to shortlisted candidates.

American University Scholarships
Students are automatically considered, irrespective of their nationality, for the scholarship. The criterion for shortlisting is academic excellence. Awards range from $8,000 to $22,000 and are renewable for up to eight semesters of undergraduate study.

Private Scholarships for Indian students:
These are granted by private organizations, in collaboration with foreign universities or organizations. Some examples include; TATA Scholarship (for Cornell University) and Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowship. They are strictly merit-based scholarships and are granted to students who receive an offer from Universities covered under their plan. Tuition fee waiver, complete coverage of living expenses, travel insurance, flight tickets etc. are some perks provided by these scholarships.

Indian Government Scholarships
The Indian Government also provides some scholarships for students seeking Higher Education Abroad. The scholarships have different eligibility criteria like merit or financial status. Some scholarships like the Padho Pradesh Scheme and Dr. Ambedkar central scheme are granted only to minorities and OBC/EBC categories.

Other scholarships provide Financial assistance which may cover Tuition fee, living expenses, and even flight tickets. Examples include; Maharashtra Government Scholarship for Open Category and National Overseas Scholarship Scheme. These scholarships are offered to students who have secured admissions only in top-notch colleges under QS world rankings.

A student can be immensely benefited by Overseas Education Consultants, who have in-depth knowledge about eligibility criteria, application deadlines and the best programs to choose from. Not only do they help the students with the problem of How to Get Admission in USA university programs, but also assist students with scholarships to apply and disbursement of education loans.