Fully-Funded Programs in the USA: Schools, Requirements, and Opportunities

Studying in the United States can be expensive, but many universities offer fully-funded master’s and PhD programs for both international and domestic students. These opportunities often include tuition waivers, stipends, and research or teaching assistantships. While competitive, they are achievable if you know where to apply and prepare strategically.

Table of Contents

• University of Notre Dame
• Oregon State University
• University of Cincinnati
• New Mexico State University
• Georgia State University
• North Carolina State University
• University of Georgia
• North Dakota State University
• University of Kansas
• University of Kentucky
• Purdue University, Fort Wayne
• Lehigh University
• Georgia State University (Statistics)
• Washington State University
• University of Tennessee, Knoxville
• Purdue University (West Lafayette)
• University of Maryland, College Park
• American University
• Ohio University
• Clarkson University
• University of Texas at Arlington
• West Virginia University
• Texas A&M University at Galveston
• University of Missouri
• University of Florida
• Kent State University
• Drexel University
• University at Buffalo (SUNY)
• Binghamton University (SUNY)
• Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
• University of Tulsa
• Old Dominion University
• Bucknell University
• East Tennessee State University
• Ball State University
• University of Louisville
• University of Louisiana at Lafayette
• University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Universities and Programs

1. University of Notre Dame

Program: PhD in Chemistry

Funding: Fully funded (stipend + tuition waiver)

2. Oregon State University

Program: MS in Statistics

Requirements: GRE, IELTS

3. University of Cincinnati

Program: PhD in Philosophy

Funding: Fully funded

4. New Mexico State University

Program: MSc in Family and Consumer Science

Requirement: TOEFL

5. Georgia State University

Programs:

MS in Biology – No GRE/IELTS/TOEFL/WES required

MBA in Business Analytics – GRE required

7. North Carolina State University

Program: PhD in Chemical Engineering

Funding: Fully funded

8. University of Georgia

Program: PhD in Engineering Education

Funding: Fully funded

9. North Dakota State University

Program: PhD in Chemistry

Requirements: GRE, WES

10. University of Kansas

PHD in Rhetoric and Composition – Fully funded

PhD in Chemistry – Requires TOEFL + MSc background

11. University of Kentucky

Program: MSc in Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Requirement: GRE

12. Purdue University, Fort Wayne

Program: MA in Professional Communication

13. Lehigh University

Program: PhD in Bioengineering

Funding: Fully funded

14. Georgia State University

Program: MSc in Statistics

Requirements: GRE, transcripts

15. Washington State University

Program: MSc in Horticultural Science

16. University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Program: PhD in Mathematics

Funding: Fully funded

Notes: No GRE, TOEFL, publications, or application fee required

17. Purdue University (West Lafayette)

Programs:

PhD in Medical Physics – GRE required

PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology – IELTS required

18. University of Maryland, College Park

Funding: No GRE, no application fee

19. American University (Kogod School of Business)

Program: MS in Accounting

Funding: $20,000 scholarship, app fee waived

Requirement: GRE

20. Ohio University

Program: PhD in Communication Studies

Funding: Fully funded (only application fee required)

21. Clarkson University

Program: PhD in Mathematics

Funding: Fully funded (with extra stipend)

Requirements: GRE, Duolingo

22. University of Texas at Arlington

Program: PhD in Mechanical Engineering

Requirements: Application fee, GRE, TOEFL, secure a professor

23. West Virginia University

Program: PhD in Communication Studies

Funding: Fully funded (only application fee required)

24. Texas A&M University at Galveston

Program: PhD in Marine and Coastal Sciences

Funding: Fully funded

Requirements: Application fee, GRE, secure advisor

25. University of Missouri

Program: PhD in Engineering Management

Funding: Fully funded

Requirements: GRE, advisor required

26. University of Florida

Program: PhD in English

Funding: Fully funded

Requirement: Application fee

27. Kent State University

Program: PhD in Physiology

Funding: Fully funded

Note: GRE, WES, TOEFL waived

28. Drexel University

Program: PhD in Chemistry

Funding: Fully funded

Note: GRE, WES, TOEFL waived (app fee may be waived)

29. University at Buffalo (SUNY)

Program: PhD in Chemistry

Funding: Fully funded

Note: GRE, TOEFL waived

30. Binghamton University (SUNY)

Program: PhD in Mechanical Engineering

Funding: Fully funded

Requirement: GRE, secure professor

31. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI)

Program: PhD in Mechanical Engineering

Funding: Fully funded

Note: GRE optional, secure professor

32. University of Tulsa

Program: PhD in Chemistry & Biochemistry

Funding: Fully funded

Note: No GRE; English proficiency required

33. Old Dominion University

Program: PhD in Chemistry & Biochemistry

Funding: Fully funded

Note: No GRE; English proficiency required

34. Bucknell University

Program: MS in Chemical Engineering

Funding: Fully funded

Note: Application fee (waivable); GRE/IELTS optional

35. East Tennessee State University

Program: MA in Communication Studies and Storytelling

Funding: Graduate Assistantship available

Requirement: Application fee

36. Ball State University

Program: MSc in Chemistry

Funding: Fully funded

Note: GRE waived; WES + application fee required

37. University of Louisville

Program: PhD in Mathematics

Funding: Fully funded

Requirements: GRE, TOEFL, WES

38. University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Program: PhD in Mathematics

Funding: Fully funded

Requirements: GRE, TOEFL, application fee

39. University of Arkansas, Fayetteville

Program: PhD in Chemistry

Funding: Fully funded

Note: GRE optional, application fee required

40. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Program: PhD in Communication

Funding: Fully funded

Requirements: $100 application fee, no GRE, no IELTS

Final Thoughts

Applying to a fully-funded graduate program in the USA requires careful planning. While many universities cover tuition and living expenses, each program has different requirements some demand GRE, IELTS/TOEFL, or WES.