US Fulbright Program - Eligibility (2024)

• Applicants must be citizens or nationals of the United States of America at the time of the application deadline. Permanent residents are not eligible. Please review the specific Award Description in relation to the eligibility of dual citizens.
• Applicants must have a conferred bachelor's degree or equivalent before the start of the grant period.
  • In the creative and performing arts, four years of professional training and/or experience meets the basic eligibility requirement. If you are an Arts applicant and do not hold a BA, please email fbstudent@iie.org with your professional experience and educational history to confirm eligibility before beginning an application.
• Applicants must meet the language requirements of the award to which they are applying and demonstrate sufficient competency to complete their project and adjust to life in the host country.
• Applicants may hold a J.D. at the time of application.
• Doctors of Medicine may receive grants for advanced academic study, but not for internships or residencies. Scholars with an M.D. degree who have completed their formal postgraduate training and propose attachment to a hospital or clinic for the purpose of independent or collaborative research should apply to theFulbright U.S. Scholar Program. Grants shall not authorize activity for which a license to practice medicine or nursing is required. The Fulbright Program cannot authorize proposals for medical research that involves clinical training, patient care or patient contact.

Preferred Qualifications

• In general, there is a program preference for those who have not previously held a Fulbright grant. For the 2025-2026 competition, 2024-2025, 2023-2024, and 2022-2023 grantees will be at a competitive disadvantage, but are still eligible to apply, provided they continue to meet all other eligibility requirements of the program and their chosen award.
• Preference will be given to applicants whose higher education was undertaken primarily at educational institutions in the United States. Undergraduate study abroad experiences, either in the chosen host country or elsewhere, will not be considered a disadvantage.
• Candidates who have not resided or studied in the country to which they are applying for more than six months, not counting undergraduate study abroad, are preferred. Duty abroad in the Armed Forces of the United States is not considered disqualifying within the meaning of this section.
• Candidates who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States will be given preference, provided their qualifications are approximately equivalent to those of other candidates.
• For most programs, applicants who have had extensive, recent previous experience in the host country are at a competitive disadvantage but are still eligible to apply.

The following are not eligible for consideration:

• For a period ending one year following the termination of such employment, association, or service:
  • For purposes of this section, the one-year period of ineligibility is calculated from the date of termination of employment, service, or association until the due date for submission of applications for program.
  • Employees of the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Agency for International Development. This provision includes all employees, paid or unpaid (including part-time or temporary employees, consultants, externs, fellows and contract employees). This provision does not apply to interns.
    • This provision also applies to any State Department internship programs that include pathways to career opportunities in the foreign or civil service. While participants in such programs may be eligible to apply for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, they may become ineligible to receive a Fulbright award if they accept employment at the culmination of their internship.
  • Employees of private and public agencies (excluding educational institutions) under contract to the U.S. Department of State to perform administrative or screening services on behalf of the U.S. Department of State’s exchange programs.
  • Officers of an organization, in the United States or abroad, including members of boards of trustees or similar governing bodies, or individuals otherwise associated with the organization, wherein the organization and the individuals are responsible for nominating or selecting individuals for participation in any exchange program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
  • Board members or staff of a Fulbright Commission.
  • Members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.
  • Immediate families (i.e., spouses and dependent children) of individuals described in the points above. This provision does not disqualify self-supporting children who live apart from their parents.
    • If you are unsure if you fall into one of the above categories, please email fbstudent@iie.org with details of your employment, including start and/or end dates and nature of your job responsibilities, to confirm eligibility for the program.
• Applicants who currently hold or will hold a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) by the national application deadline.
• Applicants seeking enrollment in a medical degree program abroad.
• Anyone who has resided abroad for five or more years in the six-year period preceding the national application deadline. For the purpose of this section, a candidate who has lived outside the United States for nine months or more during a calendar year is deemed to have resided abroad for that year.
  • If you are unsure of your eligibility in regards to your time spent abroad, please email fbstudent@iie.org with details of your time both in and outside of the U.S. within the past six years to confirm your eligibility to apply.
• In some cases, it may not be feasible for a dual national to participate in a Fulbright program in the country of their other nationality due to host country law or policy. Therefore, it is the applicant’s responsibility to ascertain whether they have, or are eligible to have, their host country’s nationality and to address any potential consequences thereof before they accept an award. Please refer to the country’s award description to determine the eligibility of dual nationals.
• For most grants, applicants who have had extensive previous experience abroad are at a competitive disadvantage but are not necessarily disqualified for that reason. However, following the policy of the relevant binational Fulbright Commission or the U.S. Embassy in the host country, some countries will not consider applicants who are currently residing in or will be residing in that country during the year preceding the grant. Please refer to the country’s award description to determine if residency in the host country in the year prior to the grant is allowed.

• Candidates may not apply to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program and the Fulbright Scholar Program in the same competition cycle.
• Candidates may not apply for more than one Fulbright U.S. Student grant in each competition cycle.

• The Fulbright Grants described on this website are subject to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which provide that no citizen of the United States may, on the grounds of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, or disability, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.
• Fulbright Diversity Statement: The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State strives to embed diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) in all aspects of its work. Public diplomacy is most effective when people of diverse backgrounds and perspectives participate in people-to-people exchanges and programs to promote mutual understanding. The Bureau incorporates DEIA best practices throughout its exchanges and programs, grants, community partnerships, and in its workforce and workplace. ECA is committed to addressing barriers based on race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, geographic location, education, income, socio-economic status, and other diversity dimensions, that may hinder inclusion in the organization. The Bureau’s commitment to DEIA strengthens U.S. foreign policy and is vital to building trust and partnerships here at home and around the world.

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