StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The Global Excellence Scholarship (GES) is the University of Minnesota Twin Cities’ flagship merit award for international undergraduates — competitive, academic-merit-based, and refreshingly simple: there is no separate scholarship form. Every international freshman or transfer applicant is automatically considered from the admission application itself.
An honest framing first: this is a tuition award, not a full ride. For the current fall 2027 cycle, international freshmen can receive $5,000–$20,000 per year for up to four years, and fall-entry transfer students $10,000 per year for up to three years. Living expenses, health insurance and personal costs are not covered, so plan additional funding for those.
The live cycle is fall 2027 admission. The Early Action I deadline — 1 November 2026 — is 10 days from today (22 October 2026), and applying by it gives full scholarship consideration.
Eligibility
- Be an international student (a non-US citizen — the award is not open to US nationals).
- Apply for a full-time undergraduate degree programme at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.
- Show a strong academic record — top grades, plus leadership, extracurriculars and the personal qualities the university cites (motivation, perseverance, maturity).
- Hold or plan to hold an F-1 student visa and enrol full time.
- Meet the university’s English-proficiency requirements (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS or PTE — some applicants may qualify for an exemption).
- Submit a complete admission application by the deadline — automatic consideration only applies to complete, on-time applications.
Benefits
- Freshmen: $5,000–$20,000 per year toward tuition, renewable for up to 4 years.
- Transfer students (fall entry): $10,000 per year for up to 3 years.
- No separate application — the award decision arrives with the admission offer.
- No GRE/GMAT and test-optional admissions (ACT/SAT optional).
Documents required
- The undergraduate admission application (Common App or the university’s own application) — this doubles as the scholarship application.
- High-school transcript (with a certified English translation if not in English).
- English-proficiency evidence (TOEFL/IELTS/PTE) unless an exemption applies.
- A $55 non-refundable application fee (automatic fee waivers may apply to eligible applicants).
How to apply
- Start the admission applicationBegin the University of Minnesota Twin Cities undergraduate application (Common App or university application) now — scholarship consideration is automatic, so the admission application is the whole task.
- Complete it by Early Action ISubmit everything — transcript, English-proficiency evidence, fee — by 1 November 2026 for full scholarship consideration.
- Receive the award with your offerIf selected, the scholarship amount is included in the admission offer.
- Keep it renewedMaintain full-time enrolment and the required academic progress (minimum 30 credits per year) to renew the award each year.
FAQs
No — it is a merit-based tuition award. Freshmen get $5,000–$20,000 per year and transfers $10,000 per year. It does not cover living expenses, health insurance or personal costs, so it is honestly a partial award.
No. Every eligible international applicant is automatically considered from the admission application. Just make sure the application is complete and on time.
1 November 2026 for Early Action I (fall 2027 intake) — the deadline for full scholarship consideration. Regular Decision is 1 January 2027. Transfer students entering in spring are considered only if funds remain.
No — the university is test-optional for admission.
Satisfactory academic progress — the university requires at least 30 credits per year — plus continued full-time enrolment.
Yes: international transfer students entering in the fall semester may receive $10,000 per year for up to three years. Spring entrants are considered only on a funds-available basis.
Verified 22 Oct 2026 across four corroborating sources: opportunities247.org (deadline 1 Nov 2026 Early Action I; freshmen $5,000–$20,000/yr up to 4 years; automatic consideration; $55 fee; test-optional; 30 credits/year renewal), wemakescholars.com (deadline 1 Nov 2026; freshmen up to $20,000, transfers up to $10,000; open to all except US nationals; partial funding), scholarshipsedge.com (fall 2027 figures: freshmen $5,000–$20,000/yr up to 4 yrs, transfers $10,000/yr up to 3 yrs; Early Action I 1 Nov 2026; no separate application), shiksha.com (max $25,000; auto-consideration; yearly). The older $10,000–$25,000 band quoted by some trackers reflects the 2026 cycle; the article uses the current fall-2027 figures and is marketed as Partially Funded, not fully funded. Queue title "2026 (Funded)" was stale — the live cycle is fall 2027 admission. No invented GPA cut-off is stated; the university publishes academic-merit criteria, not a numeric threshold.
