Fellowships and Scholarships

Student Fellowships Coordinator
315-859-4467
315-859-4041 (fax)

Fulbright Grant Application


FIELDS OF STUDY

All fields of study are acceptable, unless otherwise stated in the Individual Country Summaries. If a field is listed as "not recommended" applications will not generally be accepted in that field for that country. Check with IIE before filing an application in a nonrecommended field.

PROPOSED STUDY OR PROJECT

  • Outline study plans or projects in your major field that can be completed in one country and in one academic year.
  • Graduating seniors (those who will receive a bachelor's degree by the beginning date of the grant) and recent graduates generally are expected to attend regular university lectures. You should not expect close academic supervision and should be prepared to supplement lectures with independent work.
  • Advanced degree candidates who generally propose research for theses and dissertations will be expected to work independently without close supervision.
  • Your project statement should contain a clear commitment to and description of how you will engage with the host country community and your recognition of the Fulbright goal of mutual understanding.
  • Multi-country projects (2 or 3 countries) may be considered under exceptional circumstances. A multi-country project is one that requires your presence in more than one country to complete one specific project:
    • A strong justification must be provided
    • Approval by all countries is required
    • Check the Regional Summaries for eligible countries that may be part of an intra-regional, multi-country proposal
  • Pursuit of a multi-year graduate degree should not be a primary object of program study, unless the award specifically allows for this option.


ENGAGEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY

The primary aim of the Fulbright Program is to further mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries. Demonstrate a clear commitment to the host country community. Becoming involved in the local community will contribute significantly to this goal and will enhance your experience in many ways. Speak to this point and include some examples of how you might interact with your host community through volunteer and extra-curricular activities.


AFFILIATION/PLACEMENT

  • All grantees must have a host country affiliation. Types of affiliations vary, and may include universities, laboratories, libraries, non-governmental organizations, and others.
  • Grantees are usually affiliated with institutions of higher learning in the host countries. Conditions concerning affiliation vary. See Participating Countries for specifics.
    • Some countries or awards may require acceptance of arranged institutional placements. However, applicants may indicate preferences for placement on the application form.
    • Some countries may require that students arrange their own affiliations.
  • If you are arranging your own affiliation, request letters of support from host-country affiliations early in the process, and include acceptances with the application packet. These must be hard copy letters -- no faxes or emails will be accepted.
  • Applicants in the creative and performing arts and applicants proposing independent research as well as applicants proposing full-time study, must indicate potential or arranged affiliations in their Statement of Proposed Study or Research.
  • Teaching Assistantship placements are arranged by Fulbright Commissions in the host country. Do not indicate affiliations or preferences.
  • U.S. Program Affiliation: Only rarely will grantees be permitted to enroll in the graduate programs of American universities abroad. The objectives of the Fulbright Program are best served by attendance at a foreign university.


ACADEMIC CREDIT

  • Do not assume that academic credit can be earned or applied toward a graduate degree either in the U.S. or in the host country.
  • Graduate students must make their own arrangements for credit with their home institutions, preferably in advance of departure, if receipt of credit is desired.

FEASIBILITY OF PROJECTS

  • Applicants should give careful thought to the feasibility of their projects.
    • Can the project be carried out effectively in the host country or institution? For example, some research methods, such as extensive interviewing or the use of questionnaires, may be inadvisable or unacceptable.
    • Is the field of study or topic particularly sensitive in the host country? For example, investigation into recent or current political or military issues may not be advisable.
    • Do you have the necessary language skills to carry out your proposal? See Additional Language Training in our Glossary.
  • Enrolled students are urged to consult professors in their major fields and their FPAs about the feasibility of their proposed projects. At-large applicants should consult qualified persons in their fields.

LANGUAGE SKILLS AND ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

  • Adequate formal training for the proposed study or research is essential.
  • Language skills must be commensurate with the requirements of your project, and are an element of its feasibility. Additional language training may be available.
  • Graduating seniors (those who will receive a bachelor's degree by the beginning date of the grant) will generally be expected to attend regular university lectures, but they should describe the study programs they wish to follow in terms as specific as possible. They should not expect close academic supervision, and should be prepared to supplement lectures with independent work.
  • Advanced degree candidates proposing research for theses and dissertations will be expected to work independently without close supervision.

LANGUAGE TRAINING INITIATIVE

  • Awards will be made for grantees wishing to pursue in-country training in one of the following languages in conjunction with a Fulbright proposal. If your project requires that you have attained significant langauge skills in one of these languages, then you may apply for this program and include a description of the language study in your proposal.
    • Arabic Marathi
    Azeri Pashto
    Bengali Punjabi
    Chinese Russian
    Farsi Tajik
    Gujarati Turkish
    Hindi Urdu
    Korean Uzbek
  • Before the beginning of the Fulbright grant, you will train up to six (6) months in either the host country of the Fulbright project or another appropriate country. The requirements of the grant include pre- and post-testing of the prospective Fulbrighter's knowledge of the langauge, as well as a clearly defined commitment to continuing the language after the six-month training period. See Language Training Initiative for more information.

GRANT PERIOD

  • Project scope should be the length of the grant for a particular country. Provide a general timeline for your project in the Statement of Proposed Research or Study.
  • Grant dates correspond to the academic calendar of the host country. Exceptions may be made for grants with a full-time research focus.
  • Grants may begin no later than March 31, 2008 for the 2007-2008 academic year.

CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS

  • The proposeed project statement should indicate:
    • Reasons for choosing a particular country
    • The form your work will take
    • Results you hope to obtain
    • The contribution that a foreign experience will have on your future professional development.
  • Applicants in the arts are required to submit samples of their work. Consult the Special Instructions for Applicants in the Creative and Performing Arts.

CREATIVE WRITING AND JOURNALISM

  • Applications from creative writers and journalists to carry out a major writing project overseas are encouraged. The Fulbright Program has a long tradition of awarding grants to talented, young American writers.
  • Grantees are free to publish work produced during the grant tenure at any time.
  • By sharing their insights and experiences with a larger audience, Fulbright grantees fulfill the program's goal of increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries.

TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS

Applicants for Teaching Assistantships should indicate their reasons for wishing to serve as teaching assistants. Where appropriate to the program, candidates should submit supplementary study plans. Applicants should consult the Individual Country Summaries for specific study opportunities before filing an application.


DEADLINES

  • CAMPUS DEADLINE -- Sept. 26, 2008
    National Deadline: Oct. 20, 2008
  • The online application must be submitted electronically by midnight on Friday, October 20, 2008. Be sure to print out a hard copy before submitting the application electronically. Enrolled students must submit applications to their campus FPAs by the campus deadlines. FPAs will send complete hard copy applications for Fulbright full and travel grants from enrolled students to the New York office of IIE by October 20, 2008.
  • Applicants not currently enrolled in an institution of higher learning (at-large applicants) must submit their applications to the New York office of IIE by October 20, 2008 for all grant programs. All candidates are responsible for collecting supporting documents, e.g., foreign language report (if applicable), references and transcripts, etc., and submitting them with their applications. All supporting documents must be received in their original sealed envelopes with the signature or stamp of the individual or institution across the flap. Enrolled students should submit their documents to their FPA by the campus deadline. At-large students should submit all documents in a single application package by October 20, 2008.