Fulbright Scholarship Programs

The US Senator J. William Fulbright conceived the idea of a scholarship program that would result in the exchange of ideas, culture, and education between the US and other countries. The program was named the Fulbright Scholarship after the name of its proponent. The scholarship helps students to do their graduation, do research, or teach in schools and universities.

Under the Fulbright Scholarship program, grants are provided for education to research scholars, professionals, and students. The program was established in the year 1946. A total of 144 countries are presently covered under the program. The program is sponsored jointly by the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (the Bureau) and the US Department of State.

Further, the program is administered for professionals and faculty jointly by the Bureau and the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars (CIES). The funds for the program are provided by the US Congress to the US Department of State on a yearly basis. The governments of other countries participating in the program indirectly finance it through cost sharing, provision of housing facilities, and through waiver of tuition fees.

Fulbright scholars from the US and other program participating countries deliver lectures and do research in many fields. Through the program the exchange of ideas between scholars belonging to different participating countries takes place. It results in sharing of knowledge between various countries.

Some important programs under the Fulbright Scholarship are detailed below.

The US Fulbright Scholarship Program: Under the aegis of this program, approximately 800 professionals and scholars from the US are sent annually to other program participating countries, which number more than 140. They deliver lectures or conduct research in these other countries on a variety of different subjects. Their expenses are covered under the program.

The Visiting Fulbright Scholar Program: Scholars from other program participating countries visit the US and deliver lectures or do post-doctoral research there under this program.

Pre-Doctoral Fellowships: This program envisages scholarships to be provided to graduate and senior graduate students of both US and other program participating countries. Partial aid or full aid is awarded to these graduate students. US students study abroad with program aid, whereas those from other countries study in American Universities.

The Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program: Under this program, school teachers (from other program participating countries) at the primary, secondary, and higher secondary levels are sent to the US to teach in US schools. Similarly, US school teachers at these levels are sent abroad to teach in schools of other program participating countries. The program covers the expenses of all these teachers.

The Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program: Under this program, professionals, proficient in the fields of public policy analysis, public health, public administration, and developers of agricultural resources, get an opportunity of a one-year study in the US. The program was initiated in the year 1979.

These Fulbright Scholarship Programs are very useful to bring the academic communities of the US and the other countries closer.