2014-2015 Fulbright U.S. Student Program Competition Opens

NEW YORK – The Institute of International Education (IIE), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, has announced the launch of the 2014-2015 Fulbright U.S. Student Program competition.

For more than 66 years, the federal government-sponsored Fulbright U.S. Student Program has provided future American leaders with an unparalleled opportunity to study, conduct research and teach in other countries. Fulbright grants aim to increase mutual understanding among nations through educational and cultural exchange while serving as a catalyst for long-term leadership development.

ISU Students are encouraged to apply. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards over 1,600 grants annually and currently operates in more than 140 countries worldwide. Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships are now available to over 60 countries. Fulbright grants provide funding for round-trip travel, maintenance for one academic year, health and accident coverage and may also provide full or partial tuition.

Applicants to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program must be U.S. citizens at the time of application and hold a bachelor’s degree or the equivalent by the beginning of the grant. In the creative and performing arts, four years of professional training and/or experience meets this basic eligibility requirement. Professional applicants lacking a degree but with extensive professional study and/or experience in the field in which they wish to pursue a project may also be considered. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program does not require applicants to be currently enrolled in a college or university. Applications from young professionals interested in an international experience are also encouraged.

Applications must be submitted electronically to Sharon Sieber by the campus closing date of Oct. 4. For non-enrolled students applying at-large, applications must be submitted electronically by Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. EST. For more information, interested individuals should visit the Fulbright U.S. Student Program website at www.us.fulbrightonline.org. Students currently enrolled at Idaho State University should contact their campus Fulbright Program Adviser, Sharon Sieber at siebshar@isu.edu.

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 300,000 participants worldwide with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. In the past 64 years, over 117,000 students, scholars, and teachers from the United States have benefited from the Fulbright experience. The Fulbright Program is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State. Financial support is provided by an annual appropriation from the United States Congress to the Department of State and by participating foreign governments and host institutions in the United States and abroad. The Presidentially-appointed J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board formulates policy guidelines and makes the final selection of all grantees.

The Institute of International Education administers and coordinates the Fulbright U.S. Student Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, including the annual competition for grants.