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Applying for the U.S. Student Fulbright Program through St. Olaf College

For more information about this program, contact the Coordinator of Postgraduate Fellowships: Dana Gross, Professor of Psychology (grossd@stolaf.edu, 507-786-3624).

The U.S. Student Fulbright Program

The purpose of the prestigious U.S. Student Fulbright Program, established in 1946 by Senator J. William Fulbright, is:

1. To promote mutual understanding through a commitment to the free flow of ideas and people across national boundaries.
2. To expand, through this understanding, the boundaries of human wisdom, empathy and perception.
3. Through cooperation in constructive activities among people of different nations, to crate true and lasting world peace.

For resources and complete information about the Fulbright Program, visit www.us.fulbrightonline.org (Back to top)

Eligibility

Applicants must be U.S. citizens at the time of their application and must hold a Bachelor's degree or the equivalent before the beginning of the grant. Most applicants from St. Olaf apply during the fall of their senior year. It's never too early, though, to start exploring the possibilities and thinking about how your coursework, research, volunteer activities, employment, and international study choices might support a Fulbright application or other postgraduate options.

NOTE: Recent alumni/alumnae who are not currently enrolled in another institution are welcome to apply through St. Olaf, rather than using the At-Large category. Contact Professor Dana Gross (grossd@stolaf.edu) if you are interested in this option.

For resources and complete information about the Fulbright Program, visit www.us.fulbrightonline.org (Back to top)

Types of Fulbright Grants

Fulbright recipients receive financial support for approximately 10 months of either study/research or English teaching. The Fulbright operates in more than 155 countries worldwide, so applicants must identify a country or region and apply for one of two basic types of grants:

Study/Research Grants: Projects may include university coursework, independent library, lab or field research, classes in a music conservatory or art school, special projects in the social or life sciences, or a combination. Most grantees plan their own programs and make arrangements with a host university, institution, or organization.

English Teaching Assistantship (ETA): English Teaching Assistantships differ from the Study/Research Grants in that their primary purpose is to engage students in the classroom and, therefore, elaborate study/research projects are not required. ETAs should, however, propose small research projects or community engagement activities that complement their ETA fellowship and fulfill the purpose of the Fulbright Program – increasing mutual understanding.

A Foreign Language Evaluation and Language Self Evaluation are required for many countries where English is not the official language and/or English is not commonly spoken.

For information about Preparing An Application, go to http://us.fulbrightonline.org/preparingapplication.html (Back to top)

St. Olaf Fulbright Program Adviser

The St. Olaf Fulbright Program Adviser is Dana Gross, Professor of Psychology. If you wish to be added to the St. Olaf Fulbright Interest alias, email Professor Gross (grossd@stolaf.edu). This will ensure that you get messages about orientation and advising sessions and other updates and advice about the process. It's never too early to start exploring the possibilities and thinking about how your coursework, research, volunteer activities, and international study choices might support a Fulbright application or other postgraduate options. (Back to top)

General Timeline for St. Olaf Students Applying for a Fulbright Grant

Spring Semester

• Attend a campus information session.
• Schedule a follow-up conversation with Professor Dana Gross, St. Olaf's Fulbright Program Adviser (FPA).
• Contact potential faculty members to ask if they will write a letter of recommendation for you.
• For students applying for a Study/Research Grant, identify and meet with a faculty member with disciplinary expertise in the field in which you plan to carry out your project.

Summer

• If possible, attend an IIE Guidance Session (held monthly at IIE offices nationwide – check the schedule of events on the Fulbright web page (http://us.fulbrightonline.org).
• Avail yourself of the many resources available on the Fulbright webpage (http://us.fulbrightonline.org) and the many forms of social media with information about the application process, testimonials from previous Fulbrighters, reports from current Fulbrighters, and tips for applying to different countries and regions:
  • Podcasts: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/podcast.html
  • U.S. student applicant blog: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/blog.html
  • Videos on country profile pages: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/video.html
  • YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/fulbrightprogram
  • Twitter: http://us.fulbrightonline.org/twitter.html
  • Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fulbright
• Familiarize yourself completely with the Fulbright program to which you are applying -- Study/Research or English Teaching Assistant.
• Identify the country or region of greatest interest to you and read the online Fulbright materials about the number of each type of grant available in that country or region and any special conditions or areas of interest.
• For students applying for a Study/Research Grant, ask the faculty member in your disciplinary area for suggestions for identifying potential host affiliations and begin making inquiries.
• Another strategy for identifying potential host affiliations is to use the Fulbright directories (http://www.cies.org/schlr_directories/) to contact:
  1. US faculty who have had grants in the country and disciplinary field in which you are interested (http://www.cies.org/us_scholars/us_dir.htm)
  2. Visiting faculty from that country and the same or a closely related disciplinary field who have had grants for projects in the United States (http://www.cies.org/vs_scholars/vs_dir.htm).
• For either type of Fulbright program, write the first draft of your personal statement (1 page max.).
• For students applying for a Study/Research Grant, write the first draft of your project statement (2 pages max.).
• Contact Professor Gross with any questions.
• Start your online application by visiting http://us.fulbrightonline.org/applynow.html

September

• Attend as many walk-in help sessions as possible.
• Complete the language evaluation procedure.
• Submit all materials online, including the letter of affiliation (for students applying for a Study/Research Grant in all countries except Japan).
• Provide an updated copy of your personal statement and, if applicable, project statement, to the faculty members writing letters of recommendation for you.

October

• Schedule your interview with the campus screening committee.
• Make any last revisions to your personal statement and, if applicable, project statement, and submit the final version online.

November/December

• National Screening Committee (NSC) meetings are held to select candidates for recommendation to the host country.

January

• Late January: NSC Results are made available to FPAs - Recommended or not recommended.
• Late January: Results of NSC meetings are emailed to applicants - Recommended or not recommended.

March to June

• Host country and Fulbright decisions are compiled and notification of results (Selected, Alternate, or Not Selected) are mailed to recommended applicants. FPAs receive copies of Alternate and Not-selected letters.
• Since final decisions are made at the host country level, with the approval of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB) and the U.S. Department of State, IIE receives the decisions over a period of several months as the various countries and Boards meet to review the recommended applications.

May onward

• FPAs receive written notification of applicants who are offered a grant when the student accepts the grant. This usually occurs 6-8 weeks after the offer is made, but may be later if the student delays in returning the paperwork.
• Students who are selected for a Fulbright grant are notified about orientation sessions and other required program activities in preparation for embarking on their Fulbright year of study/research or English teaching.

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