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By Olami, AbroadPilot · Reviewed September 2026
The University of Michigan (U-M, Ann Arbor) is one of the top public research universities in the United States. Funding for international students exists at both undergraduate and graduate level — but it works very differently depending on which you’re applying for, and it pays to understand that before you build your plan.
Honest reality check: U-M offers only limited scholarship funding for international undergraduates and no US federal aid. At graduate level, though — especially for PhD and research Master’s — funding through assistantships and fellowships is much stronger and often effectively full.
What funding is available
- LSA International Student Scholarship (undergraduate): awarded by the College of Literature, Science & the Arts to a small number of incoming first-year international students. Worth up to US$25,000 and renewable for four years if you stay eligible.
- Graduate assistantships (GSRA / GSI): research or teaching appointments that typically cover full tuition, provide a stipend (around US$25,000+ per term for qualifying research assistants on the Ann Arbor campus) and include health benefits.
- Doctoral funding packages: most funded PhD offers bundle tuition waiver, stipend and insurance.
- Departmental & donor fellowships: individual schools (Ford, Ross, Engineering, Rackham Graduate School, etc.) run their own merit and need-based awards.
Who is eligible?
- Undergraduate (LSA scholarship): be an incoming first-year student admitted to a degree program in the College of LSA, not a US citizen or permanent resident, and enrolled full-time (12+ credits). Current U-M students are not eligible.
- Graduate: eligibility is set by your admitting department — assistantships and fellowships are competitive and tied to your program and research fit.
Documents you’ll need
- A complete U-M admission application (the scholarship process is tied to admission)
- Academic transcripts and test scores as required by your program
- Proof of English proficiency (TOEFL/IELTS)
- For graduate funding: CV, statement of purpose, research interests, and references
- Financial documentation for your visa (I-20) once admitted
How to apply: step by step
- Apply for admission to your U-M program (LSA for the undergraduate scholarship, or your chosen graduate department).
- Undergraduates: once admitted to LSA, access the International Student Scholarship application — it only opens after you’re admitted. Need-based U-M aid generally requires no separate application.
- Graduate applicants: contact your admitting department directly about assistantships and fellowships, and flag your interest in funding in your application.
- Compare your offer against the program’s cost of attendance before accepting.
How competitive is it?
For undergraduates, the international scholarship pool is small — U-M itself describes funding for international undergraduates as very limited, and only a handful of LSA International Student Scholarships are awarded each year, so it is highly competitive and should never be your only funding plan. At graduate level the picture is better: funded PhD places and research assistantships are competitive but widely available, and many international PhD students at Michigan are fully funded through a mix of appointments and fellowships rather than a single named scholarship.
Frequently asked questions
Does the University of Michigan fully fund international undergraduates?
Rarely. U-M has only limited scholarship funding for international undergraduates and no US federal aid. The main route is the LSA International Student Scholarship (up to US$25,000, renewable), which is competitive and awarded to a small number of students.
How do international PhD students get funded at Michigan?
Usually through graduate assistantships (research or teaching) and departmental fellowships, which together typically cover tuition, a stipend and health benefits. Funding is arranged through your admitting department.
Is there a separate scholarship application?
For the LSA undergraduate scholarship, yes — but it only opens after you are admitted to LSA. For graduate funding, you generally apply through your department rather than a central form.
Free tools for this
- Scholarship Odds Estimator — real award-to-applicant ratios where funders publish them
- Scholarship Eligibility Checker — which of our tracked scholarships you can actually apply for
- Scholarship Deadlines Calendar — never shows a deadline that already passed
- How to Verify a Scholarship Is Real — the red flags that separate real funders from scams
Apply / verify on the official site: U-M Office of Financial Aid — International Students and the LSA International Student Scholarships page. Amounts and rules change yearly — always confirm officially.
Comparing US options? See our guides to Stanford (Knight-Hennessy) and the full Scholarships hub.
Olami is the founder and lead writer at AbroadPilot. He started the site after going through the visa process himself — a German student visa in 2019 and a Canadian work permit in 2023 — and learning first-hand how confusing official immigration language can be, how often rules change, and how easy it is to lose money to bad advice. He spent three years as an international education and travel consultant, helping people source and verify the information that landed their visas and planned their trips. Every guide on AbroadPilot is built from official sources — embassy pages, government immigration portals, and .gov fee schedules — and reviewed as requirements change. AbroadPilot does not sell visas or applications; it is a free resource to help readers apply with confidence.
