The Eugene McDermott Scholars Program is UT Dallas's flagship award, a four-year full ride for roughly 16 to 20 students a year in every major. UT Dallas states plainly that the programme is open to international and domestic students, with no Dallas, Texas or US requirement.
The money covers tuition and mandatory fees, with semesterly stipends for housing and living expenses such as the unlimited meal plan. On top of that sit up to $15,000 for study abroad and other engagement, a first-year seminar, and cohort travel to Santa Fe, Austin and Washington DC. One caveat matters for international scholars: the required health insurance, administrative fees and higher tax burden they carry sit outside the award and come out of their own pocket.
Selection is strictly merit based. Financial need is not a criterion and the US aid form is not required. You must be entering university for the first time straight from secondary school, with no gap year and no transfer credit, rank in the top academic tenth of the entering class of 2027, and hold an Academic Excellence Scholarship offer.
Apply to UT Dallas first to get the NetID that unlocks the separate McDermott application, which opens in the autumn. Scholars commit for four years and cannot take paid work outside programme-approved roles, and they spend their second and third summers on full-time programme activities.