10 External Scholarships for International Medical Students in the US

Getting into medical school in the US is a mammoth task, and international students face additional difficulty in financing their medical education. Essentially, other than self/family or friends, there are 3 main ways of paying for med school as an international student; 1) financial aid from your school, which usually is a combination of scholarships and loans 2) MD-PhD programs that cover the full cost of attendance and 3) private loans.

Scholarships can be institution based, meaning one needs admission to that particular school to be considered for the scholarship, or they can be external — a medical student in any accredited school in the US who meets the eligibility criteria can apply.

Here is a list of external scholarships for international students studying medicine in the US. Eligibility differs therefore do your due diligence before jumping to the application. These scholarships will not cover the total cost of attendance but can certainly cover part of tuition, living expenses, or school supplies.

1. Margret McNamara Education Grant
2. M.A. Cartland Shackford Medical Fellowship
3. Global Citizen Scholarship — MPOWER Financing
4. Women in STEM Scholarships — MPOWER Financing
5. Scholarships — The Roothbert Fund
6. Joseph Collins Foundation
7. International Scholarships — AKDN
8. Presbyterian Foundation of Louisiana
9. TYLENOL® Future Care Scholarship
10. International Fellowships — AAUW : Empowering Women Since 1881

Find more scholarships on the websites listed below. These sites are updated periodically and could have opportunities I missed. Check your undergraduate college for alumna fellowships and email your med school financial aid office to ask about scholarships.

1. Immigrants Rising
2. F1 Doctors Financial Resources
3. Harvard Medical School International Students External scholarships brochure
4. International Student

P.S. Make an amazon gift registry for items you need for med school when you start off. Those initial expenses of moving, housing deposits, furnishing etc can be quite high and this will help you along the way. Ask for student discounts wherever you go. Finally, please leave a comment about opportunities not included in this post.