Fulbright Options
So you want to apply for a Fulbright? Did you know there are many different options of awards? Here I give an overview of some of the different Fulbright awards and what to look for when you are looking for an award.
The Fulbright Scholar Award
Fulbright Scholar Awards are provided to higher education faculty as well as other professionals outside of a university position. Awards are available in many countries across all continents. Each country and each award has different criteria for what they are looking for. Some characteristics that differ between awards are discipline, activity, length of award, host institution, requirement of invitation letter, language proficiency, and stipend allowances, among others.
Discipline
Within the award catalog, there are two ways to determine the requested discipline. In some cases, the title of the award will specify the discipline. Many of the awards are simply titled “All Disciplines”, but then toward the bottom of the Award Details page they will list specific disciplines they are interested in and perhaps go into more depth within a specific area of interest.
For example, the 2022-23 award 12117-AL to Albania is titled All Disciplines, but then on the Award Details page says, “Only applications in the following disciplines will be considered” and lists Education, Gender Studies, Information Sciences, Journalism, Law, Public Administration, and Religious studies. Under that, it then gives a list of Areas of Interest, which include Investigative Journalism, Women Studies, Higher Education Administration, Curriculum Development, Public Administration, Media Literacy, CVE, and Cyber Security. Therefore, although the award title says they will consider all disciplines, this is not necessarily the case.
However, the award I applied for was titled Education and Psychology and asked for only disciplines related to either education or psychology, then gave a bunch of areas of interest within education/psychology. You just need to make sure you read the details!
Activity
There are four main activities: Research, Teaching, Teaching/Research, or Professional Project.
In a Research activity, you are conducting research. This could take place in a lab, in the field, in archives, or as an artist residency. I can be clinical, experimental, or applied. There should be a tangible outcome (book, journal articles, patent, exhibition) as a culmination of the Fulbright. The problem (and reason I did not apply for a Research Fulbright) is that to complete a research project, I would require Institutional Review Board (IRB) permission from my university, along with approval from the host institution, which takes time. Along with setting up the study, finding willing sites, obtaining permission and consent, and then finally completing the project, I did not feel I could complete all that in just one semester.
In a Teaching activity, you are teaching classes, as well as providing guest lectures, workshops, and seminars. The teaching load varies, but I will be teaching two graduate-level courses during the semester, both of which I am creating built on my expertise and previous taught courses. With a Teaching award you can also consult on research and advise graduate students on theses and dissertations.
With a Teaching/Research activity, you are doing both teaching and research responsibilities, although the teaching load would be lessened.
With a Professional Project, you are engaging in various activities in your area of expertise. This could be serving as a consultant, gaining practical experience, or visiting scholars and practitioners in the field. The professional project can vary, but the primary focus is not either research or teaching.
Length of Award
The typical length of award is either one semester or two semesters, varying from 4 to 9 months. This usually depends on the award, although some awards give the option of the length depending on the proposed project. In Hungary, all of the awards were 4 months, so this may also be regulated by the country. For some awards there is the option of a flex grant. Fulbright Flex Awards allow scholars to propose multiple stays in the host country of one to three months. The stays can be used over the course of two to three years.
Host Institution
By carefully reviewing the Awards Details, some awards specify the host institution or provide a list of potential host institutions in the country. In some cases, the award is for a specific university and that is often reflected in the award title.
Requirement of Invitation Letter
In some cases, the award will require you to receive a letter of invitation from your potential host institution. In my case, a letter of invitation was recommended but not required. I was able to receive a letter and submitted it with my application. This allowed me to show the committee that there was a university who values my expertise and wants to host me. However, some countries do not allow you to contact the universities in advance and do not allow letters of invitation. The Award Details will tell you what your award requires.
Language Requirements
In many cases, there is no need to be proficient (or even know a word) of the host language. For instance, I didn’t know any Hungarian prior to applying, and my Hungarian right now is very rudimentary. My courses will all be taught in English, and the majority of my students will be Erasmus students (foreign students in Hungary for an exchange semester/year); all Erasmus courses are taught in English. However, the Award Details will inform you if speaking the language or teaching courses in the host language is a requirement of the award.
Stipend Allowances
The Fulbright award gives you some money to complete your program. Typically this is a monthly stipend and may also include a monthly housing allowance, a travel allowance to attend regional conferences, or an airfare allowance. The Award Details will tell you exactly what the stipend and other monetary allowances are. In some cases, the university will provide housing; in other cases, you will need to find your own place to live. We leave in one month, and still don’t have a place to live once we get there!
Other Fulbright Awards
There are some other Fulbright awards in addition to the traditional Fulbright Scholar award. Here are a few that are offered:
The International Education Administrators Fulbright awards are for senior-level higher education administrators to connect with higher education systems in other countries. This is an intensive two-week grant where administrators will learn about the host country’s educational system and establish networks with colleagues in order to serve international students and study-abroad opportunities at their home university.
Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Awards are considered the most prestigious awards. These are for senior scholars with great expertise; most are restricted to academics although some allow artists and professionals to apply. These awards requirements and activities will vary, but scholars will engage in the host institution in “a spirit of promoting mutual understanding and sharing knowledge”.
Fulbright Postdoctoral Awards allow recent graduates an opportunity to conduct research and receive professional training, which may or may not include teaching. Scholars must have received a doctoral degree within the last five years awarded before the start of the Fulbright. Scholars do not have to be affiliated with a university; they can be working in a different sector. These can be found on the regular Fulbright Scholars award page by filtering
Fulbright awards are also available to students! Students have the opportunity to participate in an open study or research award in which they will design their own projects and work with advisers at a foreign university. These awards are open to both undergraduate and graduate students, but again, each country and each award has different criteria for what they are looking for. Students can also receive a Fulbright as an English Teaching Assistant to help teach English while serving as cultural ambassadors for the US. These positions could be from kindergarten through university level depending on the country.
As you can see, there are a lot of options for academics, professionals, artists, and even students! By visiting the current catalog of awards you can search by host country, award type, discipline, activity, or other characteristics to limit the award list to your interests!
