U.S. Citizenship:Â Â
- S. citizenship is required.
- In some cases, a dual national may not be eligible to participate in a Fulbright program in the country of their other nationality due to host country law or policy. While individual award descriptions specify whether this is a point of ineligibility, it is incumbent upon all applicants to ascertain whether they have, or are eligible to have, their host country’s nationality and to address any potential consequences thereof before they accept an award.
Prior Fulbright Grants:
- Recipients of a Fulbright Scholar grant are eligible to apply for another Fulbright Scholar grant two years after the date of completion of the previous grant. (For serial or Flex grants, the two-year period begins at the end of the final grant in the series.) This includes: Fulbright U.S. Scholar, International Education Administrator Seminar, Fulbright Arctic and Fulbright Visiting Scholar. Â
- Candidates who previously held a Fulbright Scholar grant should be aware that, as a general matter, preference will be given to candidates who have not previously received a Scholar grant. Therefore, previous Fulbright Scholar grantees are expected to make a strong justification in their application for a repeat Fulbright grant. For further guidance, please refer to the relevant section in the ²¹²Ô»åÌý.
Residency abroad:
- Applicants who have resided abroad for five or more consecutive years in the six-year period preceding the date of application are ineligible. In this case, a period of nine months or more during a calendar year is considered to constitute a full year abroad. Applicants must clearly demonstrate this in their application.
Education and experience:
- Individual awards may specify education, experience, and/or discipline requirements, and may also indicate any exceptions.
- Degree requirements: Individual award descriptions specify if a Ph.D. or equivalent professional/terminal degree is required.
- Professional/terminal degree refers to the highest degree awarded in a field. The degree level can vary by academic and professional field, as not all terminal degrees are doctorates. Common terminal degrees include Ph.D., Ed.D., M.F.A., J.D., M.D., and M.B.A.
- Applicants are expected to demonstrate they meet the qualifications stated in the award; in some cases, this may include briefly addressing the nature of their terminal degree in the application.Â
- Specific education, experience, and/or discipline requirements (and any exceptions) will be described in the individual award description.
Generally:
- Applicants for teaching are experienced educators (normally at the Ph.D. or equivalent level) or experienced professionals with substantial professional, scholarly, or artistic accomplishments who will engage in full-time lecturing (teaching or consultation) at the college or university level abroad. Applicants are expected to have teaching experience relevant to the proposed course topic(s). Â
- Applicants for research may be academics, experienced professionals, artists, and independent scholars. They have made recognized contributions to their fields, including scholarship and artistic works, and are typically at the Ph.D. or equivalent level. They will conduct full-time advanced research abroad at, or in cooperation with, an approved institution of higher education, research facility, or other organization under a clearly-defined project. Â
- and early career applicants have recently completed their doctoral degree – typically within the five previous years. Scholars are eligible to apply if they will complete the requirements for their doctoral degree by February 1, of the year following the application deadline, unless otherwise specified in the award description. If not complete at the time of application, applicants must address when they expect to complete their degree in the application.
- Recent college graduates with limited professional experience are ineligible for consideration under the Fulbright Scholar Program. Instead, such applicants can visit the.
- Projects that will be used toward completing degree requirements and/or seeking funding to complete graduate or doctoral degrees are ineligible for consideration under the Fulbright Scholar Program. Instead, such applicants can visit the .
- Applicants may be enrolled in a degree program at the time of application so long as they can demonstrate that the above requirement is met.Â
- Language requirements: Foreign language proficiency may be required depending on the country, type of grant activity (teaching or research), and the nature of the proposed projects. (Note: In many world areas, English is sufficient for teaching activities.)
Grant activity:
- Grants shall not authorize engagement in pastoral, missionary, or other professional religious activities.
- Grants shall not authorize engagement in activities for which a license to practice medicine or nursing is required.
Other:
- Sound physical and mental health: selected candidates are required to submit a Medical History and Examination Report before their grants can be finalized. (This process takes place after candidates selected for grants are notified of their selection.)
- Applicants are required to disclose if they have been arrested for, indicted for, or charged with a felony or a misdemeanor (excluding minor traffic violations, juvenile convictions, or cases where the record has been sealed or expunged) or accused of misconduct (including but not limited to unethical practices, harassment, sexual harassment or abuse, or other misconduct that may have been the focus of some kind of inquiry or process). Applicants must promptly notify IIE in writing if they are arrested for, indicted for, charged with or convicted of a felony or misdemeanor (excluding minor traffic violations) after submitting the application․ FFSB regulations can be found (Chapter 600/Section 626 Ineligibility Factors.)
- Employees and their immediate families (i.e. spouses and dependent children) of the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development and of public or private organizations under contract to the U.S. Department of State are ineligible to apply for a Fulbright grant until one year after termination of such employment.
Contact information for the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES):
FAQs
CIES only accepts online applications. Please read the before beginning your application.
Most lecturers teach in English, with some exceptions in Latin America and Africa.
If you are applying for a research award, your foreign language ability must meet the needs of the project. Be certain to indicate in your methodology discussion how you will need to use the language, since activities vary and reviewers should not have to make assumptions.
This depends on the award. Some countries require an invitation letter, especially for open "All Disciplines" awards. Other countries encourage but do not require a letter of invitation, while others still specifically request that you do not contact potential host institutions. The preference is clearly spelled out in the award description. If it is not clear, contact the program officer responsible for that country.
If you do not have a contact, your goal is to determine the name of an appropriate faculty member for a specific discipline or subfield within the discipline. Once you have determined possible hosts, write that faculty member a description of who you are (an attached C.V. can be helpful) and what you want to do while in that country. Note that you plan to apply for a Fulbright grant and that the application requires a letter of invitation. There may be several communications before a letter is forthcoming, but this method often works.
Each country establishes the time period for its grants, so you should check the timeframe indicated for each program as well as for particular awards. For the most part, grant periods follow the academic calendar in the host country for lecturing awards. So, if universities are in session from May to August, then an award in the summer may be possible. For research awards, there is a fair amount of latitude on the starting date, but the proposed schedule must fit within the parameters established by the country.
This depends on the award and host country. Most awards have no restrictions on accompanying dependents; however, some awards do have restrictions. Check the award description and/or consult the program staff responsible for that award. Many grantees bring their families and report that the time abroad benefited all family members. No additional financial benefits for dependents are awarded for the Fulbright Global Scholar Award.
Preference for Fulbright Scholar opportunities will be given to candidates who have not previously received a Fulbright Scholar grant. Recipients of a Fulbright Scholar grant are eligible to apply for another Fulbright Scholar grant two years after the date of completion of the previous grant. (For serial grants, the two-year period begins at the end of the final grant in the series.) Additional Fulbright policies are available .
Only through the Global Scholar Award or multi-country awards may applicants include more than one country (within a region or outside a region) in their application. For all other awards, applicants may apply for only one country or regional program per academic year. Please consult the for the most up to date award offerings.
You are allowed to apply to the Fulbright Scholar Program while on the Fulbright Specialist roster. Recipients of a Fulbright Specialist Program grant are not required to adhere to the two-year waiting period before applying for a Fulbright Scholar grant. Likewise, recipients of a Fulbright Scholar grant are not required to adhere to the two-year waiting period before applying for a Fulbright Specialist Program grant.
There is no "formula" for a successful grant. Each individual's application should be about the candidate, how the grant time will be spent, and what outcomes can be reasonably expected. What is successful for one applicant may not be effective for another applicant. The responsible program officer is a good point of contact for discussions of how to shape a competitive application. Also, see for tips on making your application more competitive.
While it is useful to have someone with a known reputation in the field, the best criteria for recommendations is someone who knows your work and character extensively. CIES also advise mixing internal and external letters to demonstrate the breadth of your contacts. You may also contact a professional reference who knows you well. For teaching or teaching/research awards, one letter should be written by the head of your department or dean of your school. Please see the and developing contacts abroad for additional information.
Your application will initially be reviewed for program eligibility and technical completeness. All complete, eligible applications are then reviewed by a peer review committee. These committees determine whether applications are recommended for further consideration by the host country (). These committees are organized by discipline and are comprised of U.S. academics and professionals with relevant expertise. Applications for recommended candidates are simultaneously forwarded to the CIES counterparts abroad, as well as to the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and the Department of State (Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs) for final decisions and confirmation. Grantees are informed of the decisions sometime in the spring. ().
As a U.S. government funded exchange participant, Fulbright grantees qualify to receive Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges (ASPE), a limited health care benefit plan designed by the U.S. Department of State and administered by Seven Corners, Inc. It is not intended to cover long-term healthcare and has limitations in coverage. CIES encourage grantees to maintain their own private insurance.
Grant benefits vary by country and type of award. Generally speaking, Fulbright grants are budgeted to cover travel and living costs in-country for the grantee and their accompanying dependents. Check the award description in the catalog of awards and/or consult program staff responsible for the particular award you are interested in.
The Fulbright Scholar Program does not support research activities for obtaining an MA/PhD, however you may wish to review the opportunities provided by the .
Yes, the Fulbright Scholar Program welcomes scholars and professionals at all stages of their careers. As is required of all applicants, the project statement should address the expected benefits of the Fulbright grant to you (professionally and personally), to the United States (how will you share your experience when you return?), and to your host institution.
Final selections are based on feedback from the U.S. peer review committees as well as posts and commissions abroad. CIES operates in conformity with the policies of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB). According to FFSB policy, CIES cannot give applicants the specific reasons for selection or non-selection. If you are interested in reapplying, you are encouraged to contact the CIES country or regional lead, who can provide general guidance on reapplying.