Presented by: E.J. Monster, U.S. Embassy

Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program

What is Fulbright?

• Flagship educational exchange program to increase mutual understanding between people of the USA & other countries through educational exchanges

• Established in 1946 under legislation introduced by Senator J. William Fulbright (Arkansas); sponsored by U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA); operates in over 155 countries

• Active in South Africa since 1953; over 1,000 South Africans have pursued graduate studies in the U.S. under the auspices of the Fulbright Program

Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program

The Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program provides grants to approximately 850 foreign scholars from over 100 countries to conduct post-doctoral research at U.S. institutions from an academic semester to a full academic year.

Program Length: 3 to 9 months

Average number of grants annually in SA: 7

Who is eligible to apply?

To participate in the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program, the applicant must have:

•a doctoral degree or equivalent professional training or experience at the time of application.•sufficient proficiency in the English language to carry out the project required.

Where in the U.S.?

Host institutions are nearly always U.S. universities.

Applicants are expected to submit evidence that they have identified a host affiliation in the United States as part of the application process.

Please include a letter of invitation from the host institution in the application materials.

Travel and Living Arrangements

The Fulbright grant will provide:

•a monthly stipend for living expenses, but YOU will be responsible for identifying and arranging your own accommodations•round-trip airfare to/from U.S.•basic health insurance while in the U.S.

Who gets selected?

The competition for all Fulbright grants is merit-based. Candidates are selected based on a variety of factors, that include:

– academic qualifications– project feasibility– personal leadership ability– U.S. Embassy priorities– available grant funds

How do I apply?

• Applications must be submitted online

• Application instructions and link to the application form: http://southafrica.usembassy.gov/postgraduate.html

• Applications must be received by November 30, 2015; late or incomplete applications will not be considered

• Save your username and password somewhere safe• Don’t use all CAPS, use upper and lower case; e.g. John Doe• You can copy and paste into text boxes• Adhere to space provided• Save your application frequently • Essays and resume/CV should be concise • Follow formatting guidelines and preview before submitting

Online Application General tips

Alternatives

http://southafrica.usembassy.gov/educational-advising.html

QUESTIONS?

Fulbright_Program_SAfrica@state.gov