What is the Fulbright U.S. Student Program

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program expands perspectives through academic and professional advancement and cross-cultural dialogue. Fulbright creates connections in a complex and changing world. In partnership with more than 140 countries worldwide, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers unparalleled opportunities in all academic disciplines to passionate and accomplished graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals from all backgrounds. Program participants pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English abroad.

Grant lengths and dates vary by award. Please consult the specific award description for details.

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) administers the Program under policy guidelines established by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) in close coordination with binational commissions and foundations in 49 countries, U.S. embassies in more than 100 other countries, and cooperating agencies in the United States.

 

Eligibility

2026-2027 Competition Deadline: Tuesday October 7, 2025 at 5 pm Eastern Time

For any eligibility questions or concerns not answered in the sections below, please reach out to fbstudent@iie.org for guidance.

 

Eligibility Requirements

• Applicants must be citizens or nationals of the United States of America at the time of the application deadline. Permanent residents are not eligible. Please review the specific Award Description in relation to the eligibility of dual citizens.
• Applicants must have a conferred bachelor’s degree or equivalent before the start of the grant period.
  • This includes applicants who are enrolled in a bachelor’s degree program and will graduate or hav e their degree conferred prior to the grant start date of their chosen award
  • In the creative and performing arts, four years of professional training and/or experience meets the basic eligibility requirement. If you are an Arts applicant and do not hold a BA, please email fbstudent@iie.org with your professional experience and educational history to confirm eligibility before beginning an application.
• Applicants must meet the language requirements of the award to which they are applying and demonstrate sufficient competency to complete their project and adjust to life in the host country.
• Applicants may hold a J.D. at the time of application.
• Doctors of Medicine may receive grants for advanced academic study, but not for internships or residencies. Scholars with an M.D. degree who have completed their formal postgraduate training and propose attachment to a hospital or clinic for the purpose of independent or collaborative research should apply to the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Grants shall not authorize activity for which a license to practice medicine or nursing is required. The Fulbright Program cannot authorize proposals for medical research that involves clinical training, patient care or patient contact.

Preferred Qualifications

• In general, there is a program preference for those who have not previously held a Fulbright grant. For the 2026-2027 competition, 2025-2026, 2024-2025, and 2023-2024 grantees will be at a competitive disadvantage, but are still eligible to apply, provided they continue to meet all other eligibility requirements of the program and their chosen award.
• Preference will be given to applicants whose higher education was undertaken primarily at educational institutions in the United States. Undergraduate study abroad experiences, either in the chosen host country or elsewhere, will not be considered a disadvantage.
• Candidates who have not resided or studied in the country to which they are applying for more than six months, not counting undergraduate study abroad, are preferred.
  • Duty abroad in the Armed Forces of the United States is not considered disqualifying within the meaning of this section.
• Candidates who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States will be given preference, provided their qualifications are approximately equivalent to those of other candidates.
• For most programs, applicants who have had extensive, recent previous experience in the host country are at a competitive disadvantage but are still eligible to apply.
  • For this section, spending six or more months in the host country (outside of an undergraduate study abroad program) is considered extensive and recent experience.

 

Competition & Selection

2026-2027 Competition Deadline: Tuesday October 7, 2025 at 5 pm Eastern Time

Initial screening of applications  for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards are made based on the below three categories:

• Project Proposal & Grant Purpose:
  • Quality and feasibility of the proposal as described in the Statement of Grant Purpose.
  • For Academic Study/Research applications: Plan, timeline, and methodology of proposed project; appropriate in-country affiliation and resources; strong connection between proposed project and host country
• Qualifications:
  • Academic and/or professional record.
  • Relevant training, accomplishments, and extracurricular activities
  • Language preparation (if required by host country or for project)
• Contribution to the Fulbright Mission:
  • Preference factors as established by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) and the Fulbright Commissions/Foundations.
  • Extent to which the candidate and the project will help to advance the Fulbright aim of promoting mutual understanding among nations through engagement in the host community, among other activities.
  • Desirability of achieving wide institutional and geographic distribution.
• Additional selection factors:
  • Ability of the supervising agencies abroad to arrange/confirm supervision and facilitate research clearance, if necessary.
  • Requirements of the program in individual countries. In some countries, advanced-degree candidates are preferred, and in some countries, certain fields of study are not recommended.
    • Refer to the award description before beginning an application to understand the requirements of your chosen award and confirm with IIE if you do not meet country specifications.

Note: It is the policy of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board that reasons for non-recommendation and non-selection of applications are not given.

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Overview of the Selection Timeline

After the national deadline, submitted applications move through the following stages of the selection process:

• Technical Review: All applications are screened for eligibility and completeness by IIE staff before being moved forward to the National Screening Committee. Application that are deemed ineligible or do not meet the award requirements for their host country are not moved forward in the selection process.
• National Screening Committee (NSC): In November and December, applications are reviewed by National Screening Committee panels. Reviewers on the NSC are full-time faculty members of U.S. institutions who have discipline or region-specific experience. Reviewers read and rate applications ahead of a full-day meeting, where they discuss applications and make recommendations for further consideration by the host country.
• Host Country Review & FFSB Approval: By the end of January, recommended semi-finalists are forwarded on to the Fulbright Commissions or Posts in the host countries for final selection. The host country review process may include applicant interviews, requests for additional application materials, or other action items depending on the country’s requirements and review process.
  • All selected applications are approved by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board prior to the release of final decisions.
  • IIE staff are unable to comment or advise on the host country selection process.

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The following apply to all types of Fulbright U.S. Student Awards:

Departure from the United States – Departure dates usually correspond to the academic calendar of the host country. Approximate dates of the academic years in the various countries can be found in the Award Descriptions for each country. Requirements for attendance at orientation programs in the host country, where applicable, are indicated in the Award Descriptions.

Grant period – In most cases, award dates must correspond to the academic calendar of the host country. Exceptions may be made for grants with full-time research projects. In any case, grants must begin by March 31, 2026 for the 2026-2027 academic year. Research applicants are expected to provide a feasible timeline for their project in the Statement of Grant Purpose.

 

FOR MORE INFO AND TO APPLY PLEASE VISIT https://us.fulbrightonline.org/about/fulbright-us-student-program

Award Benefits

 

Funding Level: The Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant numbers are subject to the availability of federally-appropriated funds. The U.S. Department of State reserves the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, numbers of awards, terms of agreement, and allowances.

Grant benefits for all Fulbright U.S. Student grants include:

• Accident & Sickness Health Benefits
• 24/7 support line for urgent and non-urgent situations
• 12 months of non-competitive eligibility (NCE) hiring status within the federal government
• A stipend broadly based on the cost of living in the host country. These funds may be used by the grantee to cover to room, board, and incidental costs during the grant period.

Additional grant benefits for Fulbright U.S. Student grants to Post countries:

• round-trip transportation to the host country
• pre-departure and/or in-country orientations

Additional grant benefits for Fulbright U.S. Student grants to Commission countries:

• please review the website of the appropriate Fulbright Commission as benefits may differ significantly.

Based on award and country, some grants may also include:

• book and research allowances*
• mid-term enrichment activities
• full or partial tuition
• language study programs

*Grantees with projects that require extensive research support, in-country travel, study materials, or equipment should explore additional funding from other sources to supplement the Fulbright funding.

Grantees may not receive duplicative funding:

• Fulbright grant benefits may be reduced if they are duplicated by another grant.
• Grantees may, however, retain those benefits not specifically covered by another grant (e.g. international travel).
• No deduction will be made from a Fulbright grant for benefits provided by another grant, but not by a Fulbright grant.

All English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) receive an additional grant benefit: 60-hour online TESOL Fundamentals Course

• This course must be completed prior to the pre-departure orientation in the United States for participants in Post countries or the in-country arrival orientation for participants in Commission countries.
• Those ETAs who already have TESOL certification or equivalent coursework are exempt from completing this online course.

Renewal or 2nd-year English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) receive an additional grant benefit: 120-hour online course and 20-hour teaching practicum

• This course must be completed during the grant period.
• Those ETAs who already have TESOL certification are exempt from completing this course.

Accommodation for Grantees with Disabilities

As part of the pre-departure process, the Fulbright Program has developed a protocol to work with disabled grantees, on a case-by-case basis, as requested, to provide reasonable accommodations to facilitate the success of their exchange experience.

Please review the relevant Award Description for specific details about award benefits.

 

FOR MORE INFO AND TO APPLY PLEASE VISIT https://us.fulbrightonline.org/about/fulbright-us-student-program