Fulbright Grant
Please note: this process is for Princeton undergraduates and alumni. Current Princeton graduate students should contact Elaine Willey, Assistant Dean of the Graduate School, for Fulbright advising.
Website: www.us.fulbrightonline.org/
Princeton Deadline: 1 p.m., October 3, 2013
National Deadline: 5 p.m., October 15, 2013
Advisers:
- Professor Michael Laffan (mlaffan@princeton.edu)
- Dean Nancy Kanach (nkanach@princeton.edu)
Fields of Study: Open
Description: The Fulbright Grant, sponsored by the U.S. government, was established in 1946 by the U.S. Congress to "enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries." Each year, over 1,000 Americans study or conduct research in over 140 nations with the support of the Fulbright. There are two types of Fulbright Grants available.
- Study/Research Grants: Applicants for the Study/Research Grant plan their own course of study or research. Projects may include university coursework, independent research, special projects in the creative or performing arts, or a combination
- English Teaching Assistantship: Recipients of the Fulbright ETA are placed in schools or universities outside of capital cities. They are assigned various activities designed to improve their students' language abilities and knowledge of the United States.
Eligibility
- U.S. citizen in good health
- Bachelor’s degree but not Ph.D. by the beginning date of the grant
- Language proficiency, in non-English-speaking countries, sufficient to communicate with the people of the host country and to carry out the proposed study
- Preference for applicants who have received the majority of their education at educational institutions in the U.S. (study abroad does not count).
Application Procedure
Enrolled Princeton students who wish to apply to the Fulbright Scholars Program must apply through the Fellowship Advising office at Princeton. Princeton alumni may also apply through the OIP or they may apply as at-large candidates. Generally, candidates may apply for one country only.
April 2013: Call the Office of International Programs (8-5524) or e-mail fellow@princeton.edu to make an appointment to meet with Professor Laffan or with Dean Kanach to discuss your plan for applying to the Fulbright. Bring a resume, grade report from SCORE, and a completed Fulbright Advising Questionnaire (.doc) to the meeting. If you have begun a draft of your project statement, please bring it with you as well. If you plan to apply for an English Teaching Assistantship, your draft statement should be a discussion of your approach to teaching and your interest in the country where you would like to teach.
As you begin to map out your project, be sure to consult the Fulbright website, especially the application timeline, components, and tips listed under the tab labeled "Applicants." Fulbright offers a variety of webinars throughout the application cycle. They are listed on the Fulbright website and are very helpful. You may also consult samples of project statements and personal statements of past Fulbright recipientst. These essays are available in the Office of International Programs and on shelves just outside the Trustee Reading Room at Firestone Library. Professor Laffan and Dean Kanach will help you understand the application process and give you some initial feedback on your proposal, which should be seen as work in progress.
After your initial meeting with Dean Kanach or Professor Laffan, if you decide to pursue an application, you must send an e-mail to fellow@princeton.edu to request an adviser assignment. If you know your country of application and whether you will be submitting an ETA or a study/research project application, please indicate that in your e-mail. You will then be assigned a campus Fulbright Committee member who will serve as your adviser and with whom you will continue to develop your proposal and personal essay.
May 1-June 14: Before mid-June, meet once (in person or by Skype) with the campus Fulbright Committee member to whom you have been assigned to discuss your project and to arrange for some guidance over the summer. You should be in contact with your assigned Committee member at least twice over the summer before you submit the final essays on August 30.
August 30: Last day by which you can submit application essays to your campus Fulbright Committee member. Be sure to cc: fellow@princeton.edu and Barbara MacFarland at bmacfarl@princeton.edu.
September 3 to 30: Meet with your campus Fulbright Committee member to finalize your essays.
October 1: Campus deadline (by 1 pm) to submit online completed applications, including three letters of recommendation, language assessments (if relevant) and transcripts. You will no longer be able to access the application on line.
October 2-3: Completed applications with letters of recommendations and transcript will be delivered to your campus Fulbright Committee member, who may ask to meet with you once more as part of the evaluation process. If corrections/revisions need to be made to your application at this time, Barbara MacFarland must be notified by the Committee member so that the electronic application can be unlocked for you to make the changes.
October 10: Written comments from Committee members are due to the Office of International Programs. Supplementary application materials for creative projects (e.g. art, theatre and creative writing) must be uploaded by this date.
October 15, 2013: National deadline for Fulbright.
Please note: this process is for Princeton undergraduates and alumni. Current Princeton graduate students should contact Elaine Willey, Assistant Dean of the Graduate School, for Fulbright advising.
All applications will be evaluated in a preliminary national screening, the results of which will not be communicated before the end of January. Candidates who receive notification that their application was recommended for further consideration will usually receive notification of the final decision in April or May, but notification can come as late as June.
