Financial Aid for International Students

General Information About Costs

The published cost of attendance is for the nine-month academic year, which runs from late August, when classes begin for the academic year, through early May, when they end. Students who are married or bringing families should allow for an additional $10,796 per academic year for a spouse and $5,394 per academic year for each child. Information on housing costs is available from the GW Housing office.

U.S. law requires international students to submit financial documents proving the ability to pay for one year of study before an institution can send out visa immigration documents. Most international students will submit a bank statement, certificate of deposit, scholarship or sponsorship award letter, or a combination of those three to meet this requirement. The funds can be in any currency as long as the amount is equivalent to the published cost of attendance; however, GW will only accept financial documents in English or with official English translations.

Paying Tuition and Fees

Tuition, fees, and GW housing charges are due on the first day of each semester. All charges must be paid in full by the deadline. More information can be found on the Student Accounts Office website.

Scholarship Opportunities

The George Washington University offers several scholarship opportunities for international undergraduate applicants. All international applicants are automatically considered for various merit scholarships as part of the admissions process. In addition, we partner with a few organizations who offer scholarship opportunities to certain cohorts of international students. You will find a list of them below with additional details.

Merit Scholarships

GW awards exceptionally qualified international students with academic scholarships. As mentioned above, international applicants are automatically considered for the following merit scholarships during the application process. No additional application is necessary for these scholarships.

You may meet the qualifications for more than one merit scholarship; however, students can only be awarded one scholarship. You are not eligible for these scholarships if you receive GW employee benefits.

If you are a first-year applicant and receive a merit scholarship, you are guaranteed the award for up to 10 consecutive semesters as long as you maintain continuous full-time enrollment and satisfactory academic progress. Unless otherwise indicated, all scholarships and merit awards can only be used toward undergraduate tuition expenses. The value of these scholarships vary.

Presidential Academic Scholarship

Any non-U.S. citizen or non-permanent resident who is admitted to GW as a first-year undergraduate for the fall semester and possesses strong academic credentials is eligible for consideration for a Presidential Academic Scholarship.

Automatic consideration will be given to eligible candidates at the time of admission; priority consideration is given to applicants who have complete admission files by the application deadlines (Early Decision or Regular Decision).

Freshman International Engineering Scholarships

The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences offers a generous program of scholarships through the Presidential Academic Scholarship Program and all international applicants are considered for them. You are required to enroll in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences to receive the award.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Scholarship

International first-year applicants who are on track to graduate secondary school with an IB Diploma are automatically considered for the IB Scholarship.

You Are Welcome Here Scholarship

We are excited to offer two scholarships each year to international applicants who are dedicated to furthering the #YouAreWelcomeHere message by bridging intercultural divides. Applicants will need to answer a short essay question or present a multimedia project about their ideas for advancing intercultural learning and understanding on their future campus. The scholarship award will cover at least 50% of the tuition costs for the application year. Applicants who wish to be considered for this scholarship are also required to submit a CSS Profile with their application. Read more details about the scholarship requirements and the application process.

Scholarship Partner Organizations

GW has partnered with organizations around the world that offer additional funding opportunities for qualified international applicants.

Davis United World College (UWC) Scholars

GW is proud to partner with the Davis UWC Scholars program to offer scholarship opportunities to UWC graduates looking to study in the United States. UWC graduates who are admitted and choose to attend GW will be provided with need-based scholarships for their undergraduate studies. The scholarship amount can vary based on the financial need of the applicant but can cover full tuition and fees. UWC applicants who wish to be considered for this scholarship are required to submit a CSS Profile with their application.