Overview
The Fulbright Program is a world leader in international educational
exchange. The goal of the Program is to increase mutual understanding
between the people of the United States and the people of other countries
through educational exchange.
The Program — celebrating its 50th anniversary in 1996 — was
established in 1946 under legislation introduced by Arkansas Senator, J.
William Fulbright. In 1961, the Fulbright/Hays Act updated and
expanded the original legislation.
Nearly 5,000 Fulbright grants are awarded each year for foreign national
students, teachers, professors and professionals to study, teach, lecture and
conduct research in the U.S., and for U.S. nationals to do likewise outside of
the U.S.
Outside the U.S., the Program is administered in 50 countries by a
Binational Commission, and in the remaining countries by the U.S. Department of State's overseas staff.
Please note: All applications must go through either your home country's Commission or U.S. Embassy. IIE cannot accept applications under any circumstances.
The J. William Fulbright Foreign
Scholarship Board, which consists of 12 presidentially-appointed members,
supervises the Program, provides policy guidance and makes final selection of
all grantees.
Nearly 200,000 Fulbright alumni, many in positions of authority and
prestige, can be found in over 140 countries throughout the world.
Some notable Fulbright alumni include: U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan,
U.N. Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali, U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove,
Peruvian Minister of Education Alberto Varilla, Hungarian Minister of Foreign
Affairs Geza Jeszenszky, and Librarian of Congress James Billington.
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