American University's flagship international award covers the full cost of an undergraduate degree — tuition, room and board — for two international students per year who show academic excellence, leadership, and a commitment to improving under-resourced communities back home. Since the 2026 cycle it has been expanded: up to eight additional partial scholarships (up to $40,000/year) are now drawn from the same applicant pool, so even non-winners can walk away funded.
Why it is notable: It is one of the very few full-ride undergraduate scholarships in the US open to any nationality with no country quota, aimed explicitly at students from underrepresented backgrounds — and the partial-scholarship expansion means the application effort now has a second prize built in. Also notable: the financial bar to apply is low (bank letter showing just US $4,000).
Funding at a glance
What it covers
Two full scholarships covering all billable AU expenses (full tuition, room, and board), renewable for four years
plus up to eight AU EGL Partial Scholarships worth up to US $40,000 per year (no separate application needed — partials are chosen from successful EGLS applicants)
Eligibility criteria
Qualification Required
Higher secondaryfor Bachelors
This scholarship is offered for Undergraduate programs.
Who can apply
international students who will need a non-immigrant visa (preferably F-1 or J-1) to study in the US; all majors; must be enrolled in secondary/high school and graduating by June 2027 (preference). Preference goes to students who have overcome obstacles, come from diverse and underrepresented global and socioeconomic backgrounds, and show commitment to leadership, volunteerism, community service, and advancing the needs of people in their home country — plus meet English proficiency requirements.
Experience
No experience required
Language Certificate
official TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test, PTE, LanguageCERT, or Cambridge Assessment English score results, sent directly by the testing agency to American University (students cannot submit their own results). Minimum scores not stated on the official apply page (third-party pages report TOEFL iBT 95, IELTS 7.0, Duolingo 125, PTE 65, Cambridge 185 — unverified on the official page; confirm before publishing).
Other Certificates
Degree certificates & transcripts
Age Limit
No Age Limit
Tools that may help
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Run all three quick checks before reviewing your chosen course's full entry requirements.
1
Country checker
international students who will need a non-immigrant visa (preferably F-1 or J-1) to study in the US; all majors; must be enrolled in secondary/high school and…
2
Last degree checker
Choose your highest completed qualification to see which degree level may fit.
3
Course checker
Pick a course to see whether it falls inside this scholarship's scope.
Complete all three checks
Your combined result will appear here.
Based on published eligibility — always confirm on the official page before applying.
Application essentials
Requirements
Review each requirement before you begin the application.
01
Language
official TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test, PTE, LanguageCERT, or Cambridge Assessment English score results, sent directly by the testing agency to American University (students cannot submit their own results). Minimum scores not stated on the official apply page (third-party pages report TOEFL iBT 95, IELTS 7.0, Duolingo 125, PTE 65, Cambridge 185 — unverified on the official page; confirm before publishing).
02
Qualification
international students who will need a non-immigrant visa (preferably F-1 or J-1) to study in the US; all majors; must be enrolled in secondary/high school and graduating by June 2027 (preference)
03
Documents
Common Application + supporting documents per the AU international checklist; bank letter (≥US $4,000); signed AU Declaration of Finances Form (≥US $4,000); official English proficiency scores; AU EGL
Document checklist
01Common Application + supporting documents per the AU international checklist
02bank letter (≥US $4,000)
03signed AU Declaration of Finances Form (≥US $4,000)
04official English proficiency scores
05AU EGLS application essays.
Application fee
No fee — completely free
No separate scholarship application fee is published; confirm on the official page.
Visa, kept concise: Winners need a non-immigrant student visa (F-1 preferred): AU issues the I-20 after admission → pay SEVIS fee → DS-160 → embassy interview.
Application Procedure
7 steps — follow in order. Each stage prepares the next.
01
Complete and submit the Common Application with
all required documents per the AU international instructions checklist before January 15, 2027.
→
02
Create your AU applicant portal when invited.
→
03
Submit a bank letter and the completed
and signed AU Declaration of Finances Form (AU DFF), each confirming a minimum of US $4,000 (uploadable via the portal; examples of bank letters are provided on the official page).
15 Jan 2027 — for BOTH the Common Application and the AU EGLS application/essays. Late applications will not be considered.…
Who can apply?
international students who will need a non-immigrant visa (preferably F-1 or J-1) to study in the US; all majors; must be enrolled in secondary/high school and graduating by June 2027 (preference). Preference goes to students who have overcome obstacles, come from diverse and underrepresented global and socioeconomic backgrounds, and show commitment to leadership, volunteerism, community service, and advancing the needs of people in their home country — plus meet English proficiency requirements.
What does the scholarship cover?
Two full scholarships covering all billable AU expenses (full tuition, room, and board), renewable for four years; plus up to eight AU EGL Partial Scholarships worth up to US $40,000 per year (no separate application needed — partials are chosen from successful EGLS applicants)
Where do I apply?
Through the official application portal linked in the Official links section on this page.
Need document or attestation help?
Detailed attestation guidance stays in Opplore's standalone Guides section, not inside this scholarship page.
United States · American University, Washington, DC