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.

Global Resources:

Alumni: Your Best Resource

Fulbright alumni are an excellent resource. Familiar with how the Fulbright Program operates and experienced at living abroad, alumni are always keen to offer guidance to new grantees. Many have spent time in your host country or elsewhere in the region and have experience that could be of benefit to those who have not traveled as extensively in the region.

Many of you will have the opportunity to meet alumni and current grantees of the Fulbright Program during your Pre-Departure Orientation or in-country arrival orientations. However, to make further communication easier, we suggest several additional ways to connect with your Fulbright colleagues online.

Resources

Fulbrighter

The Fulbrighter networking platform enables you to connect, network, engage, and collaborate with Fulbright alumni and grantees around the world. Find out more about the platform or register now.  As an incoming Fulbrighter, you are joining a global community of exceptional researchers, professionals and practitioners.  Once you are a member, you can explore these dedicated resources for new grantees, including:

  • A database of Fulbright alumni who have volunteered to offer advice to new grantees
  • Advice and case studies from previous grantees
  • A discussion forum where you can ask questions and share ideas
  • Examples of how to get the most out of your grant through travel and collaborations.
  • The Fulbrighter platform is also home to a number of groups based on regional, professional, academic, and personal identities, including Fulbright Affinity groups. These groups provide collaboration opportunities and support networks for grantees and alumni.
  • Lesson plans for ETAs.

International Exchange Alumni

International Exchange Alumni is a resource available to all participants of Department of State sponsored exchange programs. You will have access to the site as soon as you sign and return your terms of conditions, which will officially make you a grantee.

We encourage you to sign up to the password-protected website to take advantage of its many resources, including the ability to search for U.S. and foreign Fulbright alumni by country so that you can get in touch with each other and grantees of other exchange programs.

In addition, International Exchange Alumni has billions of dollars in grant money for additional projects and education opportunities and access to thousands of periodicals and research journals for life.

Fulbright Association

The Fulbright Association is a private, non-profit membership organization that is sanctioned by the U.S. Department of State for alumni of the Fulbright Program. It has more than 50 chapters across the United States and provides another way to network with Fulbrighters. You may get in touch with local Fulbright Chapters to learn about alumni events, gatherings, and more.

Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors

The Fulbright U.S. Student Alumni Ambassador Program was established in 2008 to identify, train, and engage a select group of approximately 20 Fulbright U.S. Student Program alumni each year to serve as representatives, recruiters, and voices for the Fulbright Program. Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors come from an array of different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds, states, fields of study, institutions; they have participated in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program in all world areas.

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Alumni Ambassador Program selects, trains, and utilizes a select group of Fulbright Scholar alumni to serve as representatives for the Fulbright Scholar Program at campus presentations and academic conferences across the United States. Ambassadors are selected from the full spectrum of U.S. academic disciplines, higher education, and geographic regions. Ambassadors serve a two-year terms.

Networking - Making the Fulbright Connection around Identity and Inclusion

As Fulbrighters, you will continue with your every day lives in your host country and that means answering every day questions as simple as “will someone know how to cut my hair in the new location that I am going?” or “how will I be perceived by the community in which I am going to as an underrepresented American abroad?” Having a space to connect, speak, and interact with others who identify with your same identities and intersectionality may be key to a successful Fulbright start and overall exchange experience. ECA encourages you to begin those conversations through networking with fellow grantees and alumni, and making the Fulbright connection early. Below are other alumni resources to help you as you prepare to go overseas: