Student Notebook: Roadmap to Grants and Funding for International Students

International students often face more constraints when seeking funding for their research than their domestic peers. Many grants from funding organizations, such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Commonwealth Scholarships, are inaccessible to international students because eligibility criteria include being a citizen of the host country.

These limitations and restrictions require many international students to fund their research via their own means. In response to this challenge, the APS Student Caucus organized a roundtable session at the 2025 APS Global Psychological Science Summit titled “Roadmap to Grants and Funding for International Students.” The session brought together scholars from the United Kingdom and the United States with diverse experiences navigating international funding systems. Panelists shared practical insights on identifying and applying for funding from a range of sources, including opportunities in students’ home countries, host countries, and private foundations. The discussion aimed to provide concrete strategies, demystify common barriers, and empower international students to pursue external funding more confidently and effectively. This article presents the main takeaways from the roundtable. 

Funding opportunities from home countries

Many governments sponsor their own citizens to pursue degrees overseas. In China, for example, the best-known route to obtain support for international study is through the China Scholarship Council (CSC). CSC scholarships support Chinese nationals studying abroad across a wide range of programs, from undergraduate to doctoral degrees, to visiting scholar positions. These awards are usually tied to specific partner universities and subject areas, so applicants need to check carefully whether their target programs are covered.

Similarly, Indonesia offers a model through the Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP) scholarship, which supports Indonesian citizens pursuing mainly postgraduate studies. It includes about 40 different funding schemes grouped under four main categories, with dedicated streams for applicants from remote or deprived regions, those living in poverty, and individuals with disabilities.

In the Persian Gulf region, both the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have developed large-scale scholarship programs as part of their national development strategies. The UAE offers a few different awards for UAE nationals to study abroad, including the Presidential Scholarship, Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research Scholarships, the Distinguished Student Scholarship, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Scholarship Programme. Saudi Arabia funds its citizens through the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program, which enables students to attend top universities worldwide.

Singapore presents a slightly different approach. The Public Service Commission (PSC) Scholarship is a prestigious award for Singaporean citizens that typically covers tuition, living costs, and other study-related expenses, alongside structured career development in the public sector. The PSC Scholarship is initially granted for undergraduate study but can be extended for up to two additional years to support a master’s degree. Importantly, students do not always need to hold the scholarship from the very beginning of their undergraduate program; in some cases, those who are already undergraduates can still apply to fund the remaining years of their degree and a subsequent master’s.

It is also worth noting that, in addition to national funding programs, some local authorities also offer funding. For example, the Hong Kong government runs two scholarships that support Hong Kong students studying at leading universities overseas. 

Funding opportunities from host countries 

In addition to sourcing funding opportunities from home countries, international students may also seek them from the countries in which they study. Below are examples of possible funding opportunities from host countries, focusing on the United Kingdom and the United States.

United Kingdom 

Although the opportunities are limited and very competitive, the United Kingdom offers some funding options for international students.

After the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union (EU), many European funding mechanisms contracted, increasing international researchers’ reliance on U.K.-based funding schemes (Institute for Government, 2025).

For example, after Brexit, it was uncertain whether U.K.-based research projects would be eligible for funding via the Horizon Europe scheme (an EU research and innovation program) or the European Social Fund (ESF; a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization committed to the advancement of research in Europe). In September 2025, the United Kingdom rejoined Horizon Europe as an associate member (UKRI, 2026). However, until further notice, the United Kingdom no longer participates in new ESF programs.

As a result, students aiming to support their studies need to navigate national opportunities through U.K.-based schemes. Three primary funding routes are available: project-specific studentships, institutional scholarships, and externally funded doctoral training programs.

The first involves applying to an advertised project-specific studentship, typically funded through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), which supports Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) and Centres for Doctoral Training (CDTs). The UKRI is a national, nondepartmental public body responsible for supporting knowledge exchange and research in higher education institutions in the United Kingdom (UKRI, 2026). These awards usually pay U.K.-rate tuition and a standard stipend, with a limited number of places available to international applicants. There are also parallel project-based opportunities through major funders such as the Wellcome Trust, an independent charitable foundation based in the United Kingdom. Opportunities via these pathways are usually advertised directly via the host U.K. institutions that are recipients of the funding, or through the UKRI main website.

A second route requires students to secure admission to a postgraduate program and then compete for funding through national or institutional mechanisms. Some available funding boards to apply to include the Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS) and the Welsh Graduate School for the Social Sciences (WGSSS). Both bodies are funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), which is one of the seven boards of the UKRI. 

They offer ECRC-funded studentships with a restricted number of international places. Students accepted to a doctoral degree in psychology or related fields at a Scottish or Welsh higher education institution can apply for funding from these boards. Additionally, many universities provide internal scholarships through doctoral colleges, though eligibility and fee coverage vary widely from institution to institution.

A third pathway involves codeveloping a research proposal with a prospective supervisor and applying through institution-led schemes supported by funders such as the Wellcome Trust or the Leverhulme Trust, an independent U.K.-based charity that funds research and scholarships with the goal of producing breakthroughs that benefit society. Codeveloping the research proposal in this pathway is crucial, as the prospective student typically does not apply. Instead, the potential supervisor applies for the funding via their host institution.

See all Student Notebook columns

In general, this route is often most accessible to students who have previously worked with a supervisor, as they have an established relationship. Prospective students might look for a research assistantship or apply for a one-year U.K.-based master’s degree to build their network and explore potential supervisors who could support them in this funding route. External programs such as the Chevening and British Council scholarships can support students pursuing these master’s degrees. 

United States

International students seeking to study in the United States face a unique set of challenges when securing financial support for graduate education. Many major federal fellowships and grants require U.S. citizenship or permanent residency, which can significantly limit access to competitive funding streams (Schmaling & Gallo, 2023). As a result, international students often rely on a combination of institutional funding at the universities they attend, private foundations, international fellowship programs, and discipline-specific awards to support their training and research. 

One important category of support comes from professional psychology organizations. The Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), for instance, offers multiple small research grants and travel awards that are open to international students. Similarly, Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, provides research grants, travel funds, and awards for student-led projects that are open to international students. 

Another major source of external funding is private foundations. The Philanthropic Educational Organization’s (PEO) International Peace Scholarship supports women from outside the United States pursuing graduate degrees at accredited American institutions. The Laura Bassi Scholarship provides editorial and writing support for students whose work advances interdisciplinary or underrepresented areas of scholarship, and it explicitly accepts applications from international students. In addition, many private foundations and organizations such as the American Association of University Women (AAUW) offer highly competitive International Fellowships to students pursuing full-time graduate study or research in the United States. These programs remain among the most significant dedicated funding opportunities for globally mobile scholars. 

Although U.S. federal agencies such as NSF and the NIH restrict eligibility for their flagship fellowship programs primarily to U.S. citizens, international students may still participate in research funded through faculty grants or institutional training programs. In many cases, students can be hired as graduate research assistants on NSF- or NIH-funded projects even if they cannot apply directly for individual fellowships.

Final thoughts and recommendations 

Although securing funding as an international student can be daunting, opportunities remain through a combination of institutional assistantships, professional society grants, private foundation scholarships, and international fellowship programs.

We hope that the roadmap outlined here will be a tool for international students to locate funding options for their research. We have also provided detailed information and links for funding in the table below. As fee coverage and eligibility differ substantially across programs, countries, and universities, careful review of each opportunity remains essential for navigating the postgraduate funding landscape.

Student Notebook serves as a forum in which APS Student Caucus members communicate their ideas, suggestions, and experiences. Read other Student Notebook columns here, and learn about the benefits of Student Membership.

Interested in submitting a Student Notebook article of your own? Learn more and indicate your interest by clicking here (logged-in APS members only).

Feedback on this article? Email [email protected] or login to comment.