Hello,

There are a number of different ways to obtain scholarships or funding for your postgraduate education in the US. This includes university-specific options as well as country-wide options.

Country wide options: These are scholarships and other opportunities which are granted to students regardless of the specific university of admission. These are often offered by a government or non-profit organization and are highly competitive in nature due to the staggeringly large number of applicants. Therefore, students often have greater chances with university-specific funding oppportunities.

University-specific options: These funding opportunities are provided by a specific university or for students who plan on attending the university in consideration. This includes the following:

• Scholarships: UG or PG scholarships are often offered at the time of admission and are awarded on the basis of merit or the candidate's promise in the area of admission. These are open to all students who may be attending the university. Departmental scholarship are also offered at the time of admission (along with the letter of admit) and are specific to the department of study in the university. Sometimes, specific programs also have a number of scholarships set aside for incoming students.
  
• Fellowships/grants: These are often awarded to doctorate and masters by research students and are inclusive of a stipend along with a fee waiver. As these are research-based opportunites, students who display a lot of promise in R&D have greater chances of obtaining these fellowships and grants.
  
• Assistantships : These include both research as well as teaching assistantships. For MS students, a teaching assistantship is a great opportunity to earn a stipend in the second year/semester and therefore fund your education. These assistantships often involve working with a professor involved with research or teaching undergraduate students. These are also competitive and often require candidates to fill out a separate application form and/or satisfy supplementary requirements.
  

There is no sure way to get scholarships. Much earlier, universities entice students into applying and joining them with scholarships. Now, with the increase in number of applications the need to provide scholarships to everyone who applies is not there. Most scholarship/funding are given after the student enters the university and from the second semester. You can keep in touch with other students in the universities, social media etc to know if any admits have been given with scholarship. You can probably take opinions of a good consultant who is aware of where students have received funding in the past. You have to have good GPA and test scores, so that you are eligible to get funding , if not with the admit, but later after you go there. Improve your skills - software, laboratory, equipment handling, depending on what your field is .