For Domestic Applicants

A number of resources are available for U.S. citizens and permanent residents seeking funding for their education, including aid from the federal government and a large number of private scholarships.

U.S. Federal Aid

Federal Loans

SSP applicants can apply for federal loans by submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Applicants should submit their FAFSA to the Office of Student Financial Services once they have opened an application with the Office of Graduate Admissions. Additional information about loans can be found at the Office of Student Financial Services website.

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

The PSLF Program is a U.S. government program intended to encourage individuals to enter and continue to work full-time in public service jobs. Under this program, borrowers may qualify for forgiveness of the remaining balance of their Direct Loans after they have made 120 qualifying payments on those loans while employed full time by certain public service employers. A majority of SSP graduates go on to public service careers, primarily with the U.S. Federal Government, meaning that they are eligible for this program. Additional information about the PSLF program can be found on the Federal Student Aid website.

External Scholarships

U.S. citizens and permanent residents may find the following list of outside scholarships for domestic applicants useful. Please note that application deadlines for many of these scholarships fall close to the SSP application deadline. This list is not exhaustive, and SSP does not specifically endorse the listed scholarships.

A-1 Auto Transport Annual Scholarship: A-1 Auto Transport annually awards three scholarships valued at $1,000, $500, and $250 to current full-time or part-time students.
AFCEA Educational Foundation: AFCEA International annually awards up to ten scholarships for students pursuing degrees related to intelligence and national security. Graduate scholarships are $5,000 each.
Affordable Colleges Online: Scholarship search engine for women and minorities
Alpha Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation: Scholarships assist emerging leaders in academic preparation and character building, thus providing a sound foundation for them to achieve personal success. These awards will afford opportunities for students to enter graduate programs, and make the dreams of completing an education a reality for others.
American Association of University Women: Career Development Grants support women who hold a bachelor’s degree and are preparing to advance or change careers or re-enter the work force. Special consideration is given to women of color, and women pursuing their first advanced degree or credentials in nontraditional fields. Recipients must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
Association to Unite the Democracies (Frank Education Fund): FEF grants are available to graduate students of strong academic standing who complete one or more of the following requirements: A thesis or dissertation relating to international integration and/or federalism and coursework that places major weight on international integration and/or federalism; or an independent study project relating to international integration and federalism to be conducted as part of a graduate program.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute: The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) publishes a comprehensive list of scholarships, internships, and fellowships for Latino students.
Central Intelligence Agency Graduate Scholarship Program: The Graduate Scholarship Program is a financial needs based initiative that offers graduate students an unmatched experience in a diverse and inclusive environment. Graduate students, serving as scholarship recipients with the CIA, attend an accredited college/university on a full-time basis and work during summer breaks at the CIA.
Celia M. Howard Fellowship: The Howard Fellowship provides financial assistance to well-qualified Illinois women for study in the field of diplomacy.
Cosmos Club Foundation Scholars: The Cosmos Club Foundation Scholars Grant Program provides grants to graduate students to meet specific research needs not covered by other supporting funds, including but not limited to special supplies, travel, unanticipated expenses that would enhance the work, etc. A minimum of fifteen grants, of between $500 and $3,000 each, will be awarded. Tuition and living expenses are not covered by this award. Eligible students must be enrolled in a graduate program in one of the universities of the Consortium of Universities in the Washington Metropolitan Area. There is no restriction as to academic field, but the project should be focused on objective scholarly research rather than commercial or political activity, social activism, or other non-academic goals.
Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund: The Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund provides grants to students actively working for peace and justice. These need-based scholarships are awarded to those able to do academic work at the university level and who are part of the progressive movement on the campus and in the community. Early recipients worked for civil rights, against McCarthyism, and for peace in Vietnam. Recent grantees have been active in the struggle against racism, sexism, homophobia, and other forms of oppression; building the movement for economic justice; and creating peace through international anti-imperialist solidarity
The Delores Zorhab Liebmann Fund: Graduate school fellowships in any recognized field of study in the humanities, social sciences or natural sciences (including law, medicine, engineering, architecture or other formal professional training). The program of study need not be limited to Armenian studies, and candidates can be of any national descent.
Fastweb!: Search engine for various scholarship opportunities.
Foundation Center: Search engine for fellowships, grants and scholarships.
Guaranteed Scholarships: List of scholarship opportunities.
Hispanic Scholarship Fund: The HSF Scholarship is designed to assist students of Hispanic heritage obtain a college or graduate degree.
WID Scholar Program: This scholarship through Women in Defense (WID) encourages women to pursue careers related to national security/defense interests of the United States and to provide development opportunities to women already working in those fields. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen and be currently enrolled or expecting to enroll in the following term. Applicants must also demonstrate financial need, have a minimum GPA of 3.25, and demonstrate interest in national security.
The John Gyles Education Awards: The John Gyles Education Awards are available for full-time students in all fields of study. Criteria other than strictly academic ability and financial need are considered in the selection process. Selected students will receive up to $3,000. Full Canadian or American citizenship is a requirement and a minimum GPA of 3.5 is required.
The Korean American Scholarship Foundation (KASF): The Korean American Scholarship Foundation (KASF) is a non-profit, volunteer-managed organization established to help meet the financial needs of Korean-American students seeking higher education. Specifically, the foundation seeks to: Assist Korean American students in pursuit of academic and personal achievement,encourage community and civic service as an integral part of leadership development, and nurture the sense of pride and confidence in Korean cultural heritage and tradition. While headquartered in Washington D.C., KASF has six regional chapters in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, and Detroit (see states that are covered by each regional chapters). While all regional chapters operate under a single KASF bylaws, each chapter operates independently to raise funds, manage educational/cultural programs, and to award scholarships.
The Kosciusko Foundation: United States citizens and permanent residents of Polish descent who are beginning or continuing graduate studies and have a minimum GPA of 3.0. Scholarships are given for full-time studies only. United States citizens of non-Polish descent are considered when their studies are primarily focused on Polish studies.
The Leopold Schepp Foundation: The Leopold Schepp Foundation grants approximately 200 individual scholarships each year to full-time students with demonstrated financial need. The maximum annual award is $8,500. Eligible applicants must be U.S. citizens and graduate students under the age of 40. All applicants must have a 3.0 minimum GPA. This scholarship has a rolling deadline; please see the scholarship website for information about the closing of the application cycle.
The National Federation of Republican Women (NFRW) National Pathfinder Scholarship: The National Federation of Republican Women established the National Pathfinder Scholarship Fund in 1985 in honor of First Lady Nancy Reagan. The three annual scholarships of $2,500 provide financial assistance and support to women seeking undergraduate or graduate degrees.
National Italian American Foundation: Awards will be made on the basis of academic merit to Italian American students who demonstrate outstanding potential and high academic achievements.
National Science Foundation (Graduate Research Fellowship Program): The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) helps ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and reinforces its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in the U.S. and abroad.
National Science Foundation Scholarship for Service: Scholarship For Service (SFS) is a unique program designed to increase and strengthen the cadre of federal information assurance professionals that protect the government’s critical information infrastructure. This program provides scholarships that fully fund the typical costs that students pay for books, tuition, and room and board while attending an approved institution of higher learning. Additionally, graduate student participants receive stipends of up to $12,000.
National Security Education Program: Boren Fellowship: Boren Scholarships and Fellowships provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. students to add an important international and language component to their educations. They focus on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad.
Peterson’s: Search engine for various scholarship opportunities.
The Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship: The Thomas R. Pickering Graduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship Program provides funding to participants as they are prepared academically and professionally to enter the United States Department of State Foreign Service. Women, members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, and students with financial need are encouraged to apply.
ScholarshipExperts: Search engine for various scholarship opportunities.
Sons of Italy Foundation: National Leadership Grant: Scholarship for U.S. citizens of Italian descent (at least one Italian or Italian American grandparent).
Harry Truman Scholarship Foundation: The Truman Scholarship provides up to $30,000 in funding to students pursuing graduate degrees in public service fields. Students must be college juniors at the time of selection. The Foundation also provides assistance with career counseling, internship placement, graduate school admissions, and professional development.
Public Policy and International Affairs Fellowship Program: Prepares young adults from historically underrepresented groups for leadership positions in government, nonprofits, and international organizations.
Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans: Applicants who are “New Americans” – naturalized U.S. citizens, green card holders, or the children of two naturalized citizens – may be interested in the Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowships for New Americans which provide half of tuition plus $20,000 for each of two years of graduate study.
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Educational Foundation: The Foundation’s scholarship program is funded by endowments established at the National level, Chapter level, and by the Board of Managers.