Master's funding in the United States is decided by departments rather than by a central scholarship office, and it is allocated at the same time as admission. That single fact determines almost everything about how you should apply.
AAUW Selected Professions Fellowship provides competitive 2027–2028 support for united States women entering approved professional or STEM programmes in fields where women remain underrepresented. The application is assessed under AAUW's programme-specific eligibility and selection criteria.
AAUW Selected Professions Fellowship provides competitive 2027–2028 support for united States women entering approved professional or STEM programmes in fields where women remain underrepresented. The application is assessed under AAUW's programme-specific eligibility and selection criteria.
ADB–Japan Scholarship Program – Approved University of Hawaiʻi Master's Fields is an institution-specific route under the ADB–Japan Scholarship Program for August 2027 intake. Eligible applicants first seek admission through the participating institution, which evaluates applications and forwards scholarship nominations under the ADB programme procedures.
ADB–Japan Scholarship Program – Approved University of Hawaiʻi Master's Fields is an institution-specific route under the ADB–Japan Scholarship Program for August 2027 intake. Eligible applicants first seek admission through the participating institution, which evaluates applications and forwards scholarship nominations under the ADB programme procedures.
The P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship provides need-based support to women from outside the United States and Canada who are pursuing full-time graduate study in the United States or Canada.
The P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship provides need-based support to women from outside the United States and Canada who are pursuing full-time graduate study in the United States or Canada.
A funded master's place normally means a tuition waiver plus a stipend attached to a teaching or research assistantship, often with health insurance. Standalone merit scholarships are usually partial tuition discounts, and full external fellowships such as Fulbright fund tuition, living costs, travel and insurance.
Eligibility
Eligibility patterns to check first
Assistantships require departmental admission and are allocated with it.
Fulbright applications go through the commission or embassy in your own country.
Some departments fund doctoral students only and offer no master's assistantships.
Standardised test requirements persist for funding even where admission is test-optional.
Deadlines
How the deadlines work
Funding-priority deadlines fall between December and January for autumn entry, ahead of the final admission deadline. Fulbright national deadlines are typically a full year before entry.
Applying
Application advice for this search
Apply by the funding-priority deadline, not the final admission deadline.
Email the graduate coordinator about assistantship availability before applying.
Check your own country's Fulbright commission first for its separate rules and dates.
Ask whether the department funds master's students at all before investing in the application.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Can international students get assistantships in the US?
Yes. Teaching and research assistantships are open to international students and are the most common form of substantial funding, though on-campus work is bound by your visa conditions.
Is Fulbright the only funding route for a US master's?
No, and for many applicants it is not the most likely one. Departmental assistantships fund far more international students in total, but they require you to target departments rather than a national programme.
