Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Application timeline

First deadline: Sunday, September 1, 2024 at 11:59PM Central

Purpose: confirm intent to apply to Fulbright, required in order to participate in campus nomination process

Materials due:

1 ) statement of grant purpose uploaded to Fulbright Canvas site
2 ) personal statement uploaded to Fulbright Canvas site

Second deadline: Sunday, September 15, 2024 at 11:59PM Central.

Purpose: campus interview committees require complete applications in order to proceed with interviews

Materials due:

1 ) letters of recommendation, language evaluations, and letters of affiliation submitted to Fulbright IIE application portal
2 ) complete application uploaded and marked ‘Ready for Campus Review’ to Fulbright IIE application portal, including short answer questions and essays

Final deadline: Tuesday, October 8, 2024 at 4pm Central Time

Materials due:

1 ) complete application submitted to Fulbright IIE application portal

*The College has a different Fulbright deadline and process. Click here to learn more about the undergraduate Fulbright process.

About the Award

Fulbright awards are open to graduate students in all stages and programs, and are available in over 155 countries. The award covers round-trip airfare, a monthly stipend, and accident and sickness coverage. There are two major types of grants:

Fulbright Study / Research Awards: Fellowships are for 8-12 months of study or research in one country. Applicants for these grants design their own projects and must have well-formed international research projects and/or study plans. Applicants should establish affiliations with academics and/or other relevant organizations within the host country to support the projects, and must also include a plan for how they will engage with the host country community.

Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Awards: The English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Programs place Fulbrighters in classrooms abroad to provide assistance to the local English teachers. ETA’s help teach English language while serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S. The age and academic level of the students varies by country, ranging from kindergarten to university level. Applicants for ETA Programs can apply to only one country, and should include a plan for how they will engage with the host country community. ( ESL / ELL)

Eligibility

U.S. citizens who hold a BA degree at the time of the grant and do not hold a doctoral degree; some countries have requirements regarding foreign language proficiency and/or previous time spent in country. For research grants, applicants are expected to have the level of language proficiency needed to conduct their proposed research project. See full eligibility details here. Each country additionally may have country-specific requirements and preferences, which are listed in the country profile.

Application Process

Fulbright US Student Program fellowships involve an internal campus review and interview process in order to receive institutional endorsement. All applicants must meet with a Fellowships advisor to discuss the application and campus review process, as well as to receive resources and support. Contact grad-fellowships@uchicago.edu to schedule a meeting as early as possible. Drafts must be submitted by September 16, 2024 at 4pm CST in order to have a campus interview scheduled.

See the Fulbright US Student Program website for a detailed description of required application components. Requirements are different for ETA and Study/Research grants.

• Online Fulbright application, accessible via https://us.fulbrightonline.org/
• Statement of Grant Purpose (Study / Research: 2 pages single-spaced; ETA: 1 page single-spaced)
• Personal Statement (1 page, single-spaced)
• Foreign Language Forms (if applicable) including a) a self-reported summary of applicant’s background in languages and b) language proficiency evaluation submitted electronically by language instructor;
• Recommendation Letters (x 3) submitted electronically by recommenders;
• Transcripts from all post-high school institutions (scanned and uploaded);
• Letters of Affiliation from host country (1-4 recommended); not needed for ETA
• Campus Committee Evaluation Form completed by campus interview committee;
• Additional materials required for applicants in Creative and Performing Arts or applicants also applying for a Critical Language Enhancement Award.