UU.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (administered with the Institute of International Education)
Partially funded
Fulbright Foreign Student Program (Master's and Doctoral Study in the United States)
U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (administered with the Institute of International Education), United States
Scholarship overview
The Fulbright Foreign Student Program enables graduate students, young professionals and artists from abroad to study and conduct research in the United States. It operates in more than 160 countries and awards about 4,000 grants each year for Master's or Doctoral study and research.
Applicants do not apply to the U.S. government or IIE directly. They apply through the Fulbright Commission or Foundation, or the U.S. Embassy, in their home country, which sets the national rules, deadlines and selection process. Applicants whose country is not in the program's country list are not eligible.
Candidates are placed at U.S. institutions in one of two ways, decided with the home-country Fulbright office: IIE-placement or self-placement.
Placement models
- IIE-placement: IIE applies to U.S. institutions on the candidate's behalf using the Fulbright application, manages admission and funding negotiations, accepts or declines offers for the candidate and is the first point of contact with the institutions.
- Self-placement: the candidate applies to universities directly, meets each school's deadlines and test-score requirements, pays any fees or deposits and secures their own admission and funding. IIE is not involved.
Award Information
- Be a non-U.S. citizen. Dual U.S. citizens are not eligible.
- Live in the nominating country when you apply.
- Apply from a country on the program's country list, through its Fulbright Commission/Foundation or U.S. Embassy.
- In countries administered by a U.S. Embassy, be a citizen, national or permanent resident able to hold a valid passport from that country. In the 49 countries with a Fulbright Commission, citizenship rules follow the binational agreement.
- You cannot hold citizenship of a partner country and also hold U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent residency.
- Hold the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor's degree by the program start date, with a good academic record.
- Show English proficiency. Recommended recent minimums: TOEFL paper-based 550, TOEFL internet-based 79-80, or IELTS overall 6.5. Send scores to IIE using institution code 2326.
- Clinical fields such as dentistry, medicine, pharmacy and nursing are not allowed. Public health and nursing administration are permitted.
- Meet any additional requirements set by your country; award limits and rules vary by country.
- Grant for Master's or Doctoral study and research at a U.S. institution; terms vary by country of citizenship and by program.
- For IIE-placed candidates, IIE's Placement Team negotiates funding with the U.S. institution. Self-placed candidates secure university funding or tuition awards on their own.
- J-1 visa sponsorship.
- Health benefit plan.
- Enrichment activities during the grant.
Deadlines are set by each country's Fulbright Commission, Foundation or U.S. Embassy. Applications generally open about 15 months before the grant start date and close about 11 to 12 months before it, though this is not true in every case. Self-placed applicants must also meet each university's own deadlines.
- Choose your category on the Foreign Fulbright site and select your home country.
- Contact your country's Fulbright Commission/Foundation or U.S. Embassy for the application, eligibility rules and deadline.
- Agree the placement approach (IIE-placement or self-placement) with your Fulbright office.
- If self-placing, apply to universities and submit materials and test scores by each school's deadline.
- Send English test scores to IIE with code 2326.
Official links
Documents you will need
- Fulbright application and supporting documents as required by your country's Fulbright office.
- A valid passport issued by your country.
- English test scores sent to IIE (code 2326).
- For self-placement: each university's application materials and test scores.
How selection works
Grants are merit-based. Selection is run by the Fulbright Commission/Foundation or U.S. Embassy in the applicant's country. Factors include academic qualifications, project feasibility, personal leadership ability and available grant funds. For IIE-placed candidates, the IIE Placement Team makes the final placement decision.
