U.S. STUDENT FULBRIGHT RESEARCH/STUDY GRANTS

Instructions for the Referee: Applicants for Research/Study Grants

Fulbright applicants register referees in the Online Application System to give them the opportunity to complete the form online so that it may be submitted with student's online application.

We encourage you to submit the reference online.  At several stages of the application process, reviewers only have access to the Online Application and electronically submitted materials, which should be signed by the referee across the back flap.

In addition, we ask that you print out a hard copy of your reference, sign it and give it to the applicant in a sealed envelope. 

If you are not familiar with the U.S. Student Fulbright Program, you may wish to visit our website.   The most useful pages for referees are the section on Thinking of Applying and the Country Summary for the applicant’s proposed host country.

In completing the reference, keep in mind that the applicant will be serving as a citizen representing the United States and that personal suitability, as well as academic excellence, is an important criterion to be considered. Applicants for study/research grants should provide you with a summary of their Fulbright project proposal.  In particular, please comment on any of the following that are appropriate:

• Feasibility of the applicant's proposed project in terms of resources available overseas.
  
• Ability of the applicant to carry out the project and in the allotted time.
  
• Linguistic preparation for the proposed plan.
  
• Candidate's ability to adapt to a different cultural environment.
  
• In the arts, the candidate's talent and potential for growth.
  
• Any other factors which you believe may have a bearing on the candidate's experience overseas.

Steps to submit your reference letter:

1. The student will register your name and email in the Online Reference System of the application.
2. An email will be generated and sent to you.  If you do not receive this email, please let the applicant know or email Tech Support directly:  support@embark.com and tell them the name and email address of the applicant and your name and email address. 
3. Prepare your letter of reference offline and save it as a Word document.
4. Login to the system using the User ID and Password sent to you in the email.
   
5. You will see a page with the names of applicants who have listed you as a reference with this particular Online Application System.
   
6. Click on the applicant’s name (corresponding to the program and year if there is more than one entry for the applicant).
7. In Step 1, complete information to verify your status and respond to the question.
8. In Step 2, upload your reference letter into the application. Entering your letter via upload is the preferred method.  However, instructions are provide for directly typing in your reference.
9. When the upload is complete or your letter is entered, you may Preview it.  The first page of your reference will be FORM 9A.  Form 9A is a coversheet that is generated when you print the reference from the Online Application System.
• If you did not upload a scanned letter with your institution’s letterhead, then you should include Form 9A with the printed PDF version.
• If you are submitting a reference letter on your institution’s letterhead, then you do not need to submit Form 9A
10. If you are satisfied, please print out the PDF version, sign it and provide a copy to the applicant in a sealed envelope with your signature across the back. 
    
11. The final step is to Submit the reference. Before you click a Submit, be sure that this is the letter that you wish to have reviewed by screening committees in the U.S. and abroad.

Once you submit the reference, you will not have access to edit or change it.  However, you will be able to print your letter from the system after you have electronically submitted it.