Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Award Information

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed research projects, graduate study abroad, or for English Teaching Assistantships (ETAs) abroad.

Boston University is national Top Producer of Fulbright grantees.

Fulbright creates connections in a complex and changing world. In partnership with more than 160 countries worldwide, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers unparalleled opportunities in all academic disciplines to passionate and accomplished graduating college seniors, graduate students, and young professionals from all backgrounds. Program participants pursue graduate study, conduct research, or teach English abroad.

Fulbrighters join a network of thousands of alumni serving as leaders across the globe. Through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, participants enrich their educations, advance their careers—and make meaningful contributions abroad and at home.

The main award categories are:

English Teaching Assistant Programs (ETA)

Grantees are placed in schools overseas to supplement local English language instruction and to provide a native speaker presence in the classrooms. while serving as cultural ambassadors for the U.S. The age and academic level of the students varies by country, ranging from elementary to university level. List of ETA countries.

Research Grants

Applicants for study/research awards design their own projects and will typically work with advisers at foreign universities, research institutes or NGOs. The study/research awards are available in approximately 150 countries. Requirements vary widely by country, so be sure to explore the program summary for the host country. A subcategory includes Creative & Performing Arts grants for individuals who wish to practice their artistic craft abroad.

Graduate Study

Many Fulbright partner countries provide graduate degree grants at local universities covering full tuition and living stipends for an academic year (sometimes more).

Other Fulbright awards, including the Fulbright-National Geographic Storytelling Fellowship, can be explored on the Fulbright website.

Eligibility

  • U.S. citizens at the time of application.
  • Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent before the start of the grant.
  • Foreign Language? This requirement varies; some countries require no language proficiency at all. Details can be found on the country pages. For research, applicants should have sufficient language proficiency to carry out the proposed project.
  • Teaching Experience? Formal teaching experience is not required for the ETA programs, but you should consider how you might demonstrate your preparedness to assist in the teaching of English in a local classroom. We can discuss this!

Selection Criteria

Successful applicants are motivated, open-minded people. They should be flexible self-starters with a strong interest in promoting the Fulbright Program’s mission: fostering mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations, sharing knowledge across communities, and improving lives around the world. Candidates are evaluated based on their cumulative experience and goals; there is no minimum GPA requirement.

  • Quality and feasibility of the proposal (for research, graduate study, arts, or English teaching assistantship)
  • Academic and extracurricular experiences
  • Personal qualifications (maturity, adaptability, flexibility, communication skills, ambassadorial qualities)
  • Language qualification (as specified by country and as needed by project)
  • Extent to which the candidate and the project will help to advance the Fulbright mission of promoting mutual understanding among nations through engagement in the host community

Application Procedures

Fulbright requires currently enrolled BU undergraduate (rising senior) or graduate students to apply through the institution. We invite recent alums to also apply through BU and take advantage of the robust support we provide to applicants. Our goal is to help you reach the Fulbright national deadline in October with your strongest, most competitive application.

To ensure that you receive valuable Fulbright information and guidance early on, we invite express your intent to apply by emailing your name, class year, school, major, summer contact info, and tentative Fulbright plans: host country, ETA or research/study (and tentative field/topic) to bufellow@bu.edu by July 1, 2025.

Additional application guidance for the internal August 11, 2025 BU application deadline are available here.