Fulbright U.S. Student Program

About the Fulbright U.S. Student Program
Basic Eligibility & Selection Criteria
Campus Evaluation & Feedback Process
Application Components
Application Timeline
Applicant Resources
USC Recipients
AHF Advising

About the Fulbright U.S. Student Program

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for an academic year for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant programs outside of the United States.  The Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards over 2,200 grants annually in all fields of study, and operates in more than 140 countries. From its inception, the Program has fostered bilateral relationships in which citizens and governments of other countries work towards mutual understanding.

Basic Eligibility

Applicants must:

  • be citizens or nationals of the United States of America at the time of application.  Permanent residents are not eligible. Please review the Ineligibility section regarding dual citizenship status.
  • have a conferred bachelor’s degree or equivalent before the start of the grant.
  • have sufficient proficiency in the written and spoken language of the host country sufficient to communicate with the people and to carry out the proposed study/research.

Learn more about eligibility

Selection Criteria

USC juniors, seniors, graduate students and recent alumni who demonstrate the following traits are invited to apply by the campus deadline to receive evaluation and feedback. Selection is made on the basis of:

  • Quality and feasibility of the proposal as described in the Statement of Grant Purpose.
  • Academic or professional record.
  • Personal qualifications.
  • Language preparation.
  • Extent to which the candidate and the project will help to advance the Fulbright aim of promoting mutual understanding among nations through engagement in the host community, among other activities.
  • Requirements of the program in individual countries. In some countries, advanced-degree candidates are preferred, and in some countries, certain fields of study are not recommended.

Learn more about selection criteria

Campus Evaluation & Feedback Process

Applicants will apply either through USC, an alma mater or At-Large.  If you are currently enrolled in a USC undergraduate or graduate program, you are strongly encouraged to apply through USC and must meet campus deadlines. Only candidates who apply by the campus deadline will receive an evaluation. Alumni can apply for Fulbright through USC up to three years after graduating from a USC program. All other candidates will apply as At-Large applicants.

August 25, 2019: Deadline to submit Fulbright application online and participate in Campus Evaluation & Feedback

The campus evaluation and feedback process is required for USC applicants and is meant to enhance the overall application, not weed anyone out of the process.  The campus committee evaluation and feedback meeting serves two purposes:

  1. It is a chance for faculty from a variety of fields (many are Fulbrighters themselves) to provide suggestions for the candidate to incorporate into the application.  This mimics the Fulbright National Screening Committee model.
  2. The campus committee will complete an Evaluation Form of the project’s feasibility and ambassadorial potential of the applicant. The evaluation is sent to the Fulbright National Screening Committee with the application.

Application Components

  • Biographical Data 
  • Statement of Grant Purpose (2 pages for study/research; 1 page for ETA)
  • Affiliation Letter (study/research only)
  • Personal Statement (1 page for all grant types)
  • Foreign Language Forms (check country-specific requirements)
  • Recommendations (3) 
  • Transcripts 
  • Critical Language Enhancement Award Statement (for select countries)
  • Supplementary Materials (Creative & Performing Arts only)

Learn more about application components

Application Timeline

Campus Advisement 

  • March 1, March 22 & April 12: Fulbright Writing Workshop Series – Watch Videos
  • April 1, 2019: Fulbright U.S. Student Program Application Opens
  • Late May 2019: AHF Fulbright Friday Newsletters Begin Opt in here
  • Late May- Early August 2019: Fulbright Statement Advisement Days
    • The purpose of  Fulbright Statement Advisement Days are to provide feedback on a draft of your Statement of Grant Purpose and Personal Statement.  You may participate in more than one advisement day as availability allows. Participation is not required, but highly encouraged.  A Fulbright Program Advisor in AHF or a Writing Program faculty member will meet with you for 30 minutes to provide feedback.

Campus Application Deadlines 

  • July 12, 2019: Deadline to Register Application to Apply Through USC
  • The steps below are sufficient to register through USC.  The online application saves as you go.
    1. Create a Fulbright U.S. Student Program 2020-2021 application
    2. Preliminary Questions  > Answer all questions in this section
    3. Award Information > What type of applicant are you? > Select “University of Southern California, CA
    4. Contact Information > Enter Primary and Alternate Email addresses
  • August 25, 2019: Campus Deadline to Submit Complete Application Online (including letters of recommendation, affiliation and supplemental materials)
  • September 9-14, 2019: Study/Research Campus Evaluation and Feedback Meetings
  • September 16-20, 2019: ETA Campus Evaluation and Feedback Meetings
  • September 29, 2019: Campus Evaluation and Feedback participants submit FINAL application

National Deadline

  • October 8, 2019: National Fulbright U.S. Student Program Deadline
  • January 2020: Semi-finalists Notified
  • March-May 2020: Finalists Notified

Applicant Resources

Interested students will complete an extensive review of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program website with special attention to their country description of interest.  The following Fulbright pages are also particularly for those starting out on their Fulbright exploration journey:

  • Fulbright Tutorials:  Offer a “Fulbright 101” in five 12-15 minute videos covering program overview, applicant qualifications and application components.
  • Getting Started:  Four steps to begin to explore Fulbright.
  • Types of Awards:  Descriptions of each award type.  You can only apply to one type in an application cycle.
  • Application Components:  Description of what is expected in each area of the application.
  • Upcoming Events:  Helpful tool to search for upcoming webinars.
  • Recorded Webinars:  Revisit webinars you missed for additional information on the application process.
  • Grantee and Applicant Statistics:  View the number of applicants versus recipients for the past three years.
  • Grantee Directory:  Search for Fulbright recipients in your target country, field, or from your home institution.

USC Resources:

USC Recipients

Why follow the campus process? USC has been a Top Producing Institution of Fulbright U.S. Students for seven years running!

View more USC Fulbright recipients

AHF Advising

Fulbright Statement Advisement Days
The purpose of  Fulbright Statement Advisement Days are to provide feedback on a draft of your Statement of Grant Purpose and Personal Statement.  You may participate in more than one advisement day as availability allows. Participation is not required, but highly encouraged.  A Fulbright Program Advisor in AHF or a Writing Program faculty member will meet with you for 30 minutes to provide feedback.

  • Wednesday, May 22 (statements due May 19) 
  • Thursday, June 6 (statements due June 2) 
  • Wednesday, June 26 (statements due June 23) 
  • Thursday, July 18 (statements due July 14) – Submit statement drafts & request appointment for July 18
  • Wednesday, August 7 (statements due August 4)

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