The US Student Fulbright program is the flagship international exchange program of the US State Department. There are two basic types of Fulbright awards: English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Award and the Study/Research (S/R) Award (for independent research or a degree-granting graduate program abroad), with several focused subcategories of S/R award.

For more information visit: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/

Planning to apply? Fill out the Declaration of Intent to Apply Form to get started!

Am I Eligible?

• 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 below in relation to the eligibility of dual citizens.
• Applicants must have a conferred bachelor's degree or equivalent before the start of the grant.
• In the creative and performing arts, four years of professional training and/or experience meets the basic eligibility requirement.
• Applicants must meet the language requirements of the award to which they are applying and demonstrate sufficient competency to complete their project and adjust to life in the host country.

Key Details

Two Major Award Types: 
     https://us.fulbrightonline.org/about/types-of-awards

• Open Study/Research Awards - The Fulbright Study/Research Award is the traditional award opportunity where a candidate designs a proposal for a specific country.  
• English Teaching Assistant Awards - The Fulbright English Teaching Assistant programs place grantees in schools overseas to supplement local English language instruction and to provide a native speaker presence in the classrooms.

The following apply to all types of Fulbright U.S. Student Awards

• Departure from the United States - Departure dates correspond to the academic calendar of the host country. Approximate dates of the academic years in the various countries can be found in the Country Summaries. Requirements for attendance at orientation programs in the host country, where applicable, are indicated in the Country Summaries.
• Grant period - In most cases, award dates must correspond to the academic calendar of the host country. Exceptions may be made for grants with full-time research projects. In any case, grants must begin by March 31 for the following academic year. Research applicants are expected to provide a timeline for their project in the Statement of Grant Purpose.

Interest groups for Fulbright applicants provide active Instagram accounts. See:

• @FulbrightAccess
• @FulbrightLatinx
• @FulbrightLotus
• @FulbrightNoir
• @FulbrightPrisim
• @FulbrightSalam

Important Dates

Fulbright  Application Timeline: 
     https://us.fulbrightonline.org/applicants/

• The application cycle opens at the end of March. Open an application account as soon after this date as possible.
• Up to June 1:  OPTIONAL / RECOMMENDED - Complete the Declaration of Intent to Apply Form to be interviewed about your interest in the Fulbright Program and to request a formal nomination review from GVSU. 
• August 16: REQUIRED - Complete the application requirements for the internal Grand Valley review. Hit the "Lock for Review" button on your application.  A short zoom interview with a small faculty committee occurs in August/early September. You will receive feedback on your essays so that you can continue to work on them.
• August/Early September: REQUIRED - Thorough review of your application in collaboration with Dr. Tooley (to be sure that your essays are progressing well, that your letters of recommendation have been requested and are complete).
• External Application deadline is normally early October - you must hit the Submit button on or (better yet) before the deadline. No one else can do this for you.

Best advice:

1. Take the August 16th internal deadline as your planning starting point and make a schedule for yourself, working backward from mid-August.
2. Open your application in the IIE Fulbright US Student Portal as soon as it opens at the end of March. START WRITING your Statement of Grant Purpose and your Personal Statement as soon as you've decided on your destination country.
3. Connect with the GVSU Fellowships Office for tips and advice about starting your essays and reading through the country profiles on the Fulbright website. 
4. Explore the country profiles. Decide on the country to which you will apply.
5. Ask your three recommenders if they will write recommendations for you. Do this VERY EARLY IN THE SUMMER (as early as possible - professors travel in summer; you need to be sure your recommenders are willing and available).
6. Continue WRITING and REWRITING.
7. Share your drafts with the Fellowships Office and with your recommenders and other mentors.
8. Reflect and revise, request feedback. Continue reflecting and revising. Save your essays - they are a great foundation for other fellowship and graduate school applications. Never delete fellowship essays.
9. Hit the "Lock for Review" button on your application before the August 16th deadline.
10. Prepare for your GVSU Fulbright Committee Interview; be ready to talk about your choice of program and country.
11. After the GVSU interview, continue revising up to the early October IIE deadline.
12. Hit the SUBMIT button. 
13. Congratulate yourself for a successful completion of the Fulbright application and turn to other things. You will hear from the IIE Fulbright Review Process in January. If you are a semi-finalist, you will probably have a zoom interview with the in-country Fulbright Commission in March.