"Fostering leadership, learning and empathy between cultures was and remains the purpose of the international scholarship program."
– Senator J. William Fulbright

THE FULBRIGHT PROGRAM:

• Is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
• Is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools worldwide.
• Was established in 1946 by the U.S. Congress to "enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries."
• Awarded approximately six thousand grants in 2004, at a cost of more than $250 million, to U.S. students, teachers, professionals, and scholars to study, teach, lecture, and conduct research in more than 150 countries, and to their foreign counterparts to engage in similar activities in the United States.
• Receives its primary source of funding through an annual appropriation from Congress to the Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions in foreign countries, and in the United States, also contribute financially through cost-sharing and indirect support, e.g., through salary supplements, tuition waivers, and university housing.

The Fulbright Program, the U.S. government's flagship program in international educational exchange, was proposed to the U.S. Congress in 1945 by then freshman Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. In the aftermath of World War II, Senator Fulbright viewed the proposed program as a much-needed vehicle for promoting "mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries of the world." His vision was approved by Congress and the program signed into law by President Truman in 1946.

Fulbright grants are made to U.S. citizens and nationals of other countries for a variety of educational activities, primarily university lecturing, advanced research, graduate study and teaching in elementary and secondary schools. Since the program’s inception, more than 273,500 participants—chosen for their leadership potential—have had the opportunity to observe each other’s political, economic and cultural institutions.

Of these participants, 45,400 have been overseas academics and professionals who have conducted research or taught in U.S. universities as Fulbright Visiting Scholars, and more than 43,600 U.S. faculty and professionals who have engaged in similar activities abroad.
Both U.S. and Visiting Fulbright Scholars lecture or conduct research in a wide variety of academic and professional fields ranging from journalism and urban planning to music, philosophy, business administration and zoology.

The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the United States Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Under a cooperative agreement with the Bureau, the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) assists in the administration of the Fulbright Scholar Program for faculty and professionals.

The primary source of funding for the Fulbright Program is an annual appropriation made by the United States Congress to the Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions in foreign countries and in the United States also contribute financially through cost-sharing and indirect support, such as salary supplements, tuition waivers and university housing. The Congressional appropriation for the Fulbright Program in fiscal year 2005 was $144.5 million. Foreign governments, through their binational commissions or foundations, contributed an additional $37 million directly to the Fulbright Program.

Both public and private agencies in the United States assist in the administration of the Fulbright Program. Overseas, it is administered by binational Fulbright Commissions or by the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassies. The Presidentially appointed J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board is responsible for the final selection of all Fulbright grantees and the supervision of the Fulbright Program worldwide.

The Fulbright Program encompasses a variety of exchange programs, including those for faculty and professionals. A brief explanation of and link to each program is provided below.

Important Message about New Guidelines for Applicants

As always, preference will be given to candidates who have not had a previous Fulbright award. Effective for the 2007 competition, recipients of a traditional Fulbright Senior Scholar award (defined as longer than two months) are eligible to receive another traditional award five years after the date of completion of the previous award. The maximum number of traditional Fulbright Senior Scholar awards is two in a lifetime.

The five-year requirement between traditional awards does not apply to the Fulbright Senior Specialist Program or other short-term awards, which are defined as awards of under two months duration. Recipients of a short-term award are eligible to receive a traditional or a second short-term award two years after the completion of the preceding short-term award.

Recipients of a traditional award are eligible to receive a short-term award two years after the completion of the traditional award.
The maximum number of any combination of traditional Fulbright awards for Senior Scholars is limited to two with the following conditions and exceptions:

1. That a Fulbright Student award does not count towards this lifetime limit;
2. That a short-term award (two months or less) shall count as ½ of a traditional Fulbright award for purposes of counting in a lifetime limit and shall not exceed two in a lifetime

*Appointed by the President of the United States, the twelve-member Board establishes policies and procedures for the worldwide Fulbright Program.*

• Fulbright for WMU Faculty, Researchers and Staff, and Non-US Faculty, Researchers, Professionals
  

• For all Western Michigan University Students, currently enrolled and/or Alumni:

  For Program Design, Full Information about Fulbright Students Program and Application Procedure, please proceed here.