Fulbright U.S. Student Program

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WATCH:  What is the Fulbright US Student program?  

Review the step-by-step guide and timeline for Penn's 2023 Fulbright application process!

Interested candidates should enroll in CURF's Canvas site for Fulbright applicants

View the two-part, recorded 2023 Fulbright Kick-Off information session (Penn login required):  

1. Introduction to the Fulbright US Student Program 2023 Kick-Off with representatives from the Fulbright US Student Program, CURF, and Penn students/alumni (PennKey required)
2. Penn's application process and CURF resources 2023 Kick-Off Breakout Session with Penn’s Fulbright Adviser (FPA) (PennKey required)

Fulbright Grants fund 8-12 months of international experience in over 140 countries. With a long-standing mission of promoting mutual understanding through educational and cultural exchange, Fulbright opportunities can be categorized into two main grant types:

• Study/Research grants offer the opportunity to carry out your own international research project in any discipline (or in some countries, to pursue a graduate degree)
• English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) grants place Fulbrighters in classrooms abroad to teach English and share American culture

http://us.fulbrightonline.org/

The Fulbright application cycle for students and alumni opened on March 30, 2023

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is open to US citizens from all backgrounds. Applicants should be genuinely interested in engaging with diverse populations, and Fulbright encourages applicants representing the US’s racial, ethnic, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and regional diversity. Fulbright supports applicants through an extensive network of peer affiliation groups such as Fulbright Noir, Fulbright Latinx, Fulbright Lotus, Fulbright Prism, Fulbright Salam, and Fulbright Access. For additional information, visit https://fulbrightprism.org/partner-organizations and view Fulbright’s Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) statement. 

Fulbright U.S. Student Program National Deadline: October 10, 2023 at 5:00 pm

Penn’s Application Process

• Interested candidates should enroll in CURF's Canvas site for Fulbright applicants
• Applicants who do not meet Penn’s internal campus deadline of August 21 at 4:00 pm but submit complete applications through Penn by Fulbright’s October 10, 2023, 5:00 pm National Deadline will be forwarded to Fulbright’s National Screening Committee with the rest of Penn’s applicants.
• Applicants should submit complete applications through Fulbright’s online application system by Monday, August 21, 2023 at 4:00 pm (PENN's Campus Deadline). Penn undergraduates, graduate students and alumni should apply through Penn, and utilize CURF advising and Penn’s Fulbright Faculty Committee (FFC).  
• Applicants who do not submit their initial application by Penn’s August 21 campus deadline should still apply through Penn to access CURF and faculty support. 
• Applicants who submit your essay drafts to CURF for feedback by our Priority Target Date of July 05, 2023 receive first priority on additional essay reviews.
• Applicants may still and should submit essays for review after July 5.
• In September, applicants are matched with faculty who provide feedback on application materials, meet with you, and draft a supportive statement Penn submits with your application. This process is designed to be supportive and educational, and applicants will be able to revise their application before final submission in October. 
• By the end of January, the Institute for International Education (IIE) will notify candidates of their status after a preliminary national screening. Candidates recommended by the national screening panels have their applications forwarded abroad for further review. Fulbright recipients are selected jointly by the US State Department and the national commission of their target country, and are notified on a rolling basis by country, typically in March and April.

Letters of Recommendation

The Fulbright Award requires three letters of recommendation (and often, a foreign language evaluation). In each case, the applicant must register each referee/evaluator within their online Fulbright application.

Research/Study grants and English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grants use different recommendation formats:

• Recommenders for Research/Study applicants should compose an open-ended letter of recommendation.
• Recommenders for ETA applicants must provide short-answer responses to the prompts provided on the ETA recommendation form – they should NOT write an open-ended letter of recommendation. ETA applicants should look at the ETA recommendation form as they consider who is best suited to write their recommendations, and should provide their recommenders with the sample form so they can prepare their responses in advance (rather than writing them spontaneously).  More information, including access to the sample ETA recommendation form, is available.

Recommendations are due by August 21, 4:00 pm for Penn’s Internal Fulbright Deadline or by October 10, 2023 at 5:00 pm for Fulbright's National Deadline

Contact Information

Details:

Location

United Kingdom, Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, Middle East

Type

Graduate Study, Language Study, Research

Eligibility

Junior, Senior, Alumni, Graduate Student