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Fulbright Grants

Description

Approximately 2,200 grants are awarded annually for one academic year to pursue graduate study, conduct independent research, or participate in a teaching assistantship in 160 countries around the world.

Selection Criteria

  • U.S. citizenship
  • Open to graduating seniors and alumni (no age limits)
  • Have sufficient proficiency in the written and spoken language of the host country to communicate with the people and to carry out the proposed study. This is especially important for projects in the social sciences and the humanities.
  • Applicants may hold a J.D. degree at the time of application, but not a doctorate.
  • Preference is usually given to applicants who:
    • Have undertaken their higher education primarily at educational institutions in the United States. Foreign study during the junior year or other periods of undergraduate study that are integral parts of the curricula of American institutions will not be considered a disadvantage.
    • Have not resided or studied in the country to which they are applying for more than six months. Duty abroad in the Armed Forces of the United States is not considered disqualifying within the meaning of this section.
    • For most grants, applicants who have had extensive previous foreign experience are at a disadvantage, but are not necessarily disqualified for that reason.

Internal Deadline

September 9, 2024

How to Apply

Follow the link below to register on the Fulbright web site and gain access to an official application. Complete the application on-line by the internal deadline.  The application for the 2025-2026 Award Cycle will open in April 2024. 

The main components of a Fulbright grant are as follows:

    • Application (including one-page personal statement and one or two-page statement of grant purpose)
    • Three letters of recommendation. Recommenders must submit their letters on-line through the Fulbright web site.  (Please note that teaching assistantships have separate recommendation forms.)
    • Language evaluation form (if applicable). This must also be submitted on-line through the Fulbright web site.
    • Letter of affiliation (if applicable).
    • Transcript

Link

http://us.fulbrightonline.org/home.html

Selection Process

  • After submitting your application materials, you will be interviewed in person (or remotely if you are unavailable in person) by members of the Fellowships and Prizes Committee. The committee completes a confidential evaluation of your proposal, which is submitted to Fulbright.
  • After the interview, you will have an opportunity to make final revisions to your application before submitting it to Fulbright. The national deadline is October 8, 2024, 5 pm ET.
  • ALL applications are forwarded to Fulbright for review by its national selection committees.
  • Fulbright will notify you in late January to tell you if your proposal has been "recommended" to the host country.
  • If your application has been recommended, it will be reviewed by a selection committee in the host country.
  • Final selections are made from March through May or June. Each country maintains its own schedule for making final decisions.

Read about Swarthmore's 2023-24 Fulbright Grantees here.