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Scholarships for International Students

Merit Scholarships

Temple University offers merit scholarships to international students with strong academic records. For first-year students, these awards range up to $20,000 per year for up to four years. For transfer students, the awards may vary. Criteria is shaped by the size and quality of the applicant class, as well as available funding. No separate application is needed for consideration for a merit scholarship, as your admissions application serves both purposes. Be sure to submit all of your documentation and admissions application by the requisite deadlines—or earlier.

 

#WhyUS

Temple introduced the #WhyUS campaign and scholarships to ensure all international students know that the U.S. is one of the most desirable places in the world to study. These scholarships, which range from $2,000 to $10,000 for up to four consecutive years (four years for first-year students and two years for transfer students), will be awarded for the best responses to our creative prompt. Winners will be chosen independent of a prospective student’s academic performance, and scholarships can be combined with other awards already received. Scholarship winners will be announced by April 1.

Eligibility Criteria
  • You must be a first-year or transfer international student.
  • You must be a Temple applicant (already admitted, applied or soon to apply).
  • You must submit this scholarship by the deadline.
How to Apply
Creative Prompts

Respond to the creative prompt in the format that works best for you.

  • Essay response (max. 250 words submitted as: .pdf, .jpeg, .doc)
  • Video (max. one minute) ○ Audio/spoken word essay (max. one minute)
  • Photo collage (.pdf, .jpg, .png) ○ Meme (.pdf, .jpg, .gif, .avi, .wmv or .mp4/.mpeg4)
  • Drawing (.pdf, .jpg or .png)
  • Painting (.pdf, .jpg or .png)

For nonwritten essay options, please submit a brief paragraph describing your project.

Creative Prompt
Describe how one, multiple or all of the #WhyUS points below speak to you and inform your desire to study in the United States at Temple. Be creative. 

  • A U.S. degree is high-quality, and regarded highly by employers around the world.
  • Flexibility and choice in finding the type of university that best suits you—community college, or private/public college or university
  • An abundance of professional opportunities (OPT, CPT, internships, on-campus jobs, research opportunities)
  • Global diversity—the U.S. leads the world in the number of international students studying here
  • Beautiful diverse locations—from urban to rural, mountains to beaches
  • An intellectual foundation to help you become a well-rounded scholar in academics and beyond
  • Exceptional support to help you thrive in a new culture
  • The U.S. emphasizes individualism and leadership development for independent thinking skills and creativity
  • Demonstrated success from foreign-born students who become innovative researchers, technology entrepreneurs, world leaders, novelists and more

For inspiration

  • Think about how coming to Temple will fulfill your dreams. You might explain how a mentor has inspired you to study in the U.S., how you want to build an intellectual foundation through U.S. discussion-based learning, or how you plan to take advantage of the global diversity here to share your culture and experience new ones.
  • Check out what some of our current students and alumni have to say about the many benefits of studying in the U.S. on our Instagram page @globaltemple. What’s most important is to speak from your heart.

For Submission

  • Fill out the #WhyUS application form.
  • Though not required, we encourage you to post your submissions, tag @globaltemple on Instagram and use the hashtag #WhyUS.

By participating you agree that Temple has the right to republish any/all content. Scholarship winners agree to serve as #WhyUS ambassadors and participate in International Students Affairs activities for up to 10 hours a semester.

Deadline

Make sure to meet the application deadline to be considered for the #WhyUS scholarship.

  • March 1: Application deadline
  • April 1: Announcement of scholarship winners

The deadline to submit your enrollment deposit is May 1.

#YouAreWelcomeHere

In 2016, Temple pioneered a nationwide welcome message from U.S. higher education to international students around the world. Through the #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship, Temple recognizes international students who demonstrate a vision for enhancing intercultural understanding. Temple was one of the first nine universities to make an initial commitment to the #YouAreWelcomeHere initiative. Every year, we select two first-year students to receive an annual, renewable scholarship of $20,000. Scholarship winners will be announced by April 1.

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for the #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship, you must

  • be a first-year international applicant. An international applicant is an individual who holds citizenship in a country outside the United States and who does not also possess U.S. citizenship or permanent residency.
  • demonstrate interest and personal initiative in activities involving intercultural learning and exchange.
How to Apply

Here’s what you need to do to apply for the scholarship.

  • Apply for admission using the Common Application.
  • Submit the #YouAreWelcomeHere application and corresponding essay or video by Feb. 1 using the link provided. If submitting a large video file, please email a link to the video to .
  • If you are awarded a scholarship, you must claim it by submitting an enrollment deposit by May 1.
Deadlines

Make sure to meet the following deadlines in order to be considered.

  • Feb. 1: Application deadline
  • April 1: Announcement of scholarship winners

The deadline to submit your enrollment deposit is May 1.

 

Learn more about one of our first recipients.

In 2019, Ayna Mammedova of Turkmenistan and Andres Mondragon of Peru became the inaugural recipients of Temple’s #YouAreWelcomeHere scholarship.

Ayna, wearing a black and white striped shirt, smiling on campus.

Ayna Mammedova

Biochemistry Major, College of Science and Technology

“Before applying, I watched a lot of videos about #YouAreWelcomeHere. I was a bit nervous about the application process. Now, I am calm and confident. I know Temple is welcoming me. The university is so kind with its international students—and I am proud to be one of them.”

Learn more about Ayna

Sister City Scholarships

If you are a first-year applicant from one of Philadelphia’s sister cities, Temple University welcomes you to apply for this special scholarship opportunity. These are scholarships of $10,000 per academic year for four years. Click below to learn more about qualifying sister cities, eligibility and to apply.

Scholarship winners will be announced by April 1.

Philadelphia’s Sister Cities

  • Abruzzo, Italy
  • Aix-en-Provence, France
  • Douala, Cameroon
  • Florence, Italy
  • Frankfurt am Main, Germany
  • Incheon, Korea
  • Kobe, Japan
  • Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
  • Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel
  • Tianjin, China
  • Toruń, Poland

Complete the application for a Sister City Scholarship!