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Fulbright U.S. Student Program Application Tips: Advice from Top Producing Institutions

April 21, 2022

Applying for a Fulbright award might seem like a daunting task. However, it doesn’t have to be! We asked Fulbright Program Advisors from the latest cohort of Top Producing Institutions—schools that had the highest number of U.S. Fulbrighters for the 2021-22 academic year—to give some advice to prospective applicants. Use the tips below to craft a memorable proposal.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program’s 2023-24 competition is now open! Learn more about how to apply.

1: Do not self-select out and not apply

Do not self-select out and not apply. Let the national selection committee or the in-country committee decide if you are not the right fit. And if you do not end up getting a Fulbright, you were not “rejected.” Your application simply wasn’t selected this time around. We all apply for far more things than we end up getting–do not give up!
—Monica Cable, Franklin & Marshall College

Sincerely express your unique self

Sincerely express your unique self–each sentence should be a sentence that could only have been written by you.
—Jennifer Armstrong, Scripps College

Think deeply about where you want to spend your Fulbright.

Think deeply about where you want to spend your Fulbright year, and be as specific as possible in describing your preparation for the opportunity, your goals in applying, and the reasons for your choice of host country. Specificity is the mark of an excellent, compelling application.
—Marynel Ryan Van Zee, Carleton College

In your writing, share what is true to you

In your writing, share what is true to you (your genuine motivations, specific past achievements, and unique future goals) rather than generic statements that you think a Fulbright committee wants to hear.
—Jennifer Locke, Occidental College

Begin affiliation outreach as early as possible

Begin your affiliation outreach as early as possible, as the best contacts you make will engage you in conversation that will influence your project proposal in exciting ways.
—Robert Strong, Bates College

Start thinking about the Fulbright Program early on

Start thinking about the Fulbright Program early on, even in your freshman or sophomore years. Take advantage of the repertoire of language learning possibilities at [your university], especially those in lesser taught languages.  Language skills are often key to a successful application.
—David Holmberg, Cornell University

Remember the core tenet of Fulbright — creating mutual understanding across cultures

Remember the core tenet of Fulbright–creating mutual understanding across cultures. You might have a fantastically compelling project, but if you are not able to articulate how you’ll use your Fulbright experience to immerse yourself in a new culture and make personal connections, it’s not a Fulbright project.
—Joy Campbell, Michigan State University

Connect the dots!

Connect the dots! Think about the application as a whole and really think about your “why.” Consider how Fulbright is a fit with your personal values/interests, academic and co-curricular choices, and the ways you can demonstrate that you engage with difference and work to build mutual understanding in your own community.
—Melissa Ryan, Connecticut College

Imagine how you can be a cultural ambassador in your proposed location and role

Imagine how you can be a cultural ambassador in your proposed location and role.  You want to think about your strengths and interests and how those will translate what you teach others about the United States and what you learn about the host country.
—Anthony Cashman, College of the Holy Cross

Get ready to learn & grow!

Be prepared to learn more about yourself, your goals, and your potential than you have ever imagined.
—Rebecca Saulsbury Bravard, Florida Southern College

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U.S. Fulbright

The Power and Resilience of Our Life Kits

January 10, 2022
This blog post is written by panelists from the Fulbright Western Hemisphere Panel, Navigating Blackness in the Western Hemisphere, Mathew, Prisca, and Sheila. These panelists have written a post focused on helping other Fulbrighters access their “life kits.”  If you are interested in learning more about the panelists, check out the Navigating Blackness panel on YouTube!

 

Panelists and Writers

Dr. Prisca Gayles
U.S. Student Program
Study/Research to Argentina, 2017-18


Sheila Encarnación Castillo
Dominican Student Program
Northeastern University, 2020-21


Mathew Holloway
U.S. Student Program
ETA to Panamá, 2017-18

 

Mathew: For many of you, Fulbright will be a series of experiences that will transform your understanding of yourself. Like any journey, there will be challenges. To assist you, we want to tell you about the best asset you already have: your life kit.

What is a life kit?
Your life kit is a reflection of your resilience. It is the collection of experiences, people, and abilities that have carried you throughout your life. In difficult times, each of us has relied upon our life kit to guide us. Hardships are inevitable, but our resiliency is too. 

We want to encourage you to take inventory of your life kit as we share some of our stories from our Fulbright experiences. While support will be available to you on your Fulbright, never forget your own power and guidance!

Community
At the core of our life kit is community. It can encompass born and chosen family, friends, or just people who inspire you. Your community may vary in size, but it is the power of their love and support that matters most.

Prisca: My first extended trip away from home was leaving Oakland, California to move to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for college, and my first trip abroad was to Crete, Greece during my undergrad experience. Perhaps because at that point I was not a “frequent traveler,” I assumed that a “life kit” consisted of the various items and facts about a place that I brought with me to manage an unknown environment. During these experiences and many other ventures abroad, I learned that the most important resource was the community I built when I arrived in new environments. When I became a study abroad coordinator, I also realized that even the privileged students who seemed to have everything they needed, struggled abroad if they didn’t establish a community of care in the host country.

So my advice to Fulbright students is to find your community when you arrive in your host country. For me, that was a brilliant, vibrant, and beautiful group of Black women in Argentina who I could dance, write, cook, read, talk, debate, laugh, protest, and cry with. For others it might be a tango or bachata club. Maybe it’s a running group or hot yoga studio. We all have something that brings us joy, so find your people, build your community, and embrace that part of your life kit.

 

March 8 International Women’s March in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 2018
Photo credit: Archivo del Área de Género de la Comisión Organizadora de 8 de Noviembre

Questions to consider when calling upon community

  • Who are the people I need in my community?
  • What roles do they play?
  • How can I tap into the power of my community during Fulbright?
  • What hardships have my ancestors faced? How have they overcome them? How can their experiences guide me through challenges?

Honor your skills and passions

Mathew: Your Fulbright will have its challenges. Though the obstacles may vary, you can always count on the skills and passions you bring to guide you. You have learned to use them before to meet the moment—trust yourself and what you bring with you!

Sheila: One of the most valuable tips that other Fulbrighters on the Foreign Student Program have shared with me is to pack light. For many of us, this can be a challenge. Some of our programs are for two academic years, and as students on a budget we want to keep our spending to a minimum. When deciding what stays and what goes, we must not forget to carry the things that keep us connected to our hobbies and passions. A chess set becomes an icebreaker on a night at your dorm, a pair of rollerskates turns into the best way around campus, and a set of swimming gear becomes your first try at building community in a new city.

As someone who struggles with anxiety, I found swimming to be a great ally for my mental health. Upon arriving in Boston, I was very intentional about finding a place to swim, and quickly I found the Brookline Public Swimming Pool a mere few blocks away from home. There I encountered a vibrant community center filled with friendly neighbors and a wide array of activities. The pool is on the site of the first municipal indoor swimming pool in the U.S., built in 1896. The pool kept the original sign which reads “Brookline Public Baths, The Health of the People, The Beginning of Happiness.” During stressful times, I have tested that maxim by reaching into my life kit, bringing out my beloved fins, and taking them out for a few laps.

 

Photograph of the Brookline Public Baths plaque in Brookline, Massachusetts, USA:
Photo Credit: Sheila Encarnación Castillo 

Questions to consider when thinking about your skills:

  • What are the skills and traits that I bring to my Fulbright?
  • Where and how did I develop them? 
  • What values & beliefs shape my approach toward my overcoming challenges? 
  • How can I continue to recognize and reaffirm my capabilities?

Celebrate your triumphs & milestones

Mathew: As a last piece, we want to remind you all to celebrate your triumphs and milestones along the way. During your Fulbright, you may face self-doubt and feel insecure about your sense of belonging in the world. In those moments, reflect upon your successes. As you reflect, consider how you can celebrate and keep learning from them.

Questions to consider when reflecting on our triumphs and milestones:

  • What successes have I had during my Fulbright? 
  • What are ways I can honor my successes?
  • How will I celebrate each milestone of my Fulbright experience?
  • What have I learned about myself from those moments?

We appreciate you taking the time to take this journey with us as we reflect on our life kits and what they mean for each of us. We hope that any Fulbrighter reading this post realizes the richness they bring to the Program and the opportunities that lie ahead. 

Thank you so much for reading this blog post. Remember that if you are a current Fulbrighter either studying in the United States or elsewhere in the world, there are resources to support you: Fulbright Assist, the support of your respective Fulbright commission or U.S. embassy, and the alumni-led Fulbright affinity groups.

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Fulbright-National Geographic U.S. Fulbright

Telling Your Story: 5 Tips and Tricks from a Fulbright-National Geographic Storyteller

September 29, 2021

Katie Thornton recording for her Fulbright podcast in a cemetery in the United Kingdom.

One connection at a time, Fulbright brings people closer together and moves nations closer to a more peaceful world. What better way to build connections at home and abroad than through creatively telling your Fulbright story?

To get your project started, we’ve asked Katie Thornton, an award-winning multimedia journalist and Fulbright-National Geographic Storyteller, to provide tips on crafting the perfect storytelling project through audio, visual, or written formats.

Katie, who finds the most thought-provoking stories in the least expected places, most recently authored A Brief History of Women in Bars: A Minnesota Story in Three Rounds, an audio document that looks at how the state’s temperance movement set the stage for its women’s suffrage movement. For her Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship, Katie traveled to the United Kingdom and Singapore to produce Death in the Digital Age, a podcast exploring the relevance of cemeteries in an era when land is strained, communities are physically distant, and digital documentation is pervasive.

We hope Katie’s insights help you produce the perfect Fulbright reflection.

1. The most important thing is to just start.

Starting a creative project can be intimidating, but perhaps the hardest part is getting started. The most important thing you can do is to begin–to take your idea and give it life.

Ask yourself: what skills and knowledge do I need to gain before I can turn this idea into a reality? Do I need to educate yourself on a topic? Learn how to edit audio? Make a list, and start checking things off.

Katie Thornton works at her home studio on podcast projects.

2. Use online tutorials to help get the best quality product.

One of the reasons I care so much about audio is because it is an accessible medium–both to produce and to consume. At one point during my Fulbright, I didn’t have access to a studio, and I recorded an NPR story under a sheet in my bedroom. My home “studio” is my closet.

There are tons of ways to use the materials and devices you already have–like pillows, blankets, and your phone–to get good quality audio. There are also a lot of great free and cheap editing programs. Turn to the internet for tips!

Katie Thornton recording in the studio.

3. Listen, gather, and compile.

Listen carefully to the sounds around you, and to a variety of podcasts and audio media. How do different podcasts bring in music and ambient sounds (like cars honking, leaves crunching, birds chirping, people chanting, etc.) to set the scene?

Start recording the sounds that define your daily life and surroundings. Record your thoughts throughout the day, and try putting together a brief audio diary that describes it. Ask a friend or two to do the same, share your pieces, and have a Zoom chat about your audio diaries. You can also try this with writing, painting, or any other creative pursuit.

Katie Thornton (right) working on her audio project in a Singaporean cemetery on 清明節 (Qingming Jie, “Tomb-Sweeping Day”).

4. Be realistic.

Completing a project, like a podcast, can take time. Make a portion of your project (e.g. a few episodes or articles) before you commit to an ambitious publishing schedule. Take into account any logistical challenges you may encounter, including: faulty internet connections, weather conditions, your schedule, etc.

Katie Thornton (left) completes an interview while observing social distancing protocols.

5. Give people a reason to care, seek feedback, and put it out there!

There are very, very few pieces of media that appeal to a target audience of “anyone and everyone.” Think about who your work is for, and why you hope it will resonate with them. If you’re sharing stories or opinions that don’t come from personal experience, be sure to involve, listen to, learn from, and get feedback from people directly involved.

In general, seek lots of feedback. You may be surprised at just how many people–even strangers–are willing to listen/read your work and offer feedback! Allow people to give both general feedback and ask them specific questions about your work.

And then, start sharing! Use tools where you already have a presence–in community groups, via social media, etc. Good luck, and have fun!

Are you an educator looking for ways to use storytelling in your classroom or are you looking for more training to help you with audio storytelling? Click here to view the “Storytelling for Impact in your Classroom: Audio” course, a self-paced, free, online, video-based course designed by Katie in partnership with the National Geographic Society.

Katie Thornton (right) working in the field.

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U.S. Fulbright

Back to School: What You Should Know About Securing a Letter of Affiliation

July 12, 2021

By Fulbright Program Staff

Congratulations on deciding to further your education abroad by undertaking an independent research project or graduate degree through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program! You’ve confirmed your eligibility, determined your host country, and selected an award. Now what?

In this post, we will explain how to successfully navigate an important portion of the application process: securing a letter of affiliation from your prospective host institution. As the primary location for your Fulbright experience, successfully engaging a host institution and adviser is critical to your application’s success. Read on to learn how to secure your letter of affiliation:

 

Study/Research Award

The Study/Research Award allows young professionals to design an independent research project, working with advisers at foreign universities and institutions in approximately 140 countries. In general, this award requires a letter of affiliation with the prospective institution.

What is a Letter of Affiliation?

A letter of affiliation outlines a host institution’s support of your proposed Fulbright project. A letter should come from an individual or team at an institution with whom you will be working closely during your Fulbright.

  • Examples of affiliations include universities, laboratories, libraries, archives, non-governmental organizations, etc.

Letters should be appropriate for your proposed project, and the letter writer should demonstrate a clear understanding of your work, outlining how the host institution will support the applicant and project.

Letter of Affiliation Requirements

All affiliation letters are:

  • Dependent on country and award: Check the host country and award pages for the most up-to-date criteria.
  • Printed on institutional letterhead: Make sure it has a signature from the appropriate contact!
  • Not confidential: Applicants receive the letter and upload it into the online application prior to the national deadline.

An applicant may include up to three letters of affiliation if the letters are appropriate and necessary to their project. Adding unfocused letters may confuse application reviewers and distract from your application. For a comprehensive look at affiliation requirements, view the Application Components page and recorded Affiliation webinar.

 

Graduate Degree Grants

The Study/Research Award also includes the “Fulbright Graduate Degree Grants” subtype, which funds study at an affiliated foreign institution or degree program.

What is a letter of affiliation for graduate degree grants?

For applicants pursuing a graduate degree:

  • Your letter of affiliation is the official acceptance letter proving admission into the graduate degree program. This not typically required at the time of the application. All candidates should review their award page for more information.
  • Even if the Fulbright award does not require an official letter of acceptance by the Fulbright application deadline, all candidates are encouraged to reach out to their proposed adviser or department chair to inquire about receiving a letter of support prior to admission decisions, which may be uploaded into the application.

Chiamaka Ukachukwu, 2017 Fulbright U.S. Student to Belgium, celebrating International Day of Women and Girls in Science with her fellow lab mates in the Jean-François Collet Lab, Institut de Duve.

Tips and Best Practices

A few final pointers for a smooth affiliation process:

  1. Start early! This simple-but-crucial step will give you time to brainstorm, draft, revise, solicit feedback, contact potential host advisers, and everything else that goes into a compelling Fulbright application.
    • “Start your search as early as possible, it will be really helpful. I emailed 15-20 professors at different universities in order to find my affiliation!” – Isra Hussain, 2018 Fulbright U.S. Student to Austria and 2020 Fulbright Alumni Ambassador
  2. Review the academic literature. Looking into topics and authors within your academic discipline is a great way to acquire more knowledge, better understand your Fulbright project, and determine which professionals may be a resource to you.
    • “I spent a lot of time researching the background of these professors that had responded and reviewing their own research” – Isra Hussain, 2018 Fulbright U.S. Student to Austria and 2020 Fulbright Alumni Ambassador
  3. Utilize personal and professional networks. While the idea of creating an independent research project or graduate school application is daunting, your networks are here to help. On campus, reach out to faculty members, a reference librarian, and your Fulbright Program Adviser; off campus, get in touch with your professional and personal connections, Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors, former Fulbright U.S. Students and U.S. Scholars, and the Fulbright Association.
    • “Tapping into your network is really important. Faculty network and faculty relations are a great place to tap into.” – Kurt Davies, Fulbright Program Adviser and Director of Global Awards at New York University
  4. Be flexible. Your patience and flexibility throughout the application process will help both you and your potential affiliate perform your best. Be sure to:
    • Meet your host institution where they are, and adjust the scope of your project based on the resources available. Be prepared to share a basic overview of your proposed research/study project when contacting potential affiliates.
    • Conduct yourself professionally and use a clear, positive tone.
    • Explain the Fulbright Program, including Fulbright’s funding and grant benefits, which prevent financial obligation from the institution.
      • “Open the conversation with a sense of what can I give to your organization, how can I contribute to your ongoing research.” – Kurt Davies, Fulbright Program Adviser and Director of Global Awards at New York University
  5. Cast a wide net. Finding a host affiliation takes time, so pursue multiple leads and ideas until you find the right institution and adviser.

We hope this article provides clarity into letters of affiliation, and helps you create the best application you can. Start early, do your research, and don’t give up. You can do it!

2019 Fulbright Austria participants at the TU Ball at the Hofburg Imperial Palace.

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Fulbright Impact in the Field: Climate Change and Environmental Justice – Experts Discuss Environmental Justice in the Face of Climate Change

May 3, 2021

“It is exciting to see this group tackle the climate crisis from a number of different angles. This discussion is especially relevant as we come off the end of the Global Climate Summit and as governments and other actors set new targets and lay out the groundwork for what the next 10 years of action will look like.”

– Tim McDonnell, 2016 Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellow to Kenya, Quartz magazine climate and energy journalist

The Fulbright Impact in the Field: Climate Change and Environmental Justice panel convened scientists, researchers, and other professionals involved in combating climate change. They discussed the latest scientific and policy developments, and looked at how new approaches and international collaborations can be used to combat climate change and pursue environmental justice. These experts also shared their Fulbright experiences and the benefits of their new ideas at institutions and in communities.

Meet the Speakers

Moderator

Tim McDonnell (2016 Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellow to Kenya) is a climate and energy journalist at the global business magazine Quartz, covering the clean energy transition.

Panelists

Amber Ajani (2014 Fulbright Foreign Student from Pakistan to American University) is a Climate Fellow at the UN Climate Change secretariat and a recipient of the UNFCCC-UNU Early Career Climate Fellowship.
Shalanda Baker, JD (2016 Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Mexico) is the Deputy Director for Energy Justice in the Office of Economic Impact and Diversity at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and co-founder of Initiative for Energy Justice.
Dr. M Jackson (2011 Fulbright U.S. Student to Turkey, 2015 Fulbright U.S. Student to Iceland, 2018 Fulbright U.S. Scholar to Iceland) is a geographer, glaciologist, TED Fellow, Fulbright Alumni Ambassador, and National Geographic Society Explorer.
Dr. Greg Poelzer (2015 Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholar, 2021 Fulbright Arctic Initiative Co-Lead Scholar) is a Professor in the School of Environment and Sustainability (SENS) and leads the Renewable Energy in Remote and Indigenous Communities Flagship Initiative at the University of Saskatchewan. He is also co-director of a multi-million-dollar Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Partnership Grant.

Key Takeaways

1. We need to ensure that equity is central to our clean energy transition.

How can we ensure our infrastructure investment both reduces climate pollution and benefits marginalized communities?

This is a moment to think about how to “bake” equity into a new energy system, according to Deputy Director for Energy Justice Shalanda Baker. Her position underscores a commitment to address structural issues of energy use and environmental impact. The new Justice40 Initiative, which promises that 40% of relevant federal investment will benefit disadvantaged communities, ensures that every federal infrastructure investment accelerates clean energy and transmission projects in an environmentally sustainable manner.

Dr. Greg Poelzer, a Canadian expert on renewable energy in remote and Indigenous communities, and Co-Lead Scholar of the third Fulbright Arctic Initiative, urges us to focus on the opportunity that the energy transition provides for vulnerable Indigenous communities. He advocates for using strategic environmental assessments in systemic ecosystem review, and bringing in diverse voices for better long-term stability.

2. We need to make climate science communication more effective.

How can we communicate the core meaning of amazing scientific research, so that diverse communities can access it?

Glaciologist and explorer M Jackson uses mediums like film and art, rather than scientific journal articles, to visualize the impact of change. For example, her short film After Ice reveals the breathtaking story of a rapidly disappearing frozen world by overlaying archival imagery from the National Land Survey of Iceland with contemporary footage of glaciers in the South Coast of Iceland. This provides a dramatic look at how the ice has changed over the past 50 years.

3. We need to empower sustainable development decision-makers at the local level.

How do we ensure that policy implementation addresses capacity building and community issues?

Amber Ajani, a Fulbright Foreign Student from Pakistan to American University who now works at UN Climate Change, noted that it is important to include local stakeholders in strategic impact analysis and assessments. The panelists discussed that community “buy-in,” local stakeholder consultation, and the presence local communities in the “drivers’ seat” must come at the early stages of project development, rather than having ideas from the Global North applied to developing communities. For example, ideas that come out of Brussels, Ottawa, or Washington, D.C. to create eco-preserves could have negative impacts on the livelihoods of local Arctic communities. Shalanda Baker reminds us that today’s climate debate is not ahistorical: our current situation resulted from hundreds of years of the Global North exploiting natural resources for economic development at the expense of communities in the Global South. To create equitable climate policy, we need to understand and address this history.

To watch the panelists dive into these relevant discussions, click here.

The Fulbright Impact in the Field panel series is part of the Fulbright Program’s effort to help find solutions to challenges facing our communities and our world. Free and open to the public, this series provides a digital space for Fulbright alumni to share their expert perspectives and explore the program’s impact on local and global communities.

To learn about upcoming Fulbright 75th anniversary events, and see how you can get involved, sign up for the newsletter and visit Fulbright75.org.

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U.S. Fulbright

Making the Grade: Five Things Every Applicant Should Know About the Fulbright U.S. Student Program Review Process

October 15, 2020

By Fulbright Program Staff

Congratulations on submitting your Fulbright application! Now what? Have you ever wondered what happens to your Fulbright application after you hit “submit”? In this post, we’ll shed light on the Fulbright U.S. Student Program’s technical review and National Screening Committee (NSC) processes, illustrating how an applicant becomes a Fulbrighter.

 

1.  First things first… Technical Review

After you hit “submit,” Fulbright Program staff first conducts a technical review of your application materials. Therefore, it pays to thoroughly review country descriptions and eligibility criteria at the beginning of your application journey to ensure that you meet all requirements. Check out our handy application checklist to make sure you don’t forget to include any application materials, too.

During our technical review, we double-check your biographical data, citizenship, transcripts, letters of recommendation, project plans, and more for eligibility and completeness. Make sure that ALL required materials are successfully uploaded and viewable in your online application portal—you won’t be able to add missing documents later! (Hint: Be sure to view and save a PDF copy of your application before submitting—you’ll have both a copy of your application for your records and be able to confirm that all documents are successfully submitted and readable!)

After confirming an application is eligible and complete, it is moved to the National Screening Committee (NSC) for review.

 

2. The NSC: The Reviewers (and What They Are Looking For)

During “NSC Season,” almost 200 committees meet to review and discuss all successfully submitted applications. Each application is sent to a committee of three reviewers a.k.a. NSC members, for a transparent, merit-based review process.

Who exactly are these reviewers? The individuals that review your application are typically university professors with expertise in either a) your academic/professional field, or b) the country or world region where you propose undertaking your Fulbright. Many are Fulbright alumni, while others have been recommended by Fulbright Program Advisers or other NSC members. Reviewers reflect the diversity of the U.S. higher education community and include panelists from minority-serving institutions (MSIs), Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCUs), and other underrepresented institutions.

Each committee reviews approximately 60-70 applications in advance of a meeting, scoring each submission based on specific review criteria. While all programs and applicants are unique, NSC reviewers look for well-researched, feasible research and community engagement projects, adequate academic and personal preparation for the proposed country or award, and personal attributes and qualities that illustrate a positive and passionate cultural ambassador of the United States to the world. Be authentically you!

 

 

 

 

3. NSC Review Day

Throughout November and December, NSC reviewers gather for review meetings. Committees consist of three reviewers and one staff facilitator who directs the flow of the meeting, answers reviewers’ questions about the Fulbright Program, and records results. At these meetings, reviewers discuss each application using a collaborative approach and are welcome to adjust their scores based on their conversation. At the end of the meeting, final scores are tabulated by the staff facilitator, determining which candidates the committee recommends for further consideration during the host country review process.

 

4. Time & Consideration: The Breakdown

As you may have gathered, the NSC process is a massive undertaking! In 2019, 525 NSC members reviewed approximately 10,400 applications at 175 committee meetings in 6 different cities. From start to finish, more than 11,000 hours are spent screening, reviewing, and scoring each application. And that’s before the in-country review process!

 

 

5. The Decision

Based upon the NSC process, applications are designated as “Recommended” or “Non-Recommended.” All applicants are notified of their application’s status, and recommended applicants become “Semi-Finalists!” Recommended applications are forwarded to their respective Fulbright host countries for an additional round of selection, taking into account Fulbright Commission and U.S. Embassy priorities. During this period, Semi-Finalists undertaking research or graduate degree programs may be asked to submit letters of acceptance or affiliation from their proposed institution, so it’s important to receive all necessary documents as soon as possible. In some cases, host countries may also choose to contact Semi-Finalists for short phone or video chat interviews, in order to get a better sense of the person behind the application.

After months of concentrated effort by both applicants and Fulbright Program staff, host countries will share final application notifications on a rolling basis between February and May. Successful applicants are sent an award offer, and are officially known as “Finalists.” Qualified applicants not selected as Finalists may become “Alternates,” or potential awardees that may receive an award offer, should additional funding become available. Non-selected applicants are encouraged to celebrate their Semi-Finalist status, and reapply for the next award cycle. Even those who are not selected should feel extremely proud of their efforts, and know that many parts of the application can be applied to future endeavors beyond Fulbright, such as applying to graduate school.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program application process is undoubtedly long. We hope this article provides some clarity into the process, and helps you create the best application you can. In writing, editing, and discussing your candidacy with friends, mentors, Fulbright Program Advisers, and other individuals, you may gain greater insight into your passions, your reasons for pursuing a Fulbright, other transferable skills you possess, and insight into our world. Our best wishes for a successful application and bright future!

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