The 2025-2026 application is now closed. The 2026-2027 competition will open in Spring 2025.

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Current U.S. Student

United States citizens who are currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs are eligible to apply.If you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a U.S. college or university, you will apply through that institution, even if you are not currently a resident there. Find the Fulbright Program Adviser on your campus.

U.S. Citizen but not a Student

If you are a U.S. citizen, will hold a bachelor’s degree by the award start date, and do not have a Ph.D. degree, then you are eligible to apply. Non-enrolled applicants should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Candidates with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program.

The Getting Started page will provide information on eligibility and next steps.

Artist

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program welcomes applications in the creative and performing arts. Arts candidates for the U.S. Student Program should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Artists with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program.

Creative & Performing Arts projects fall under the Study/Research grant category and are available in all countries where Study/Research grants are offered.

FPA

U.S. Professor/Administrator

If you are a U.S. citizen and a professor or administrator at a U.S. institution and are interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholar Award, you will need to apply through fulbrightscholars.org.

To support your students in applying for a U.S. Student Program award, please connect with the Fulbright Program Adviser at your institution.

Non U.S. Citizens

If you are a non-U.S. citizen interested in applying for a Fulbright Award to the United States, you will need to apply through the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in your home country. Find out more information on the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program or Fulbright Foreign Student Program.

Instructions for English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Recommendation Writers

 


Recommendation Instructions

If you are not familiar with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program please visit: us.fulbrightonline.org. The most useful sections for recommenders are the Application Components and the Award Description for the applicant’s proposed host country and specific award.

For ETA applicants, the Fulbright Program requires the submission of an ETA Recommendation Form and not a letter of recommendation. The Fulbright Program will not accept recommendation letters for ETA applicants.

Fulbright applicants register recommenders in the Fulbright Online Application System allowing them to complete the recommendation form online so that it can be included with the applicant's online application.

The Fulbright Program requires that recommendations be submitted in the Fulbright Online Application System, as screening committees will only have access to recommendations submitted electronically.

In completing the recommendation form, keep in mind that the applicant will be serving as a cultural ambassador representing the United States and that personal suitability, as well as academic excellence, is an important criterion to be considered. The applicant should provide you with their Fulbright Statement of Grant Purpose and Personal Statement. 

Here is a sample ETA Recommendation form. (PDF)  


Summary of the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program

Fulbright ETAs are not responsible for designing curricula or teaching full courses. Rather, they serve under supervision at their assigned placements and will be expected to develop and carry out a variety of learning activities, make presentations on U.S. culture and society, and/or assist faculty in an English Language Department with their teaching responsibilities, as needed.

In addition, some countries request that applicants describe an academic or supplemental project or activity that they would pursue concurrent with the ETA assignment. This is a secondary component of some grants and may provide insight into the applicant's interest in the host country, academic or career interests, and/or suitability for the ETA program.


Factors for Consideration

Proficiency with and knowledge of English usage, grammar, spelling, and writing is an important factor in a successful English Teaching Assistantship. You may be able to comment on the applicant’s abilities in those areas from tests or papers they have prepared for your course or from formal presentations, classroom discussion or individual interviews with the applicant, or from your observations of them in a professional environment.


Steps to submit the ETA Recommendation Form

  1. Once the applicant has registered you as a recommender, an email will be sent to you from the Fulbright Online Application System with the student’s name in the subject line. If you do not receive this email, please ask the applicant to resend the invitation email.
  2. Access the ETA Recommendation Form using the link in the invitation email sent from the application system via FBstudent@iie.org. Google Chrome is the most compatible browser. We advise against using Microsoft Edge, Internet Explorer, or Firefox due to some reported compatibility issues; Tablets/Phones cannot be used for submission.
  3. You will be directed to the recommendation form with the name of the applicant who registered you as a recommender in the Fulbright Online Application System.
  4. Following the steps in the online system, enter your responses directly into the ETA Recommendation Form. Do not use hard returns for spacing.
  5. If you wish to save a copy for your personal reference, click the ‘Display Copy’ button and save the PDF of the form to your files. The ‘Display Copy’ is for your records only, as a different version will be attached to the application. This must be done prior to submission. The program will not provide copies after submission.
  6. Before you click Submit, be sure that this is the information that you wish to have reviewed by screening committees in the U.S. and abroad. Once you submit the recommendation, you will not have access to edit or change it.
  7. The final step is to submit the recommendation. Sign the form electronically and click submit. A confirmation email will be sent to the recommender and applicant once the Recommendation Form has been submitted.
  8. Recommendations should remain confidential. Please do not share your submission with the applicant.

Important Note: Only recommendations submitted via the Fulbright Online Application System will be reviewed. If you encounter issues submitting the recommendation form, please email FBstudentsupport@iie.org for assistance.

Early Campus Deadlines: The applicant will provide you with the date the recommendation is due. For currently enrolled applicants or alumni applying through their alma mater, this date will be earlier than the Fulbright national application deadline. Recommendations submitted after the campus deadline may not be considered during the campus review process, but should still be submitted prior to the national deadline.