The International Opportunity Award is the entry tier of Central Michigan University's automatic merit money for international undergraduates, worth $1,000 a year for four years, or three years for transfer students.
It serves a GPA band of 2.8 to 2.9 on the United States 4.0 scale, with proof of English proficiency. That makes it the award to know about if your school record sits below the thresholds for the International Scholar Award at 3.0 and the International President's Award at 3.3.
Consideration is automatic with your CMU application, so there is no extra form and no essay, and CMU awards the highest tier you qualify for. Students sponsored by their home government are excluded.
Set expectations accordingly. International tuition and fees are $22,050 for 2026-2027 and total estimated costs are $40,510, so $1,000 a year trims the bill while the bulk of the funding has to come from elsewhere.