• Academic or professional record.
• Language preparation. Click here for list of countries offering supplemental language training. Click here for the Critical Language Enhancement Award languages.
  
• Feasibility of the proposed study/research/teaching assistantship project.
• Personal qualifications.
• Preference factors as established by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB) 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.
• Ability of the supervising agencies abroad to arrange/confirm supervision.
• 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. Check with IIE before filing an application if you do not meet country specifications.
• Ratio of the number of awards offered in a country to the number of applications received.
  
  For example, the competition for some countries is especially keen, and many well-qualified applicants cannot be accommodated. Therefore, if your project can be accomplished in a less competitive country, your chances for success in the competition may be enhanced by applying in the less stringent country competition. Consult last year's competition statistics for comparative country statistics.
• Desirability of achieving wide institutional and geographic distribution.

Other qualifications being equal, veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces receive preference.

Stages in Selection

Stage 1: National Screening Committee Review (NSC). Specialists in various fields and area studies meet in November and December and recommend candidates for further consideration.

• Academic fields: Reviewed based on country or region by faculty from various disciplines with experience in the region.
• Creative and performing arts fields: Reviewed by specialists/faculty/professionals in each field, e.g., Creative Writing, Painting, Piano.
• Teaching Assistantships: Reviewed by foreign language or TOEFL professionals with world region experience.
  

Stage 2: Host Country Review. Applications of recommended candidates are transmitted to the supervising agencies abroad for further review, particularly with regard to placement at foreign universities.

Stage 3: Final selection for Fulbright Grants is made by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB), taking into account the recommendations of the NSC, availability of funds, approval of the supervising agencies abroad, and other program requirements. For non-Fulbright grants, the appropriate foreign government, university or private donor makes the final selection.

Notification

Round 1: Candidates from the 2009-2010 competition will receive email notification by January 31, 2009. The email will indicate if an applicant is recommended to the host country or not.

Round 2: Final selection letters will be sent between mid-March and late June.

If you are recommended for further consideration for a grant in the first round of the selection process, then you must notify IIE immediately of:

• changes of present or permanent address, including telephone number, if possible; requests made prior to January 31, 2008 may not be recorded in time to be noted on the February notification letter.
• changes in marital status or in accompanying dependents;
• changes in anticipated academic progress;
• awards of any other grant for study during the same academic year;
• any other change which affects your application in any way;
• any correspondence with foreign institutions indicating admission has been obtained

Fellowships abroad must begin between July 2009 and March 2010. Actual dates vary by country. See the Participating country summary for details.