The Jefferson Scholars Foundation pays the entire cost of attendance at the University of Virginia for four years and adds funded enrichment on top, including international travel and research work with doctoral Fellows. For a student from outside Virginia that is over $83,000 a year, upwards of $405,000 across the degree.
International students are eligible. The Foundation states plainly that Jefferson Scholars do not have to be US citizens and that it has Scholars from all over the globe. Schools outside the United States do take part in the nomination process. The catch is that you still have to win a place at UVA on your own, since the scholarship competition runs entirely separately from the admission office.
You cannot apply for this yourself. Your school has to hold a nomination slot and put you forward, so the first step is a conversation with your counsellor in August or September. Nomination materials close on 1 December for every region.
From there it is a long competition: regional committee review, regional interviews over December and January, then a final virtual interview round in late February. Selection looks at leadership, scholarship and engaged citizenship. Your family finances play no part, and test scores are excluded from the 2026-2027 cycle.