Most international students will not be able to borrow through traditional U.S. government loan programs; however, there are alternative student loan programs that lend to international students with a U.S. cosigner. Please refer to Student Registration & Financial Services’ website for more information on alternative student loans and our lender list.
There are exceptions to the general rules set forth above. Please note that the Law School is not directly affiliated with the below entities and cannot change or negotiate any agreed-upon terms between the borrower and lender.
-
Prodigy Finance offers a loan for LLM students studying in the U.S. and has accepted loan applications from Penn Carey Law LLM students. All questions concerning this program should be sent directly to Prodigy.
-
Another option may be SoFi which made some changes in 2022 that positively impact international borrowers (also known as Non-Permanent Resident Aliens, NPRA). All questions concerning this program and eligibility should be sent directly to SoFi representative, Tracy Drechsler, Director Campus Relationships at tdrechsler@sofi.org or (651) 587.3612.
-
Another option is The Rowe Pan-America Fund, an educational loan program of the Organization of American States (OAS) that helps citizens from Latin America and Caribbean OAS Member States finance their studies or research in accredited universities across the United States by awarding interest-free loans of up to $15,000 dollars.
U.S. government loans and private student loans are available to U.S. citizens and permanent residents based on their credit history.
Scholarships
General Information Websites
You may wish to visit Fastweb which has good coverage of the awards available for international students for free.
The International Education Financial Aid website is a database of international scholarships.
An independent not-for-profit founded in 1919, IIE is among the world’s largest and most experienced international education and training organizations. IIE also administers the Fulbright Scholarship Program.
General information on financial aid and scholarships for international students is provided at Foreign Born.
A database of grants, fellowships, and scholarships compiled by the Institute of International Education is available at Funding For U.S. Study.
LLM Guide provides a brief guide to funding LLM study. It includes links to scholarships and grants.
A comprehensive database of LLM information and scholarship resources is available at LLM Study.
A comprehensive list of scholarship programs that covers a wide range of geographic areas is available at Open Society Foundations.
Philadelphia-Based Scholarships
The Jewish Federation of Philadelphia has two scholarships, with a joint application, the Samuel F. and Sara G. Feinman Fund for law and medical students and the Ida Foreman Fleisher Fund Scholarships for graduate studies for women.
The Judge Abraham J. Gafni Scholarship Award is a $2,500 cash prize given to a second- or third-year Jewish law student at a Philadelphia area law school who has demonstrated an interest and involvement in Jewish Religion, Law, or Ethics. Click here for an application.
The Judge Sandra Mazer Moss Scholarship Award is a $2,500 cash prize given to a single parent law student (of any religion or creed) at a Philadelphia area law school who strives for personal achievement, success and excellence in the law. Click here for an application.
The Mayer Horwitz Scholarship Award is a $2,500 cash prize given to a Jewish law student at a Philadelphia area law school who has demonstrated an interest and involvement in community service. Click here for an application.
Broad-based Scholarships
American Association of University Women (AAUW) is a nationwide network of more than 100,000 members and donors, 1,000 branches, and 600 college/university institution partners. International Fellowships are awarded for full-time study or research to women who are not US citizens or permanent residents. Fellowships support graduate or postgraduate studies at accredited institutions.
EducationUSA offers opportunity grants for overseas students seeking foreign degrees. Grants cover a wide range of expenses and may not exceed $10,000. Grants are available for LLM applicants in the following countries:
· Asia: Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos,
Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan,
Uzbekistan
· Europe: Belarus, Russian Federation, Turkey, Ukraine
· Middle East & North Africa: Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, Yemen
· Sub-Saharan Africa: Ghana, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe
· Latin America & Brazil: Bolivia, Brazil, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala,
Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Venezuela.
The Fulbright Commission provides scholarships for US study. LLM applicants should apply through their home country Fulbright Commission or the US Embassy.
The Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans provides opportunities for continuing generations of New Americans to achieve leadership in their chosen fields. The Program is established in recognition of the contributions New Americans have made to American life and in gratitude for the opportunities the United States has afforded the donors and their families. Each award is for up to $25,000 in maintenance grants and up to $20,000 in tuition support for each year of graduate study supported, a total of as much as $90,000.
Regional Scholarships
Africa
Advance-Africa maintains a list of LLM scholarships for African students wishing to pursue their LLM degree in the United States.
The Richard A. Horovitz Fund provides one year of graduate funding for students of Sub-Saharan Africa.
AMIDEAST offers information surrounding scholarship programs and exchange opportunities for students within the Middle East and North Africa.
Asia/ South-East Asia
The Inlaks Foundation offers up to $85,000 in scholarships for Indian students seeking two years of study abroad.
The J.N. Tata Endowment for Higher Education provides grants for Indian students seeking to study abroad.
The Joint Japan/World Bank Graduate Scholarship Program funds Japanese students seeking to study abroad in fields relating to human rights, the environment, or good governance.
RD Sethna scholarships are available to students who are citizens of India pursuing studies inside or outside the country, with certain interest and other loan terms.
Australia and New Zealand
Australian Graduate Women offers several one-year grants for students seeking to further their education
The Law Foundation awards scholarships, prizes, and fellowships annually to outstanding legal scholars who show considerable potential to improve the New Zealand legal system through their work.
The Yvonne A.M. Smith Charitable Foundation offers the Yvonne A. M. Smith Scholarship for women seeking Doctoral or Master’s studies.
Caribbean and Latin America
The Education Portal of the Americas lists fellowships available for students from OAS countries.
The Estudar Foundation offers scholarships for Brazilian students studying within the US, and career development and networking opportunities during and post-LLM.
The Barsa Scholarships Program is for Fulbright students living in select South American countries.
The Chilean Ministry of Education provides full-tuition scholarships and additional financial assistance to Chilean professionals pursuing graduate studies who have evidence of outstanding performance in their academic, social and professional fields.
The Mexican Government and The National Counsel of Science and Technology provide Mexican students with the opportunity to obtain both a partial scholarship and a partial loan.
Europe
The Thouron Award is a graduate exchange program between British universities and the University of Pennsylvania. This is a generous scholarship that has funded British students at Penn Carey Law in recent years.
The American Scandinavian Foundation provides up to $500,000 worth of scholarships to Scandinavians for US study every year.
The Denmark-America & Fulbright Foundation provides grants for graduate studies and research.
The Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet Foundation provides funding for French students abroad in all fields.
The ERP Scholarship offers scholarship funding of up to $25,000 for study within the US after graduating from a German university.
The German American Lawyers Association provides scholarships, grants, and information about US LLM programs.
The Norwegian State Education Fund provides government-sponsored scholarships and loans.
The Fundacja Kościuszkowska Polska provides scholarships and grants for Polish students.
The Belgian American Educational Foundation provides a generous scholarship for Belgian students doing graduate work in the United States and has funded Penn Carey Law Students.
The Liedekerke Scholarship grants EUR 25,000 annually to one graduating law student who has (1) obtained high marks in all his/her courses at a Belgian university, (2) is mostly interested in Corporate and/or Business Law, (iii) applied to leading US law schools, (iv) joins Liedekerke for a one-month summer internship before going to the U.S., and (v) commits to join Liedekerke for at least one year upon return from the U.S.
The Fernand Lazard Foundation grants both loans and scholarships up to EUR 20,000 on a partial merit basis to Belgian students.
The Ermenegildo Zegna Founder’s Scholarship provides scholarships of up to EUR 50,000 to enable Italian students to undertake graduate study outside of Italy. Applications and selections are restricted to participating universities, which can be found on the website.
The Pertti Lindfors Legal Studies Fund provides funding for Finish students who are either interested or enrolled in academic programs in the U.S.
Middle East
High Committee for Education Development in Iraq is sponsored by the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office. HCED offers full scholarships for one year of intensive English study. Scholarship covers tuition, fees, books, and travel to the United States.
AMIDEAST offers information surrounding scholarship programs and exchange opportunities for students within the Middle East and North Africa.
North America
Student Awards is a search engine for scholarships for Canadian students.
The Canadian Federation of Women offers the Dr. Alice E. Wilson Awards which are scholarships of up to $5,000 for female citizens seeking graduate education.
Mackenzie King Scholarships provides scholarships for Canadian students seeking an education in the United States.
PEO Sisterhood provides scholarships for women who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States and Canada.
