U.S. Fulbright Student Programs Information

National 2025-2026 competition Deadline: Tuesday October 8, 2024 at 5 pm Eastern Time 

Campus Deadline: September 15, 2024 (feedback from campus advisor) 

About the program 

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant Programs. During their grants, Fulbrighters will meet, work, live with and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences. The program facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in routine tasks, allowing the grantee to gain an appreciation of others? viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think. Through engagement in the community, the individual will interact with their hosts on a one-to-one basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity, and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government's premier scholarship program and is designed to give recent graduates opportunities in personal development and international experience.

There are primarily two kinds of Fulbright grants:  Open Study/Research Award and ETAs (English teaching assistantships).

Open Study/Research Award

Applicants design their own projects and will typically work with advisers at foreign universities or other institutes of higher education. Projects traditionally fall under two categories: - Independent Study/Research - Independent Study while taking classes as a non-degree seeking student at a foreign university - Graduate Degree Enrollment For these options, students can pursue either "Academic" or "Creative & Performing Art s" topics. While a majority of the application components are the same for both categories, it is important to note that there are additional required supplementary materials for applicants of the "Creative & Performing Arts" program based on the applicant's discipline. These awards are available in approximately 140 countries. Program requirements vary by country, so applicants should familiarize themselves with the program summary for the host country.

English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Programs

The ETA program places grantees in schools or universities overseas to supplement local English language instruction. Recipients of ETAs get to teach English at various levels, depending on the needs of the respective countries. Applicants can apply for awards in countries throughout the world. To view opportunities by country, visit the US Fulbright Program - English Teaching Assistant Awards (fulbrightonline.org)

Supplemental Grant

• The Critical language enhancement award (CLEA) is a feature of the U.S. student program that allows some Fulbrighters to receive 3-6 months of intensive language study as an enhancement to their grant in order to cultivate higher level of language proficiency during their program.
• The Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship provides opportunities for selected Fulbright US student study/research grantees to participate in an academic year of storytelling on a globally significant theme. 

Eligibility

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens at the time of application.
• Preference is given to applicants educated primarily in the U.S. (Study abroad experiences are fine.)Applicants must have a bachelor's degree before the beginning of the grant period.
• 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. However, the number of grants, the placement type, and host country language requirements varies by country.
• Applicants who have completed a doctoral degree or will have completed one by the application deadline are ineligible for a student grant and should be encourage to look at Scholar grants. 
• Applicants in the Creative and Performance Arts only my check yes to indicate that they will submit supplementary materials
• Graduating seniors and alumni must check yes and indicate the FPA's institution on the Award information tab so that the application management system shows that the students has started an application.

Application & Deadlines

1. Applications (all required documents) must be submitted electronically on the Fulbright website by the campus deadline on 9/15, 2024. All A&M-SA students must submit their documents by the campus deadline, and a campus committee will interview student to fill out a "Campus Committee Evaluation Form". The campus interview is designed to provide feedback to applicant to strengthen their proposal and to provide the National Screening Committee (NSC) insight into the candidate and their project. 

2. The campus deadline is NOT the final Fulbright deadline), but all A&M-SA applicants must meet the deadline in order to complete the campus interview and revision. 
   1. Please check the Fulbright websitefor the exact date.
3. Please contact the campus Fulbright Program Adviser Dr. Hsiao-Ping Wu for assistance with preparing the applications.