Fulbright Scholarship Programs
The Fulbright Scholarship is a government program that allows students, scholars, teachers and professionals to spend a year overseas in order to advance international relations. The program was the brainchild of Senator J. William Fulbright, the longest serving chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Realizing the need for human relationships across borders, Fulbright created the program that bears his name in 1946, in part to try and foster international relations that would increase cooperation around the world and prevent another World-War II. Over the years the Fulbright Scholarship has become one of the most prestigious international exchange programs in the world. It is still funded by an annual appropriation from the U.S. Congress as well as contributions from participating international institutions.
The Fulbright is not just one program, but several, with the common component being that it allows students to travel overseas to gain international experience and advance their understanding of another culture. Both American and international students are eligible to participate in the Fulbright Program, and in fact, through the years more international students have used the Fulbright to learn in America than American students have used the program to learn in foreign countries. All in all, approximately 250,000 students have traveled abroad and fostered foreign relations in some capacity with the aid of a Fulbright Scholarship.
Under the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, graduating college seniors, graduate students, young professionals, and artists are eligible to spend one academic year abroad to undertake scholarship or research. “Fulbrighters,” as they are called, use their Fulbright Grants to study in all disciplines, from the sciences to the humanities to the arts and beyond. Many use the year to do research projects that fulfill the Fulbright Program’s goal of encouraging international understanding and cooperation. Some students choose to apply for the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships (ETA) Program and help teach English in a school or university overseas in addition to pursuing their own course of study. No matter if they choose to teach or not, language study is generally always a crucial part of any Fulbright Scholar’s stay overseas.
Only students most likely to advance international understanding are selected from the Fulbright Scholarship, and in keeping with that goal, the selection process is strict. The various Fulbright programs have different selection criteria, but in general students are selected based on academic record, language preparation, feasibility of the project or course of study, personal qualifications and any other preference factors established by the J. William Fulbright Scholarship Board. U.S embassies abroad and the various Fulbright Commissions also have a say in the selection process. Further, a Fulbright student is also charged with finding his or her own affiliated institution overseas, whether it be a university, library, museum, government agency or nonprofit.
Students wishing to apply for a Fulbright Scholarship should research the program thoroughly first. Not only will that determine whether their proposed project is right for the program, it might allow them to find special Fulbright projects for which they qualify. Past and present special projects have included Journalism Grants in Germany, Deafness Studies in Italy, and MBA Business programs in Spain.
For students who are serious about their program of study and advancing international relations, the Fulbright Scholarship is a valuable educational resource.
Online Fulbright Resources
The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs
http://fulbright.state.gov/fulbright/
The Institute of International Education
http://www.iie.org/
Council for International Exchange of Scholars
http://www.cies.org/us_scholars/