full ride scholarships for us citizens and permanent residents

32 Full-Ride Scholarships for US Citizens and Permanent Residents

Scholarships in United States

Due to nationality requirements, many full-ride scholarship programs are available only to US Citizens and Permanent Residents. Even though there are many more full-ride scholarships than the number mentioned, I have decided to set the cap at 32 since that information alone is quite big.


Is a Full-Ride Scholarship Really Free?

For many of you skeptics out there, full-ride scholarships will guarantee free education for your undergraduate career. In some cases, you need to pay for class books and for personal expenses, which can amount to several hundred if not a thousand dollars per semester.

If you do get a full-ride scholarship, the financial benefits that you have earned are entirely based on your merit. By looking at the hours and the effort that you have spent on obtaining a full-ride scholarship, we can easily see that full-ride scholarships are not free but very costly to obtain.


What Are Some Ways to Obtain a Full-Ride Scholarship?

One can obtain this prestigious scholarship by applying to universities or to scholarship foundations that award fully-funded scholarships to prospective applicants. Some application process might require a nomination of a student by their home institution (high school).

Other application processes might require two different applications, where one is the admissions application to a university and the other is a separate scholarship application that makes you eligible for that award. Whichever the case, follow the application guideline, and you’ll be all set to go!


What Is the Difference Between Full-Tuition and Full-Ride?

As its name implies, full-tuition scholarships only cover your tuition but do not cover the costs related to room & board and mandatory expenses. On the other hand, full-ride scholarships cover your total cost of attendance, which means you don’t really have to worry about paying your school bills.


Full-Ride Scholarships for US Citizens and Permanent Residents

Without further ado, let’s go over our list that contains 32 full-ride scholarships available just to US Citizens and Permanent Residents!


1. Frederick Douglass Scholarship

Being a highly selective scholarship, FDS is awarded to exceptional students who are transferring to the University of Maryland from Maryland Community College. Due to its narrow eligibility requirements, make sure that you meet the application requirements before applying!


2. Frederick Douglass Distinguished Scholars

Offered only to US Citizens and Permanent Residents, FDDS is a different scholarship program than our previous scholarship award, but they play a similar role when it comes to financial aid. Full-ride benefits are renewable annually as long as you keep a high GPA in all of your classes!


3. Roddy Scholarship

Only awarded to students who want to take part in a medical profession, Roddy Scholarship is awarded to one applicant per year. In order to be considered for this scholarship, you have to apply for Providence College Admissions, and you will be automatically considered!


4. National Scholars Program

Largely based on academic merit and extracurricular activities, the National Scholars Program is a highly competitive scholarship offered by Clemson. Finalists for the National Scholars Program must attend an on-campus competition in order to be considered.


5. Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Scholarship

Having a residential requirement, SJT Scholarship only accepts residents from the District of Columbia, and it even narrows down to high school graduates from public and public charter schools. If you are qualified for this scholarship, be sure to apply to earn this full-ride scholarship!


6. Torch Scholars Program

Providing great opportunities for talented students, the Torch Scholars Program is one of many full-ride scholarships for US Citizens and Permanent Residents. Supporting first-generation college students, this program inspires students to reach their full potential.


7. George W. Jenkins Scholarship

Open only to US Citizens, the Jenkins Scholarship is available to residents of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. Having an academic requirement, you need to have at least 3.75 on a 4.0 scale in order to qualify for this scholarship.


8. University of Pittsburg Scholarships

Offering many full-ride scholarships to incoming students, the University of Pittsburgh is known for its numerous prestigious scholarships. Among them, the full-ride scholarships are Chancellor’s Scholarships and Diversity Scholarships, which offer many financial benefits to its recipients.


9. Duchossois Leadership Scholarship Program

On top of its challenging criteria, Duchossois Scholars are chosen based on financial need, which means that students coming from a household with an annual income of $200,000 or more are not eligible to apply for this scholarship. If that’s you, look at other full-ride scholarships!


10. Alumni Distinguished Scholarship

Able to be renewed over eight semesters, Alumni Distinguished Scholarships are offered to top applicants of its incoming student body. If you apply for admissions at Michigan State University, you will be automatically considered for these full-ride scholarships.


11. Eminence Fellows Program

In order to be qualified for a fully-funded scholarship, applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible in order to make the selection process go smoother. Early application means more time for the judges to decide, which can increase your chances of getting a scholarship.


12. Marvin B. Perry Scholarship

In addition to Marvin B. Perry Presidential Scholarship, Agnes Scott College has decided to offer another full-ride scholarship called Goizueta Foundation Scholarship, which is offered to Hispanic / Latinx / Chicanx students (Doesn’t require US Citizenship).


13. Charles Scholarship

Open to students from Chicago Public School and charter schools, Charles Scholarship is awarded to students of underrepresented groups. Having a strong preference for Latinx and Hispanic students, this full-ride scholarship is given to students who are in need of financial aid.


14. Hays Memorial Scholarship

To award talented students who have demonstrated financial need, Hendrix College has established the Hays Memorial Scholarship to provide high-quality education for free. In addition, this institution is offering several full-tuition scholarships and partial financial benefits.


15. Dowdy Scholar & National Alumni Scholarship

The links above lead to the application requirements & selection criteria of the Dowdy Scholarship while there is another full-ride scholarship program offered by NA A&T. Named the National Alumni Scholarship, you can see more details about this scholarship at this link.


16. Foundation Fellowship

Offering a variety of financial benefits, the Foundation Fellowship offered by the University of Georgia is one of the most prestigious scholarships awarded in the United States. In addition to its awards, this fellowship provides a unique study abroad program at Oxford University.


17. Levine Scholars Program

Offering the needed tools to test out their newfound potential, the Levine Scholars Program is a full-ride scholarship that offers a rigorous academic curriculum and great research opportunities. Make sure to apply if you are eligible for this scholarship!


18. Forty Acres Scholar Program

Offering a tight-knit community of aspiring scholars, the Forty Acres Scholar Program is not offered by the University of Texas, but by the Ex-Students Association of the University of Texas. Founded in 2011, this scholarship program was established to bring a change for good.


19. Richardson Family Scholarship

Being the most prestigious scholarship offered by Wofford College, Richardson Family Scholarship is awarded to only one student. Offering a monthly stipend for books and personal expenses, this full-ride scholarship also covers the cost of getting a new laptop!


20. Soka’s Global Merit Scholarship

Finally, we have come to our last one among our list of full-ride scholarships for US Citizens and Permanent Residents. Make sure that you take advantage of this information, and be sure to read the concluding section down below!


Conclusion: Last 12 Scholarships

The remaining 12 full-ride scholarships are covered in depth in our post called 12 Full-Ride Scholarships in United States for International Students. Since it is offered to international applicants, all of those scholarships are open to US Citizens and Permanent Residents.

I hope this information helped you out, and if you have liked this post, be sure to share this post with anyone who might need this information. Last but not least, good luck on your scholarship application, and have a great rest of your day!