About the U.S. Scholars Program

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program offers hundreds of awards to faculty, researchers and staff members from U.S. institutions to teach, conduct research or both through international exchange. These programs cover a broad array of disciplines and include seminars for administrators interested in international education. Many of these programs offer great flexibility to accommodate teaching schedules and can vary in length from two weeks to a year; they can include multiple short visits to one country or multiple countries with intervening time spent at UC San Diego.

Please note that U.S. citizenship is required for the U.S. Scholars Program.

If you are interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholar award, contact Max Reinke, UC San Diego's Fulbright Scholar Liaison, at mreinke@ucsd.edu.

Scholar Catalog of Awards

The Fulbright Scholar Catalog of Awards helps scholars easily identify the hundreds of opportunities for teaching and/ or research by specific disciplines or by countries and regions.

EXPLORE THE CATALOG HERE

Fulbright Scholar Awards

Fulbright Scholar Awards comprise the bulk of awards offered and include opportunities for scholars, professionals, and artists. Fulbright offers more than 400 awards in 135+ countries. Location and eligibility vary across all awards, and some awards may be restricted to certain career levels or types of scholars. It is important that you review each award description in its entirely to make sure that you are eligible and that this would be the best Fulbright award for you. Many awards are generic, "all discipline" award types, but many countries offer discipline-specific teaching and research. Additionally, there are unique awards within this category, including the Global Scholar Award, the Fulbright Arctic Initiative Award and the Fulbright Amazonia Award. While most require a terminal degree, there are opportunities for established professionals and artists.

Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Awards

The Distinguished Scholar Awards, the most prestigious appointments in the Fulbright Program, recognize accomplished scholars with outstanding teaching and research experience. To be eligible, you must demonstrate more than seven years of experience in your discipline or area of expertise. Distinguished Scholars are expected to actively engage host institutions in a spirit of promoting mutual understanding and sharing knowledge.

To find Distinguished Scholar Awards, go to the Catalog of Awards and use the Award Type filter to retrieve a list of awards available for the current application cycle.

Postdoctoral and Early Career Awards

Postdoctoral and Early Career Awards allow scholars to acquire new skills, grow expertise, expand publishing networking, identify new research collaborations, and connect with peers early in their career.

To find Postdoctoral and Early Career Awards, go to the Catalog of Awards and use the Award Type filter to retrieve a list of awards available for the current application cycle.

Fulbright Flex Awards

Offered in more than 63 countries, the Flex option allows the grantee to divide their grant into multiple, short-term stays in the host country of a period of one to two years. IIE will provide a minimum duration of time in-country, which could depend on a variety of factors, including available funding.

To find Flex Award options, go to the Catalog of Awards and use the Award Length filter to retrieve a list of awards available for the current application cycle.

Fulbright International Education Administrators Seminars

The Fulbright International Education Administrators ( IEA) Awards are intensive two-week seminars for higher education professionals to learn about education systems in other countries. Participants build their network, make connections, and develop new perspectives to further international engagement and institutional partnerships. Fulbright covers all travel and accommodation costs and arranges the group's itineraries. The IEA award is only available in the following countries: France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Eligible careers include study abroad advisors, admissions advisors, international student advisors, campus leadership (deans, vice presidents, presidents, provosts and directors), and staff working in career services, alumni affairs and development.

If you are interested in an IEA award, please note that the deadline may be different from the typical U.S. Scholar Award deadline in mid-September. It is important that you research the IEA award for the country to where you would like to travel to know when the deadline is for the current application cycle.

Fulbright Specialist Program

The Fulbright Specialist Program is a short-term opportunity for professionals and academics to share expertise, gain international experience, and develop collaborative partnerships. Specialists in 22 eligible disciplines can go abroad for 2-6 week host-designed, project-based exchanges. Exchange activities include:

Delivering seminars, trainings or workshops
Consulting on faculty or workforce development
Developing academic or training curricula/ materials
Providing lectures at the graduate or undergraduate level
Engaging in strategic or institutional planning
Conducting needs assessments or evaluations for a program or institution.

The host institution can be an institute of higher education, government, cultural institution, NGO, or medical or public health organization.

Fulbright Specialists can apply to the roster at-large and be active on the roster for a period of five years. There is no limit on the amount of times that you can be selected for a Specialist Program during those five years. For those with existing international collaborations, the international institution can submit a project proposal to their country's Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy to be listed as a roster to facilitate a Fulbright Specialist Program award.

Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship

The Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship (FPPF) for the 2025-26 competition has been discontinued. If you are interested in other relevant Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards or visit fulbrightprogram.org for more information on potential opportunities. Potential FPPF applicants may also find the Ian Axford Fellowships in Public Policy of interest as these fellowships are for outstanding mid-career U.S. professionals to research and gain first-hand experience of public policy at a New Zealand government organization.

For any inquiries about the Fulbright Public Policy Fellowship, please email fppf@iie.org.

Application Resources

Applicants are encouraged to review the abundance of resources available to submit a successful Fulbright application. From selecting an award to tips on drafting a highly competitive application, these resources can be of assistance to anywhere in the application process.

VIEW RESOURCES

Fulbright Scholars Webinar

This session from the 2021 Virtual Fulbright Day focuses on the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program and the different opportunities available for faculty, post-docs and staff through the Catalog of Awards.

Click HERE for the PowerPoint Presentation.