Search “scholarships in the USA for international students” and you’ll get the same five names every time — Fulbright, Ivy League aid, maybe a PhD-fee-waiver list. Those are real, and we’ve covered them in separate guides. This one is different: five fully — or very generously — funded US programs that don’t show up in the usual round-ups, plus an honest note on which ones are open right now.
1. Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship
Status: 🟡 SEASONAL | Typical window: opens spring, closes mid-August each year
This is a non-degree, 10-month fellowship for accomplished mid-career professionals — not a master’s or PhD program. Fellows spend two semesters at a US university auditing courses, doing a professional affiliation, and building a network, without earning a degree.
Who can apply
- At least five years of professional experience in an eligible field (public health, education, agriculture, public policy, journalism, and similar)
- Currently in, or headed toward, a position of leadership or influence
- Not already holding an advanced degree in the field you’re applying under
- Nominated or endorsed through your local US Embassy’s Public Affairs Section (the exact process varies by country)
What it covers
- Full tuition and fees for the fellowship year
- A monthly living allowance and health insurance
- Round-trip travel to the US and a small professional development allowance
The deadline is set by your local US Embassy, not by a single global date, and it typically falls in mid-August for the following year’s cohort — check your embassy’s Public Affairs Section page now so you’re not caught out next cycle.
🔗 Programme page: humphreyfellowship.org
2. AAUW International Fellowships (Women in STEM)
Status: 🟡 SEASONAL | Typical window: opens spring, closes mid-September
Run by the American Association of University Women, this fellowship funds women from outside the US pursuing full-time graduate study in STEM fields at an accredited US institution — master’s or doctoral level.
Who can apply
- Women who are not US citizens or permanent residents
- Pursuing your first master’s degree or a doctoral degree in a STEM field
- Minimum 3.5 GPA (or equivalent) in prior study
- Planning to return to your home country to work or study after the fellowship
What it covers
- $20,000 for master’s-level fellows
- $25,000 for doctoral-level fellows
The application typically opens in spring and closes in mid-September — confirm the exact date on AAUW’s own page before you start, since it shifts slightly each year.
🔗 Apply: aauw.org/resources/programs/international-fellowships
3. Knight-Hennessy Scholars (Stanford University)
Status: 🟢 OPEN | Deadline: October 6, 2026, 1:00 PM PT
This is one of the largest fully funded graduate fellowships in the world, and it’s open to any nationality applying to any graduate program at Stanford — law, medicine, business, engineering, humanities, all of it. You apply to Knight-Hennessy and to your Stanford graduate program in parallel.
Who can apply
- Any nationality, any Stanford graduate degree program
- Must separately apply to and be admitted by your target Stanford program (application due December 1, 2026, for most programs)
- Strong leadership potential and independence of thought are weighted heavily in review
What it covers
- Full tuition for your entire Stanford graduate program
- A living stipend and mandatory health insurance
- Funded travel for leadership development programming with your cohort
🔗 Apply: knight-hennessy.stanford.edu/admission
4. Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program
Status: 🟢 ACTIVE (decentralized — no single global deadline)
This program funds talented students from African countries — Nigeria included — for undergraduate and master’s study, with a strong focus on leadership development alongside academics. The catch: there’s no single application or portal. Each partner university sets its own admissions process, deadline, and eligibility criteria.
Who can apply
- Academically strong students from eligible African countries, generally with demonstrated financial need
- Exact criteria vary by which partner institution you apply through
What it covers
- Full tuition, housing, and living costs at the partner institution
- Structured mentoring and leadership development programming
How to apply: Start from the Mastercard Foundation’s own list of partner institutions and their individual application windows — applying directly to the foundation itself isn’t how this works.
🔗 Find a partner institution: mastercardfdn.org – Where to Apply
Bonus: P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship (Partial Funding, Women Only)
Not fully funded, but worth knowing about: P.E.O.’s International Peace Scholarship gives women from outside the US or Canada up to $12,500 toward full-time graduate coursework at a US or Canadian institution. Applications generally run from mid-September through mid-December each year — confirm the exact window on P.E.O.’s own site, since it isn’t published far in advance.
🔗 Programme page: peointernational.org – International Peace Scholarship
The Strategy: Making These Work Together
- Don’t stop at the famous names. Fulbright and Ivy League aid get all the search traffic, but programs like Knight-Hennessy and Humphrey fund just as generously with far less competition for attention.
- Match the program to your career stage, not just your field. Humphrey wants working professionals, not fresh graduates. Knight-Hennessy and AAUW want you enrolling in a new degree. Applying to the wrong stage wastes a cycle.
- For Mastercard Foundation, pick your university first. Since there’s no central application, your strategy has to start with which partner institution fits your field — then follow that institution’s own deadline.
- Calendar the seasonal ones now. Humphrey (~August) and AAUW (~September) close every year around the same time. Missing it by a week means waiting a full year.
Find Your Perfect Scholarship
Deadlines and eligibility details shift year to year, so always confirm dates on the official page before applying. For the more famous US routes, see our guides to the Fulbright Foreign Student Program and fully funded PhD scholarships with no application fee. 🔗 Search scholarships on Zejimo →
Know a fully funded US program we should add to this list? Drop a comment below.