University of Memphis International Merit Scholarship

Benefits & funding

• Graduate track: $2,100 per semester in fall and spring, $4,200 for a full academic year, applied to the cost of a graduate degree.
• Undergraduate track: a merit award for entering freshmen, renewable for up to three additional years, so four years in total.
• Awards are disbursed in the fall and spring semesters only.
• The university does not publish the undergraduate award value online; the International Student Services office (international@memphis.edu) states the figure on request.
• The scholarship is an offset, not a full ride. Tuition and fees for an F-1 undergraduate are estimated at $20,040 for one academic year, and the university asks F-1 degree applicants to show $32,824 in funds for tuition and living costs.
• Non-resident and international fees are charged per credit hour on top of base tuition, so the award value moves with the credit load.

Eligibility

• Newly admitted, degree-seeking international students holding an F-1 or J-1 visa and taking classes on campus.
• Entering first-time applicants only. Students already enrolled at the university, or continuing from a previous term, are not eligible.
• Dual citizens and United States permanent residents are not eligible.
• Students holding a graduate assistantship or other university funding are not eligible.
• Graduate applicants must be admitted to a graduate degree program other than law, and must hold a 3.25/4.0 U.S.-equivalent cumulative undergraduate GPA or completed master’s GPA. A test route also qualifies: a GRE total of 310 with at least 150 verbal, at least 150 quantitative and 2.5 analytical writing, or the equivalent GMAT scores.
• Undergraduate applicants are reviewed on cumulative high school GPA together with ACT or SAT scores; some awards are decided on GPA alone.
• Student-athletes are additionally bound by NCAA rules.
• Open to applicants of every nationality. No age limit and no work-experience requirement are set.
• To keep the award, recipients hold a 3.0 University of Memphis GPA every semester. Undergraduates also carry at least 12 credit hours per semester, stay in good academic standing and complete the required service hours. Graduate recipients stay continuously enrolled full time in fall and spring.

Application process

1. 1
   Apply for admission to a University of Memphis degree program as an international student, and submit transcripts and any required test scores.
2. 2
   Freshmen apply by Dec. 1 for priority scholarship consideration. Updated GPA and test scores are accepted through March.
3. 3
   Complete the immigration paperwork with International Student Services, including the I-20 request, so the F-1 or J-1 status the award requires is in place.
4. 4
   Wait for the admission decision. The merit award is determined during the admission review, and no application beyond the admission application is required for the graduate award.
5. 5
   Check Tiger Scholarship Manager, the university scholarship portal at memphis.academicworks.com, for the merit listings and for other University of Memphis scholarships open to international students.
6. 6
   Ask questions at international@memphis.edu, or at scholarships@memphis.edu / 901.678.3213 for portal-based awards.

Program timeline

1. Priority date for freshman admission applications

   Dec. 1

2. Updated GPA and test scores accepted

   December to March

3. Rolling

   Admission and merit scholarship decisions issued as files are completed

4. Fall and spring semesters

   Award disbursed; renewal reviewed against GPA, credit hours and service hours