The Fulbright program is one of the many USA’s cultural exchange programs for international students. The main aim of this cultural exchange program is to build mutual understanding between the students of the United States and other countries around the world. How much are the Fulbright grants depends on quite a few things? But, it is usually from $1000 – $2500. The actual amount mostly depends on the state where you will stay.
What is the Fulbright Program?
According to Wikipedia –
“The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal to improve intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills.”
This program allows competitively selected US citizens to receive grants to study, conduct research, teach, or exercise their talents abroad. Usually, the competitively-selected USA citizens include students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists, etc. Similarly, students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists, etc. of other countries can receive the same grants to do research, teach, or exercise their talents in the USA. This scholarship program was established in 1946 by United States Senator J. William Fulbright and it is considered one of the most widely recognized and prestigious scholarships in the world.
Fulbright Scholarship Summary
- Level of Study: Masters, PhD
- Institution(s): USA Universities and Academic Institutions
- Study in: USA
- Courses Offered: All fields, including interdisciplinary courses.
- Program Period: Depends on the selected program.
- Fulbright Scholarship Deadline: Varies per country
- Required Language: English
Educational Background for International Students
The Fulbright program welcomes students around the world from any discipline. However, they have a special focus on some disciplines. So, if you are a student of these disciplines with excellent results then you will have a higher chance of getting selected. These disciplines are –
- Education: Higher Education Administration / Education Policy, Planning and Management / Curriculum and Instruction
- Health and Medical Sciences: Medical Sciences / Public Health
- Biological and Physical Sciences: Biology / Chemistry / Physics / Pharmacy
- Social Sciences and Humanities: International Relations / Political Science / Sociology / History / Literature / Language and Culture
- Business: MBA in Human Resource Management / International Business / Operations Management / Healthcare Administration
- Economics: International Economics / Trade and Finance / Economic Policy / Environmental Economics / Natural Resources Economics
- Urban Planning: General Planning / Land Use and Environmental Planning / Transportation Systems / Urban Planning / Community Development
- Environmental Studies and Disaster Management
- Public Administration / Public Policy
- Psychology – Clinical / Counseling
- Security Studies
Eligibility Requirements for International Students
Usually, the eligibility requirements for international students vary from one country to another. However, there are some common requirements that every student has to meet to qualify for the Fulbright program. They are –
- The student must complete a four-year bachelor’s degree with an outstanding academic result from accredited universities.
- The student should not have any degree from a U.S. college/university or be enrolled in a current degree program in the United States.
- The student should not have any master’s degree from any foreign country.
- The student must be fluent in English with a minimum iBT TOEFL score of 90 / IELTS 7.0.
- The student must be a citizen of that country.
How to Apply for Fulbright Scholarship
If you want to apply for a Fulbright scholarship then you have to be careful about the application deadline. You should keep in mind that you have to apply for the scholarship program online. Before applying, you have to assemble a variety of materials to help the USEFP assess your qualifications. For example, you have to submit all your academic transcripts. You have to submit, academic transcripts of a 4-year undergraduate degree or its equivalent programs that include international three-year bachelor programs or ACCA. If you are a Ph.D. applicant then you have to submit your MPhil or MS degrees and transcripts. Moreover, you have to submit GRE general test and/or TOFEL result with your online application. You will need a GRE score of at least 315 for engineering and sciences or at least 310 scores for another subject. Next, you have to compose two essays, for the Fulbright application. You have to write the essays on the application form and each essay must have at least 800 words. Then you have to submit three recommendation letters with your application form. Finally, you have to complete the Fulbright scholarship application form and submit it online with all the required documents.
List of Bilateral Partnerships for the Fulbright Program
| Region | Country | Commission |
| East Asia and the Pacific | Australia Indonesia Japan Korea Malaysia New Zealand The Philippines Taiwan Thailand | The Australian-American Fulbright Commission American-Indonesian Exchange Foundation Japan-United States Educational Commission Korean-American Educational Commission Malaysian-American Commission on Educational Exchange New Zealand-United States Educational Foundation Philippine-American Educational Foundation Foundation for Scholarly Exchange Thailand-U.S. Educational Foundation |
| Europe and Eurasia | Austria Belgium Bulgaria Czech Republic Denmark Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Spain Sweden Turkey the United Kingdom | Austrian-American Educational Commission Commission for Educational Exchange Between the United States, Belgium, and Luxembourg Bulgarian-American Commission for Educational Exchange J. William Fulbright Commission for Educational Exchange in the Czech Republic Fulbright Denmark Fulbright Finland Foundation Franco-American Commission for Educational Exchange Fulbright Georgia German-American Fulbright Commission U.S. Educational Foundation in Greece Hungarian-American Commission for Educational Exchange Iceland-United States Educational Commission The Ireland-United States Commission for Educational Exchange The U.S.-Italy Fulbright Commission Fulbright Commission the Netherlands U.S.-Norway Fulbright Foundation for Educational Exchange Polish-U.S. Fulbright Commission Commission for Educational Exchange Between the United States of America and Portugal Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission J. William Fulbright Commission for Educational Exchange in the Slovak Republic Commission for Cultural, Educational, and Scientific Exchange Between the United States of America and Spain Commission for Educational Exchange between the United States and Sweden Commission for Educational Exchange Between the United States of America and Turkey The United States-United Kingdom Fulbright Commission |
| The Middle East and North Africa | Egypt Israel Jordan Morocco | The Binational Fulbright Commission in Egypt U.S.-Israel Educational Foundation (USIEF) Jordanian-American Commission for Educational Exchange (JACEE) Moroccan-American Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange |
| South and Central Asia | India Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka | United States-India Educational Foundation Commission for Educational Exchange between the United States and Nepal (USEF/Nepal) United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan United States-Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission |
| Western Hemisphere | Argentina Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Ecuador Mexico Peru Uruguay | Commission for Educational Exchange Between the United States and the Argentine Republic Commission for Educational Exchange between the United States of America and Brazil Foundation for Educational Exchange Between Canada and the United States of America Commission for Educational Exchange Between the United States of America and Chile Commission for Educational Exchange Between the United States of America and Colombia Commission for Educational Exchange Between the United States of America and Ecuador Mexico-United States Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange Commission for Educational Exchange Between the United States and Peru Fulbright Uruguay |
The Fulbright Grant Benefits for USA Students
- Health benefits for various accidents & sickness
- 24/7 support for urgent and non-urgent situations
- 12 months of non-competitive eligibility (NCE) hiring status
- A stipend based on the living cost of the host country
- Round-trip transportation to the host country
- Pre-departure and/or in-country orientations
- Book and research allowances
- Mid-term enrichment activities
- Full or partial tuition
- Language study programs, etc.
List of Countries where The Fulbright Program is Available
| Region | Country |
| East Asia-Pacific | Australia Brunei Cambodia Fiji Indonesia Japan Kiribati Laos Malaysia Mongolia Nauru New Zealand Papua New Guinea Philippines Samoa Singapore Solomon Islands South Korea South Pacific Island Nations Taiwan Thailand Timor-Leste Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu Vietnam |
| Europe & Eurasia | Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia & Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia European Union Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kosovo Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Serbia Slovak Republic Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom |
| The Middle East & North Africa | Algeria Bahrain Egypt Israel Jordan Kuwait Morocco Oman Palestinian Territories (West Bank) Saudi Arabia Tunisia United Arab Emirates |
| South and Central Asia | India Kazakhstan Kyrgyzstan Nepal Sri Lanka Tajikistan Uzbekistan |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | Benin Botswana Burkina Faso Cameroon Congo (Brazzaville) Cote d’Ivoire Eswatini Ethiopia Ghana Guinea Kenya Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Senegal Sierra Leone South Africa Tanzania Togo Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe |
| Western Hemisphere | Argentina Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Colombia Costa Rica Dominican Republic Ecuador El Salvador Guatemala Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay Peru Trinidad & Tobago Uruguay Venezuela |
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulbright_Program
https://foreign.fulbrightonline.org/about/foreign-student-program