Selection Process

Fellowship award recipients will be selected on the basis of merit with consideration for:

  • academic record and potential to succeed in the proposed program,
  • commitment to international education to fulfill academic and career goals,
  • language interest and aptitude
  • quality and appropriateness of the proposed program and its relevance to the goals of the National Security Education Program, and
  • commitment to service in the federal government.

The primary factors in the selection of Fellows are:

  • a demonstrated academic excellence,
  • a comprehensive, clear, and feasible proposal,
  • a clear plan and demonstrated commitment to develop, maintain, or advance language competence,
  • evidence of ability to adapt to a different cultural environment.
  • a clear and cogent explanation of the relevance of the proposed study to U.S. national security, and,
  • an expressed commitment to federal service.

The review process has three stages:

First Stage - IIE will review each application for completeness. Applications that are incomplete (missing recommendations, transcripts, etc.) will not be forwarded to merit review panels.

Second Stage - All complete and eligible applications will be forwarded to appropriate merit review panels for consideration. The members of these panels are selected by IIE and are comprised of college and university faculty as well as experts from the public and private sectors.

National Panel Review - Those applications determined to be meritorious at the second stage review will be forwarded to a national nominating panel, which will designate Fellowship finalists to the National Security Education Program Office. National Panel members are chosen by IIE and are comprised of college and university faculty as well as experts from the public and private sectors. The National Panel will consider:

  1. the strength of the applicant's proposal in terms of the program preferences, including country and language of study, as well as the applicant's field of study; and
  2. the ethnic, racial, and gender diversity of the fellowship finalists. The panel is also directed to give special consideration to students from science, engineering, and business.