For U.S. Students
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers fellowships for U.S. graduating college seniors, graduate students, young professionals and artists to study, conduct research, and/or teach English abroad. In addition, Critical Language Enhancement Awards are available to grantees for study of critical need foreign languages before or during their grant period.
Rice Contact: Kelsey Ullom, Assistant Director, Center for Civic Leadership (keu1@rice.edu)
Fulbright Website: us.fulbrightonline.org/fulbright-us-student-program
Process for Current U.S. Students Interested in Fulbright
About the Fulbright U.S. Student Program
In partnership with more than 140 countries worldwide, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers unparalleled opportunities in all academic disciplines to passionate and accomplished graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals from all backgrounds. Program participants pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English abroad. Grant lengths and dates vary by award. Please consult the specific award description for details.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be citizens or nationals of the United States of America at the time of the application deadline. Permanent residents are not eligible. Please review the specific award description in relation to the eligibility of dual citizens.
- Applicants must have a conferred bachelor's degree or equivalent before the start of the grant period.
- 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.
- Read about other factors affecting eligibility on the Fulbright U.S. Student Program website.
Timeline
- Spring - Annual competition opens.
- Summer - Application preparation.
- August/September - Applicants seeking to apply through Rice will submit their application early through the Center for Civic Leadership and interview with a committee of Rice faculty.
- October - National deadline.
- January - June - Award notifications.
- Grant start date varies by host country.
Application Components
- Biographical data and program information
- Statement of grant purpose
- 3 short answer questions
- Unofficial transcripts
- 3 letters of recommendation
- Letter of affiliation, if pursuing Study/Research
- Language evaluation forms (requirements vary by country)
Resources for Applying
The advising team at the CCL is prepared to talk with you about your goals and motivations to help you identify potential opportunities that align with your experiences and eligibility. Our advisers can walk you through the process, talk through potential recommenders, and give you a number of reflection activities to get you started on determining the fellowships or other programs you might be interested in, as well as resources to find other funding opportunities. CCL advisers can introduce you to alumni and other connections who can tell you about their experiences or suggest contacts.
Once you decide to apply to Fulbright, you can submit materials through our canvas page and CCL advisers will read and provide feedback for you to consider as you draft. Our goal is to support you in synthesizing your experiences, understanding your motivations, and seeing a clear path to achieving your goals. Whether you get the fellowship or not, we help you develop application writing and reflection skills and support you in making contacts with networks that can open additional opportunities beyond that particular fellowship.
Get started here: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/
Contact the Fulbright Program Advisor, Kelsey Ullom at keu1@rice.edu