Fulbright Scholarship is one the most prestigious scholar programs in the world. Administered by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), it promotes mutual understanding and supports friendly and peaceful relations between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. There is also a network of bi-national Fulbright Commissions in many countries. One such commission is the United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF) which provides opportunities to Indian students for personal, academic and professional growth through the Fulbright Scholarship.

Fulbright Scholarship: An Overview

There are a number of scholarships, fellowships and awards offered under Fulbright Scholar Program in areas like agriculture, arts, education, environment, humanities and social sciences, public health, and science and technology. Graduates, postgraduates, Ph.D. holders, researchers, academics and professionals, all find opportunities to study in the US. The candidates selected for Fulbright scholarship receive tuition fees and living costs, visa support, airfare and medical cover. The deadlines for various Fulbright fellowships are generally announced in the month of February every year and applicants can apply online for their choice of Fulbright scholarship.

Given below is the comprehensive list of Fulbright Scholarship /Fellowships /Awards /Programs that Indian students, academics and researchers can apply for.

Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowships

Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships

Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowships

Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Seminar

Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship

Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program

Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program

Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers

Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program

The applications for several Fulbright scholarships, fellowships or awards are usually declared in the month of February every year and the last date to apply for them varies from the month of February to November or December. To know the application period of these programs, refer to the table given below.

S.No. Fellowship Name Application Deadline 1. Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowships June* Note: In 2018, the last date to apply for this fellowship was 15 June 2018. 2. Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships November* Note: In 2018, the last to apply for this fellowship is 15 November 2018. 3. Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellowships July* Note: In 2018, the last to apply for this fellowship is 16 July 2018. 4. Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowships July* Note: In 2018, the last to apply for this fellowship is 16 July 2018. 5. Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Seminar August* Note: In 2018, the last to apply for this fellowship is 31 August 2018. 6. Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship July* Note: In 2018, the last to apply for this fellowship is 16 July 2018. 7. Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program August* Note: In 2018, the last to apply for this fellowship is 31 August 2018. 8. Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program April* Note: In 2018, the last to apply for this fellowship is 2 April 2018. 9. Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers March* Note: In 2018, the last to apply for this fellowship is 1 March 2018. 10. Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program June* Note: In 2018, the last date to apply for this fellowship was 15 June 2018.

* The dates mentioned above are subject to change as per the discretion of the scholarship provider.

Fulbright Scholarship: Rewards

The candidates selected for one of the Fulbright Fellowships get rewarded with financial assistance in terms of tuition fees, living costs, airfare, etc. The details of the scholarship/fellowship rewards are highlighted in the table given below.

Rewards of Fulbright Scholarship

Fulbright Scholarship: Eligibility Criteria

Different Fulbright scholarships/fellowships/programs demand eligibility credentials as per the requirement of each program. But Fulbright-Nehru fellowships ask for some general eligibility criteria. Given below is the list of common eligibility requirements of Fulbright programs offered to Indian candidates.

The candidate must a responsible citizen who has full and fair knowledge of Indian culture and civilisation as it would help in the promotion of friendship and understanding between the people of India and the United States.

The candidate must have acquired a high level of academic/professional achievements.

The candidate must be proficient in the English language. He/she may need to take English language proficiency test TOEFL.

The candidate must appear in person for the interview test, if selected, at the USIEF office in New Delhi.

The candidate must inform USIEF in advance if he/she needs to travel abroad (example, for conference) during the application cycle of a particular year.

The candidate must be eligible for leave if he/she is employed.

The candidate must be in good health.

The candidate must not be applying for or holding permanent residence in the US.

The candidate needs to give an undertaking which states that he/she would return to India after the completion of the fellowship.

Those candidates are given preference who do not have any extensive recent US experience.

Besides the above-mentioned credentials, each Fulbright program has certain requirements that the candidates applying need to fulfill. Given below is the eligibility criteria of Fulbright scholarships which are applicable for individual programs.

Fulbright Eligibility Requirements

S.No. Fellowship Name Eligibility Criteria 1. Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowships The candidate must have completed a four years bachelor’s degree or master’s degree, equivalent to that of the United States, with a minimum of 55% marks from a recognised Indian university.

The applicant must have a minimum of 3 years of full-time professional work experience in the relevant field.

The candidate must possess leadership quality and have experience in community service.

The candidate must not have acquired his/her academic degree from any US university or not be enrolled in a US degree program.

In case of an employed applicant, he/she must submit FNMaster’s Employer’s Endorsement Form which must indicate that leave will be granted to the candidate if he/she is selected for the fellowship.

The candidates can apply for the following fields of study: Arts and Culture Management including Heritage Conservation and Museum Studies, Environmental Science/Studies, Higher Education Administration, International Legal Studies, Public Administration, Public Health, Urban and Regional Planning, and Women’s Studies/Gender Studies. 2. Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships Only those candidates are eligible for this fellowship who are the alumni of Fulbright-Nehru grants.

Previous recipients of the USIEF Alumni Award are not eligible to apply for the fellowship.

The candidates must be residing in India while applying for the fellowship and also during the project period.

Seminars/workshops can be organised in the following areas: education, environment, energy & climate change, health, social inclusion & economic development, visual & performing arts, women empowerment, urban & regional planning. 3. Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellowships The applicant must have secured a Ph.D. degree within the last four years.

The applicant must have published his/her work in a reputed journal.

The candidate must demonstrate evidence of his/her high academic & professional achievements. 4. Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowships The candidate must have a Ph.D. degree or equivalent published work with at 5 years of relevant teaching/research experience.

Professionals who are not into academics must have a master’s degree or equivalent published work with relevant professional standing & a minimum of 5 years of work experience. 5. Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Seminar The applicant must be mid to senior-level college or university administrator (vice-chancellor, dean, department head, director of international centre/office, foreign student advisor, or registrar, etc.) working at an Indian institution.

The applicant must have a minimum of 2 years of experience in the relevant area.

The applicant must have the responsibility of enhancing the international scope of his/her institution and should wish to build the capacity of the faculty and students through international collaborations and exchange and innovative curricular design.

The candidate must demonstrate an excellent level of academic/professional achievements. 6. Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship If the candidate is applying for Doctoral Research, he/she must be registered for a Ph.D. degree at an Indian institution. If the candidate is applying for the Postdoctoral fellowship, he/she must have obtained a Ph.D. degree within the last four years.

The submission date of the candidate’s thesis must not be earlier than 3 months after the candidate’s grant end date.

Those candidates who are at the final stages of Ph.D. thesis submission cannot apply for this fellowship.

Applicant’s with Ph.D. degree must have published their works in a reputed journal and show high level of academic and professional achievements. 7. Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program The applicant must be an Indian citizen and should reside in India throughout the application process, nomination and selection process.

The candidate must display a level of maturity, reliability, integrity and professionalism.

The candidate must demonstrate fluency in English language and have secured a score of at least 213 (CBT), 79-80 (iBT) or 550 (PBT) on the TOEFL.

The candidate must have passed master’s degree (in English language, English/American Literature, American Studies, Linguistics, Comparative Literature or related areas) with good academic record.

The applicant should be a young English teacher or training to become an English teacher or be a young professional in a related field.

Prior teaching experience is preferable. 8. Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program The applicant must be a school teacher of 6th to 12th grades in a school located in India.

The candidate must have five years of teaching experience in subjects like Social Studies, Science, English, mathematics, Special Education or English as a Foreign Language (EFL).

The candidate must hold a bachelor’s as well as teacher training degree.

The applicant must be residing in India during form submission and interview.

The applicant must have scored at least 61 on iBT TOEFL and 450 on paper-based TOEFL or equivalent in English language examination.

The applicant must be living and teaching in the states like Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

The applicant must commit to continuing teaching after the completion of the program. 9. Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers The applicant must be a full-time teacher having five years of full-time teaching experience in any subject.

The applicant must be holding a bachelor’s as well as teacher training degree.

The candidate must be an Indian and be residing in India during form submission and interview.

The candidate must have an excellent command of the English language.

Teacher trainers are also eligible to apply.

The applicant must be living and teaching in the states like Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. 10. Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program The candidate must have passed master’s degree or a professional degree of minimum 4 years’ duration.

The candidate must have a professional work experience of at least 5 years in the relevant field.

The applicant must possess leadership qualities.

The candidate must have a record of public service in the community.

The applicant needs to give an undertaking which states that he/she will return to India after completing the fellowship.

University teachers who have no management or policy responsibilities are ineligible for this fellowship.

The candidates who have attended a graduate school for one year or above duration in the US are not eligible.

Candidates with dual citizenship of the US or permanent resident status cannot apply.

Fulbright Scholarship: Application Procedure

All the Fulbright scholarships/fellowships/programs listed in this article follow their own application process. The applicants need to apply online and all the details about the application procedure are given on the website of USIEF (Unites States-India Educational Foundation). The table given below tells you about how and where to apply for a particular scholarship.

Application process of Fulbright Fellowships

S.No. Fellowship Name How to apply? 1. Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowships Applicants can apply for the fellowship through online through the website of USIEF, where they can find the link of application. 2. Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships Applicants can send their proposal in the prescribed format to almuni@usief.org.in. Applicants can download the application form from the website of USIEF. 3. Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellowships Applicants can apply for the fellowship through online through the website of USIEF, where they can find the link of application. 4. Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowships Applicants can apply for the fellowship through online through the website of USIEF, where they can find the link of application. 5. Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Seminar Applicants can apply for the fellowship through online through the website of USIEF, where they can find the link of application. Note: For any query, the applicant can contact Viji Shibu Ninan who is the Program Coordinator-Indian Program of USIEF at the address mentioned below:

12 Hailey Road,

New Delhi 110 001,

Phone 011 4209 0947

Email: ieas@usief.org.in 6. Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship Applicants can apply for the fellowship through online through the website of USIEF, where they can find the link of application. 7. Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program Applicants can apply for the fellowship through online through the website of USIEF, where they can find the link of application. 8. Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program Applicants can apply for the fellowship through online through the website of USIEF, where they can find the link of application. 9. Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers Applicants can apply for the fellowship through online through the website of USIEF, where they can find the link of application. 10. Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program Applicants can send their completed applications to humphrey@usief.org.in along with scanned copies of the required documents.

Fulbright Scholarship: Selection Process

All the applications send by the applicants are evaluated on the basis of the specific eligibility criteria. On the basis of this evaluation, selected applicants are called for an interview in person at the office of USIEF, New Delhi, with the National Selection Committee. The decision taken by the Committee in terms of the selection process will be final. Given below are a list of criteria based on which candidates are chosen.

Academic and professional capability

Applicant’s communication skill

Applicant’s commitment towards his/her community or nation’s service

Merit of the proposed Fulbright project

Applicant’s need to conduct research work in the United States

Outcomes, potential impact and benefits

Applicant’s leadership qualities, motivation, seriousness of purpose, maturity and cultural adaptability

Applicant’s ability to contribute beyond his/her specific field of study as a cultural ambassador

Fulbright Scholarship: Terms and Conditions

There are certain rules and regulation that an applicant needs to mind while applying for any Fulbright program. Find below the list of terms and conditions that an applicant needs to follow during and after the application process.

If the applicant is employed, he/she needs to submit the employer’s endorsement/Letter of Support in the prescribed format in which the employer must indicate that the applicant will get the required period of leave.

Depending on the category of the grant, the candidates are advised to request two to three referees to send their recommendation or complete those online before the end of the application deadline.

In case of Fulbright-Nehru Master’s Fellowships, recommended candidates need not apply to US institutions by themselves. IIE/Fulbright Program applies to four different institutions on the applicants’ behalf.

One applicant can apply for only one Fulbright-Nehru fellowship category during a competitive cycle.

Extensions and Transfer of visa sponsorship is not permitted.

The Fulbright grants can range from 2 weeks to 24 months depending on their category.

The Fulbright programs are offered for study, research, teaching or professional development in the US.

There is no age limit for the programs or grants offered under Fulbright.

In case of any query regarding any information about the above-mentioned fellowships, the applicants can send their questions or concerns to the specific departments. Find the details listed below:

For Fulbright-Nehru Master Fellowships: masters@usief.org.in

For Fulbright-Nehru Doctoral Research Fellowships: dr@usief.org.in

For Fulbright-Nehru Postdoctoral Research Fellowships: postdoc@usief.org.in

For Fulbright-Nehru Academic and Professional Excellence Fellowships: ape@usief.org.in

For Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Seminar: ieas@usief.org.in

For Fulbright-Kalam Climate Fellowship: climate@usief.org.in

For Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program: humphrey@usief.org.in

For Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program: ip@usief.org.in

For Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program: ip@usief.org.in

For Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers: ip@usief.org.in

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