International Student Scholarships

Northern Michigan University is happy to offer its international students a variety of scholarship options to help fund their education. Explore the categories and links on this page to learn about which scholarships may be a good fit for you.

International Academic Award

The NMU International Academic Award is automatically awarded to academically talented undergraduate international students who are admitted to Northern Michigan University as a full-time associate or baccalaureate degree student.

Award recipients are expected to engage in cultural sharing or community service activities. (Available to new NMU students who have not earned a bachelor's degree who enroll Fall 2017 or later).

International Academic Award - Eligibility and Criteria

Eligibility:	New undergraduate international students who have not earned a bachelor's degree. Note: students who receive the International Partner Award do not qualify.
Available Assistance:	$2,200/yr. Unlimited number of awards.
How to Apply	Automatically awarded based on high school or transfer GPA of 3.0 or better
Enrollment Requirements:	Full-time undergraduate - 12 credit hours or more.
Selection Criteria:	Automatically awarded based on high school gpa or transfer gpa of a 3.0 or better. Must be in a valid immigration status.

Renewal requirements:

May receive scholarships for up to 8 semesters (new international freshman) or 6 semesters for transfer students, or until completion of first bachelor's degree, whichever comes first.
Must maintain a cumulative 3.0 NMU G.P.A. and full-time enrollment.
Must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy requirements.
FAO Monitors annually at the conclusion of the winter semester

Re-entry students may have their original NMU scholarship reinstated if they:

Were eligible for renewal at the time they left NMU.
Have not attended another college or university between enrollments at NMU.
Are within the "consecutive semesters" timeline that began with the original awarding date of said scholarship. Semesters away from NMU do not count in the consecutive semesters timeline.

Canadian Bridge Award

The NMU Canadian Bridge Award is automatically awarded to academically talented undergraduate international students from Canada who are admitted to Northern Michigan University as a full-time associate or baccalaureate degree student.

Available to new NMU students who have not earned a bachelor's degree who enroll Fall 2024 or later.

*Students who are awarded the Canadian Bridge Award are not eligible for the International Academic Award.

Canadian Bridge Award - Eligibility and Criteria

Eligibility:	New undergraduate Canadian students who have not earned a bachelor's degree.
Available Assistance:	$5,600/yr. Unlimited number of awards.
How to Apply	Automatically awarded based on high school or transfer GPA of 3.0 or better
Enrollment Requirements:	Full-time undergraduate - 12 credit hours or more.
Selection Criteria:	Automatically awarded based on high school gpa or transfer gpa of a 3.0 or better. Must be in a valid immigration status.

*Students who are awarded the Canadian Bridge Award are not eligible for the International Academic Award.

Renewal requirements:

May receive scholarships for up to 8 semesters (new international freshman) or 6 semesters for transfer students, or until completion of first bachelor's degree, whichever comes first.
Must maintain a cumulative 3.0 NMU G.P.A. and full-time enrollment.
Must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy requirements.
Monitored annually at the conclusion of the winter semester.

Re-entry students may have their original NMU scholarship reinstated if they:

Were eligible for renewal at the time they left NMU.
Have not attended another college or university between enrollments at NMU.
Are within the "consecutive semesters" timeline that began with the original awarding date of said scholarship. Semesters away from NMU do not count in the consecutive semesters timeline.

Partner Scholarships

NMU offers special scholarship opportunities to students from our approved partner institutions or organizations. Find a full list of NMU partner institutions here. For information on approved partner institutions, please contact ipo@nmu.edu.

International Partner Award

The NMU International Partner Award is automatically available to academically talented, undergraduate international students who are enrolled at Northern Michigan University as a full-time associate or baccalaureate degree student from an NMU approved partner institution (for a list of approved partner institutions, please contact ies@nmu.edu). Award recipients are expected to engage in cultural sharing or community service activities. (Available starting Fall 2017 or later).

International Partner Award - Eligibility and Criteria

Eligibility:	New undergraduate international students from an NMU approved partner.
Available Assistance:	$2,200/semester for first two semester and $1,100/semester for up to 6 additional semesters. 6 max for transfer students – Unlimited Awards.
How to Apply	Automatically awarded based on high school or transfer GPA of 3.0 or better
Enrollment Requirements:	Full-time undergraduate - 12 credit hours or more.
Selection Criteria:	Automatically awarded based on high school gpa or transfer gpa of a 3.0 or better. Must be in a valid immigration status.

Renewal requirements:

May receive scholarship for up to 8 semesters (new international freshman) or 6 semesters for transfer students, or until completion of first bachelor's degree, whichever comes first.
Must maintain a cumulative 3.0 NMU G.P.A. and full-time enrollment.
Must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy requirements.
FAO Monitors annually at the conclusion of the winter semester.

Re-entry students may have their original NMU scholarship reinstated if they:

Were eligible for renewal at the time they left NMU.
Have not attended another college or university between enrollments at NMU.
Are within the "consecutive semesters" timeline that began with the original awarding date of said scholarship. Semesters away from NMU do not count in the consecutive semesters timeline.

Superior Exchange Scholarship

The Superior Exchange scholarship is for non-degree seeking students who come to NMU as part of an international exchange program. (Available starting Fall 2017 or later.)

Superior Exchange Scholarship - Eligibility and Criteria

Eligibility:	New undergraduate international students from an NMU approved exchange institution.
Available Assistance:	Full tuition for a maximum of 2 semesters – limited awards available
How to Apply	Automatically awarded based on meeting minimum admissions requirements.
Enrollment Requirements:	Full-time undergraduate - 12 credit hours or more.
Selection Criteria:	Automatically awarded based on meeting minimum admissions requirements and recommended by an NMU approved exchange partner. Must be in a valid immigration status.

Application Procedures:

All exchange semesters begin with an official nomination from an international officer at your home university. Once your nomination has been accepted by NMU and you have received permission from your home school exchange officer, you are able to follow the application steps below. (Note that some international officers require you to submit your forms to the home office. They are then forwarded to NMU in a group mailing.)

Fill out the Application for Superior Exchange Students
Transcript - Send a transcript to Northern Michigan University.
English Proficiency - TOEFL score of 61 iBT, 173 computer based or institutional TOEFL of 500 or higher, IELTS score of a 6
Documentation of financial support and a copy of your passport must be provided prior to issuance of the DS-2019. Provide Certification of Finances in the amount of $16,130 for one academic year (two semesters) or $8,065 for one semester.

Renewal requirements:

May receive scholarship for up to 2 semesters.
Must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy requirements.

Superior Experience Scholarship

The Superior Experience scholarship is given to non-degree seeking students who come to NMU as part of an international exchange program. (Available starting Fall 2017 or later.)

Superior Experience Scholarship - Eligibility and Criteria

Eligibility & Award Criteria:

Must be participating through a formal exchange program recognized by NMU.
Must be nominated by the responsible international officer on your home campus.
Must be eligible to obtain and hold a valid U.S. J1 student visa and remain in be in status throughout your period of study in the U.S.
Must be participating in a formal exchange program recognized by NMU
Must meet any program-specific admission requirements
Must be enrolled full-time as a non-degree seeking NMU student
Recipients are eligible for the award for a maximum of one academic year
Fall & Winter semester awards will be $2,200 each
Summer semester awards will be $1,000 each
Award winners are expected to participate in intercultural sharing and/or service activities
There is no application process for the scholarship. Recipients will be notified of the award during the program enrollment process.

Application Procedures:

Fill out the Application for The Superior Experience
Transcript - Send a transcript to Northern Michigan University.
English Proficiency - TOEFL score of 61 iBT, 173 computer based or IELTS score of a 6. The new immigration requirement states that all exchange visitors English must be evaluated.
Documentation of financial support and a copy of your passport must be provided prior to issuance of your DS-2019.
Provide Certification of Finances in the amount of $28,906 for one academic year (two semesters) or $14,453 for one semester.

Renewal:

Recipients are expected to maintain lawful immigration status according to the guidelines set by the Department of Homeland Security, Northern Michigan University, and their program administrator
NMU’s International Education Services is responsible for verifying all renewal criteria

Superior Study Abroad Scholarship

The Superior Study Abroad scholarship is given to non-degree seeking students who come to NMU for one semester or academic year through an approved recruitment agency or through their own efforts. (Available starting Fall 2017 or later.)

Superior Study Abroad Scholarship - Eligibility and Criteria

Eligibility:	New undergraduate non-degree international students. Note: students who receive the Superior Experience scholarship do not qualify.
Available Assistance:	$1,100/semester for up to 2 semesters – Unlimited Awards available.
How to Apply	Automatically awarded based on meeting minimum admissions requirements.
Enrollment Requirements:	Full-time undergraduate - 12 credit hours or more.
Selection Criteria:	Automatically awarded based on meeting minimum admissions requirements and recommended by an NMU approved agent. Must be in a valid immigration status.

Renewal requirements:

May receive scholarships for up to 2 semesters.
Must meet Satisfactory Academic Progress Policy requirements.

NMU Foundation International Student Scholarships

These scholarships are available through the NMU Foundation to international students. Awards vary between several hundred and several thousand dollars per student, per semester. Applications are due during the Winter semester—please check for exact deadlines. Familiarize yourself with NMU Donor-Funded Scholarships by visiting the NMU Foundation page.

Note: Applicants must be admitted to NMU for the Fall semester to apply and be awarded a NMU Foundation Scholarship.

Johansen Scholarship

Grade Level:	At least one academic year of study at NMU
Full-Time Status Required:	Yes
Financial Need Required:	No
GPA Required:	None specified
Major(s):	None specified
Hometown:	None specified

Other Requirements:

Preference to international students. If no students from abroad qualify, students from other programs may be considered.
The Office of International Programs will make recommendations to the University Scholarships Committee.

Learn more about this scholarship