If you are a U.S. citizen who is thinking of earning a Master’s degree, conducting research or teaching English, you could be one of more than 2,200 students who receive a Fulbright U.S. Student grant each year to go to one of more than 140 countries worldwide.The Fulbright U.S. Student Program operates in more than 140 countries worldwide. It awards grants in nearly all fields and disciplines, including the humanities, social sciences, STEM fields, and creative and performing arts.

Mines strongly encourages applications for research, study and English Teaching Assistant grants from its rising and graduating seniors, current graduate students and recent alumni.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government and is designed to build lasting connections between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. The Fulbright Program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program, which operates in over 160 countries worldwide.

What is a Fulbright Award? 

• Research. Fulbright research scholars conduct an independent research project for an academic year in one of 170+ countries throughout the world. This research project can be based on undergraduate research conducted at UMBC, international research experiences during an education-abroad term, or masters’ or doctoral research. Research can be in any academic subject in UMBC.
• MA or MS Degree Awards. Mines applicants can earn a partially or fully funded Masters’ degree in one of 30+ countries throughout the world. The majority of a awards are taught in English. Students in any academic major at Mines can continue their studies with specialized majors in Europe, including the United Kingdom and Ireland, East Asia, Australia and New Zealand, as well as Central and South America.
• English Teaching Assistantships (ETA). Fulbright ETAs can teach at primary, secondary or university levels, acting as co-teachers in classroom and community settings in one of 80+ countries throughout the world. Competitive applicants may have foreign-language skills, teaching and tutoring experience, and an enthusiasm to represent the diversity of the United States as a cultural ambassador in an international setting.

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be citizens or nationals of the United States of America at the time of the application deadline.
• Applicants must have a conferred bachelor’s degree or equivalent before the start of the grant period.
• Applicants must meet the language requirements of the award to which they are applying and demonstrate sufficient competency to complete their project and adjust to life in the host country.

Selection Criteria:

Applications are reviewed holistically against the requirements set forth by the host country and the preferences of the program.

Initial screening of applications for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards at the national level are made based on the below three categories:

• Project Proposal & Grant Purpose:
  • Quality and feasibility of the proposal as described in the Statement of Grant Purpose.
  • For Academic Study/Research applications: Plan, timeline, and methodology of proposed project; appropriate in-country affiliation and resources; strong connection between proposed project and host country
• Qualifications:
  • Academic and/or professional record.
  • Relevant training, accomplishments, and extracurricular activities
  • Language preparation (if required by host country or for project)
• Contribution to the Fulbright Mission & Personal Attributes:
  • Preference factors as established by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) and the Fulbright Commissions/Foundations.
  • Extent to which the candidate and the project will help to advance the Fulbright aim of promoting mutual understanding among nations through engagement in the host community, among other activities.
  • Desirability of achieving wide institutional and geographic distribution.
• Additional selection factors:
  • Ability of the supervising agencies abroad to arrange/confirm supervision and facilitate research clearance, if necessary.
  • Requirements of the program in individual countries. In some countries, advanced-degree candidates are preferred, and in some countries, certain fields of study are not recommended.
    • Refer to the award description before beginning an application to understand the requirements of your chosen award and confirm with IIE if you do not meet country specifications