Fulbright U.S. Student Program

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

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University Endorsement Required

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.

Selection Criteria

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.

Campus Evaluation & Feedback Process

USC juniors, seniors, graduate students and recent alumni (up to three years post-grad) are invited to apply through USC by the campus deadline and will receive feedback and evaluation with a faculty review committee. 

Late August 2021: Deadline to submit Fulbright application online and participate in a Campus Evaluation & Feedback session

The campus evaluation and feedback process is in place to enhance the overall application, not weed anyone out of the process.  The campus committee meeting serves two purposes:

  1. It is a chance for faculty from a variety of fields (many are Fulbrighters themselves) to review the application holistically, which mimics the Fulbright National Screening Committee model.  The campus committee will also provide suggestions for the candidate to incorporate into the application.
  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)

Application Timeline

Campus Deadlines 

  • July 2021: 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 an application for 2022-2023 grant year
    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
  • Late August, 2021: Campus Deadline to Submit Application Online (including letters of recommendation, affiliation and supplemental materials)
  • September 2021: Study/Research & ETA Campus Evaluation and Feedback Meetings
  • October 2021: Campus Evaluation and Feedback participants submit FINAL application

National Competition Timeline

  • March: Fulbright U.S. Student Program Application Opens
  • October: National Fulbright U.S. Student Program Deadline
  • January: Semi-finalists Notified
  • February-May: Finalists Notified

USC Applicant Resources

USC Recipients

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

View more USC Fulbright recipients

AHF Advising

AHF Fulbright Bi-Weekly Newsletter (begins late May)

Opt in to become part of the 2022-2023 grant year cohort and keep your application on track!

Spring Fulbright Writing Workshops – April 2 & April 23, 2021 from 2-4pm PST

The Spring Fulbright Writing Workshops are a two-part series led by AHF staff and faculty from The Writing Program.  The first workshop will introduce the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and campus application process. Participants will then divide into small groups to review successful essay examples by grant type.  The second workshop will feature a panel of recent USC Fulbright recipients followed by small breakouts to discuss components that made their applications materials compelling.

RSVP for the Spring Fulbright Writing Workshops

Summer Fulbright Statement Advisement Days (May – August)

The purpose of  Fulbright Statement Advisement Days are to provide feedback your application materials.  Participation is not required, but strongly encouraged.  A Fulbright Program Advisor in AHF or a Writing Program faculty member will meet with you for 30 minutes during a pre-assigned meeting.

2021 summer advisement schedule will become available in early May.

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