Fulbright Fellowship

Overview

Do you plan on applying to Fulbright?  Please make sure to fill out this interest form by July 31st to be considered for an institutional endorsement. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: When selecting “US Institution Through Which Applying,” be sure to select “UC Irvine Graduate School.” If you select “UC Irvine,” rather than “UC Irvine Graduate School,” your application will be routed to the undergraduate fellowships office and will be delayed in reaching our reviewers. 

• Operates in approximately 140 countries worldwide. 
• Awards grants in nearly all fields and disciplines, including the humanities, sciences, professional fields, and creative and performing arts. 
• Allows for individually designed study/research or an English Teaching Assistantship. You can propose a project and/or study plan that will take place during one academic year in a country outside the U.S. 
• Provides support for study/research/teaching abroad, usually in a single country (see Country Summaries: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/program_regions_world.html). You can meet, work, live with, and learn from the people of the host country, sharing daily experiences. 
• Facilitates cultural exchange. Through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home, and in daily tasks, you can gain an appreciation of others’ viewpoints and beliefs, the way they do things, and the way they think. 
• Promotes mutual understanding. Through engagement in the community, you can interact with your hosts on a one-to-one basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity, and intellectual freedom.

Award Information

Grant lengths and dates vary by country. Please consult the Country Summaries for specifics. 

In general, grants: 

• Are one academic year in length—between 9 and 12 months. 
• Correspond to the host country’s academic calendar. 

Requirements for attendance at orientation programs, in the U.S. and/or overseas, are also contained in the Country Summaries. 

TYPES OF FULBRIGHT U.S. STUDENT PROGRAM GRANTS 

U.S. Student Fulbright Grants fall into three general categories: 

1. Full Grants for Study/ Research 

1. Full Grants for English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) 

1. Special Programs: Additional awards are available in language study and digital storytelling. For more information, visit the Types of Grants page. 

Important Dates

2025-26 Competition Deadline (non-institutional endorsement):  Tuesday October 8, 2024 at 5 pm Eastern Time

UCI Institutional Endorsement Timeline:

Eligibility Criteria

• U.S. Citizens
• Master’s and doctoral candidates who will demonstrate capacity for independent study or research, together with a general knowledge of the history, culture, and current events of the countries to which they are applying.

Note: The Fulbright U.S. Student Program has a preference for candidates who have not had recent extensive experience abroad (excluding recent undergraduate study abroad), especially in the country of application.

For full information on award eligibility, please visit: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/about/eligibility.

Nomination Process

UCI BEST PRACTICES 

Statement of Grant Purpose: 

• Thoroughly study the information on the Fulbright US Student Program website: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/. Each country differs in the specifics of awards, so be sure to read the web page for the country or countries to which you plan to apply. 
• The statement of grant purpose is a two-page document that outlines the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of what you are proposing for your Fulbright year. 
• Developing a strong, feasible, and compelling project is the most important aspect of a successful application. 
• Write a clear, concise, strong introductory paragraph that will capture the readers’ attention. 
• The proposal should indicate a clear commitment to the host country and a description of how you will engage with it on multiple levels. 
• Describe the preliminary research you have done and the methods you will use to carry out your project. 
• Provide a timeline for your activities, and make sure it is feasible to carry out your project during this timeline. 
• Clearly show the relevance of your work for your research area and for the involved communities. 
• State how the research is original and where it fits as part of a larger project, if applicable. 
• Clearly state why the research must be carried out in the host country. 
• Your readers will be highly educated, but not experts in your field. Avoid jargon and make sure that an educated general reader will be able to understand your proposal. 
• Format: single-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins 

Personal Statement: 

• This is written as a narrative one-page CV, and is designed to give the reviewers a picture of you as an individual. This should discuss your personal history, family background, intellectual development, and the impact of educational, professional, or cultural opportunities to which you have or have not been exposed and how your personal and academic experiences have led to your proposed project. 
• Include any volunteer work and personal activities related to the project and showcase your leadership and communication skills. 
• Describe the ways in which you will act as a cultural ambassador to your host country. 

• How will you interact with the people? 
• What activities do you have planned to support interaction outside of the laboratory or library? 
• When possible, relate planned activities to activities you have engaged in before, such as volunteer work, community outreach, etc. 

• This should not be a reiteration of facts already listed in the Biographical Data section of the application or the Statement of Grant Purpose. 
• Format: single-spaced, 12pt Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins 

Letters of Affiliation: 

• These should be on institutional or company letterhead and signed by an official. Multiple affiliations are acceptable, but keep these to a maximum of three. 
• If in a foreign language, letters of affiliation should be translated by the applicant. The original letter and English translation should be scanned into a single PDF for uploading. 
• It can take several months to get these letters, so start EARLY by providing a copy of your Statement of Grant Purpose and CV. 
• Good letters of affiliation enhance an application by demonstrating that you have actively sought an institutional connection or connections in the host country. 
• Some countries recommend affiliation with a local university. 

Letters of Reference: 

• You must submit three letters of reference. The authors should be the three individuals who can best speak to your ability to carry out the project being proposed. They should discuss your intellectual and personal preparation, and your ability to represent the U.S. abroad. 
• You must register each referee online using a valid email address. 
• Letters must be on official institutional letterhead with the electronic signature of the referee. 
• Ask early and set an early deadline  
• You will want to provide your referees with a draft of your Statement of Grant Purpose and CV, as the reference letter should NOT simply be a character reference, since this will be of no value in assessing your ability to successfully complete your Fulbright research. 
• You will also want to ask your referees for feedback on your proposal. Faculty referees have had experience writing such applications and they are an invaluable resource as you put together your application. 
• Letters of reference must be written in English. If the original reference letter is written in a language other than English, there must be an official English translation. As letters are confidential, the translation cannot be done by the applicant. Both the original letter and English translation must be uploaded as part of the application. 
• NOTE: If one of your recommenders will also be providing your language evaluation, please note that they will need to register in the Embark application system using two different email addresses. 

Foreign Language Report(s): 

• The foreign language evaluation should be carried out and submitted by a language professor or other faculty at an accredited institution. 
• For most Fulbright scholars, proficiency must be at the “hospitality” level (basic conversational skills). For scholars that will conduct interviews as part of their research, it is preferred that language proficiency be at the “near-native” level. 
• If your project requires that you read texts in ancient languages, document your proficiency. 
• You can include plans to increase your language proficiency through classes or other means before your Fulbright tenure begins. 
• NOTE: If one of your recommenders will also be providing your language evaluation, please note that they will need to register in the Embark application system using two different email addresses. 

Unofficial Transcripts: 

• Obtain unofficial transcripts from the institutions at which you have studied. 
• Upload transcripts online. 
• Official transcripts will be requested later in the process if you are recommended for further consideration. 

Virtual Interview: 

• The purpose of the campus interview is for applicants to receive feedback to strengthen their application materials.  This is NOT a competitive interview process and applicants are not rated and/or ranked.   
• Interviews will be held by a faculty committee. 
• Please dress professionally and come prepared to briefly and concretely describe your research project. 
• Please take notes or record the interview so that you can use the feedback to improve your application before the final submission. 

FULBRIGHT U.S. SCHOLAR PROGRAM 

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program offers 15 postdoctoral awards, as well as nearly 300 awards that are open to a range of scholar profiles, including early career scholars. These awards are open to American citizens who have recently completed their doctoral degree – typically within the five previous years. To learn more, visit https://www.cies.org/program/postdoc 

Application Process

Students may choose to apply at large (independently) or go through the UCI internal process to gain an institutional endorsement of their application.  Applicants seeking an institutional endorsement must adhere to the UCI policies/deadlines and must also undergo a campus interview. The purpose of the campus interview is for applicants to receive feedback to strengthen their application materials.  This is NOT a competitive interview process and applicants are not rated and/or ranked.    

The Fulbright website provides explanations of the components of applications as well as application checklists. 

Stipulations

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS 

• What is the role of the UCI Fulbright Program Advisor? The Advisor answers questions regarding the administrative details of the Fulbright Award including the application process. The Advisor is also the person to whom you will submit your final application and required materials. The Advisor organizes and co-chairs the Campus Review Committee. UCI Fulbright Program Adviser for UCI is Dr. Kayleigh Anderson-Natale (kayleiga@uci.edu).  
• How do I apply? Students must apply online at https://apply.iie.org/apply/. Once you hit the submit button, the UCI Fulbright Program Advisor will be able to view your application. Only your UCI Fulbright Program Advisor can submit your application to IIE. 
• How do I make sure my proposal is feasible? There are several things to keep in mind when determining an appropriate Fulbright proposal: 

• Is your proposal sufficiently defined to allow you to carry out your project within the given time frame and resources available? 
• Do you possess the necessary skills and experience? 
• Will you have access to relevant resources overseas? 
• Do you possess the language skills necessary to carry out the project? 
• Is your proposal relevant to the discipline? 

• Have you clearly expressed the outcome of your proposal (what do you expect to gain, contribute to the field, host country, or U.S.)? 
• Is it necessary for you to carry out your proposal only in the host country, or are sufficient resources available in the U.S.? 
• Is your proposal unique, or is it something that has already been investigated many times? 

• Do I need a formal affiliation even if I’m not planning to enroll in university classes? Yes, all students need to be affiliated with an educational or research institute, ministry, or other organization in the host country. 
• How do I set up my overseas affiliation and mentor? In many countries it is up to you to find a mentor and/or a university or institution with which you would like to be affiliated. Even in those countries where affiliation is arranged for you, in most cases your application will only be strengthened by any steps that you take to affiliate yourself. Setting up an affiliation generally means finding a university where you will be able to take classes (usually as a special status non-degree seeking student) and/or use the library and other facilities. Note that in some countries you are required to gain formal university acceptance. In these cases it is up to the applicant to obtain application materials and follow the procedures of the host university. 

Finding a mentor entails identifying a professor(s) in the host country who will be willing to support your research and will write a letter to that effect. Formal letters are recommended. The mentor letter is in addition to the three letters of recommendation which are required as part of the application. Your professors may be able to help you establish overseas contacts. When contacting potential mentors, you should explain that you are a Fulbright applicant and should provide a detailed description of your study/research proposal. You must also outline the type of support that you are requesting (e.g., access to libraries, professors, office space, equipment, etc.). It is very important to begin identifying both your affiliation and mentor at least three months in advance of the application deadline. 

Your affiliation and mentor letters may or may not be one in the same. You may have up to three affiliations. If your affiliation/support letters are in a language other than English, you MUST attach an English language translation to the original. 

• Can I apply for a grant in more than one country? Some regions accept multi-country proposals. Multi-country grants require a strong rationale. Approval from each country is required, and scholars must have affiliations in all countries. Typically, a minimum of 3 consecutive months is required in each country visited. 
• If the UCI Campus Review Committee does not endorse my application, will it be forwarded to IIE for further consideration? Yes, the Campus Review Committee forwards all applications to IIE along with the committee’s comments. 
• Can I have access to my campus rating? No, these ratings are confidential records and cannot be released. 
• Will a Fulbright award allow me to obtain a degree overseas? Can I apply overseas credits earned towards a U.S. degree program upon my return? No, in the vast majority of cases. Grantees generally take courses on a not-for-credit, non-degree seeking basis. See individual country summaries for exceptions. It is the sole responsibility of the individual to arrange for the transfer of credit to UCI. Applicants should note that most overseas universities do not operate on the U.S. credit system. 
• If I am awarded a grant may I defer it to another time? No, grants may not be deferred. Grants may only be used for the particular academic year they are awarded. 
• Can I submit more than three letters of recommendation? No, a maximum of three recommendation letters should be submitted. However, you may wish to solicit more letters to avoid last minute submission. Letters of support from the host country may be submitted in addition to the three, but should be limited to those individuals or institutions with which you will actually be working. 
• I am a native speaker of the language of the country to which I am applying. Do I need to submit the foreign language report form? Yes. This form must be completed for native speakers as well as for anyone who is proposing to study or do research in a language other than English. 
• While I am doing research or studying abroad on a Fulbright Grant, do I need to register (enroll in units and pay fees)? Yes, you will need to submit an In Absentia petition, enroll in research units, and pay In Absentia fees. 
• While I am teaching abroad on a Fulbright ETA Grant, do I need to register (enroll in units and pay fees)? We recommend petitioning for a Leave of Absence. 

Contact

For more information contact: Kayleigh Anderson at kayleiga@uci.edu