Fulbrights

“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 2008, at a cost of more than $275.4 million, to U.S. students, teachers, professionals, and scholars to study, teach, lecture, and conduct research in more than 155 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 U.S. Student Program grant numbers are subject to the availability of federally appropriated funds. The United States Department of State reserves the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, numbers of awards, terms of agreement, and allowances.

PLU Fulbright Program Advisor

Dr. Bridget Yaden, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Programs, can provide information and guidance to PLU students and faculty interested in applying for IIE-administered Fulbright awards for study, research, or teaching assistantships abroad. Further information about Fulbright awards can be found on the Office of the Provost website.