2018-2019 Pre-Departure Orientation Schedule
All candidates accepting awards for the following programs are required to attend a pre-departure orientation. If your country is not listed, there is no pre-departure orientation.
Attendance at Pre-Departure Orientations is mandatory. Exemptions will only be considered for extenuating circumstances by the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State. Information on filing an exemption will be made available to grantees invited to the Pre-Departure Orientations in early April.
East Asia-Pacific
Country | Study/Research | ETA | Dates | Location |
Brunei | Yes | No | General PDO June 18-20 ETAs June 18-22 |
Washington, DC |
Cambodia | Yes | No | ||
China | Yes | No | ||
Hong Kong | Yes | Yes | ||
Kiribati | Yes | No | ||
Laos | Yes | Yes | ||
Macau | No | Yes | ||
Mongolia | Yes | Yes | ||
Papua New Guinea | Yes | No | ||
Samoa | Yes | No | ||
Singapore | Yes | No | ||
Vietnam | Yes | Yes |
Europe and Eurasia
Country | Study/Research | ETA | Dates | Location |
Albania | Yes | No | General PDO July 18-20 ETAs July 16-20 |
Washington, DC |
Armenia | Yes | Yes | ||
Azerbaijan | No | Yes | ||
Belarus | No | Yes | ||
Bosnia & Herzegovina | Yes | Yes | ||
Croatia | Yes | Yes | ||
Cyprus | Yes | Yes | ||
Estonia | Yes | Yes | ||
Georgia | Yes | Yes | ||
Kosovo | Yes | Yes | ||
Lavtia | Yes | Yes | ||
Lithuania | Yes | Yes | ||
Macedonia | Yes | Yes | ||
Malta | No | Yes | ||
Moldova | Yes | Yes | ||
Montenegro | No | Yes | ||
Russia | Yes | Yes | ||
Serbia | Yes | Yes | ||
Slovenia | Yes | No | ||
Switzerland | Yes | No | ||
Ukraine | Yes | Yes |
Near East Asia
Country | Study/Research | ETA | Dates | Location |
Algeria | No | Yes | General PDO June 18-20 ETAs June 18-22 |
Washington, DC |
Bahrain | Yes | Yes | ||
Kuwait | Yes | No | ||
Oman | Yes | No | ||
Palestinian Territories | No | Yes | ||
UAE | Yes | No | ||
West Bank | No | No |
South & Central Asia
Country | Study/Research | ETA | Dates | Location |
Kazakhstan | Yes | Yes | General PDO July 18-20 ETAs July 16-20 |
Washington, DC |
Kyrgyz Republic | Yes | Yes | ||
Tajikistan | Yes | Yes | ||
Uzbekistan | Yes | No |
Sub-Saharan Africa
Country | Study/Research | ETA | Dates | Location |
Benin | Yes | Yes | General PDO July 10 -13 ETAs July 8 - 13 |
Northwestern University |
Botswana | Yes | No | ||
Burkina Faso | Yes | No | ||
Cameroon | Yes | No | ||
Congo (Brazzaville) | Yes | No | ||
Congo (DRC-Kinshasa) | Yes | No | ||
Eswatini (Swaziland) | Yes | No | ||
Ethiopia | Yes | No | ||
Ghana | Yes | No | ||
Guinea | Yes | No | ||
Cote d'Ivoire | Yes | Yes | ||
Kenya | Yes | Yes | ||
Lesotho | Yes | No | ||
Madagascar | Yes | No | ||
Malawi | Yes | No | ||
Mauritius | Yes | No | ||
Mozambique | Yes | No | ||
Namibia | Yes | No | ||
Niger | Yes | No | ||
Nigeria | Yes | No | ||
Rwanda | Yes | Yes | ||
Senegal | Yes | Yes | ||
Sierra Leone | Yes | No | ||
South Africa | Yes | Yes | ||
Tanzania | Yes | No | ||
Togo | Yes | No | ||
Uganda | Yes | No | ||
Zambia | Yes | No |
Western Hemishphere
Country | Study/Research | ETA | Dates | Location |
Barbados | Yes | No | General PDO June 26-29 ETAs June 24-29 |
University of Texas, Austin |
Bolivia | Yes | No | ||
Costa Rica | Yes | Yes | ||
Dominican Republic | Yes | Yes | ||
El Salvador | Yes | No | ||
Guatemala | Yes | Yes | ||
Honduras | Yes | Yes | ||
Jamaica | Yes | No | ||
Nicaragua | Yes | No | ||
Panama | Yes | Yes | ||
Paraguay | Yes | No | ||
Trinidad & Tobago | Yes | No |