Application Timeline

If you are a junior this year (2019–2020), and are considering applying for a Fulbright Fellowship in fall 2020 (that is, for a fellowship that begins during the 2021–2022 academic year), you need to get an early start on the application process.

Spring 2020 Application Process Timeline for 2021–2022 Grants

Here are the important dates in spring 2020 (for 2021) Fulbright Fellowship application calendar. If you are a sophomore, and you are planning to spend the entire 2020–2021 academic year off campus, then you also need to start now.

January 20 and 23, 2020
Granberg Room, Van Wylen Library

Attend one of the offered Information Sessions posted at calendar.hope.edu or Hope’s Fulbright web page. The January 20 will be meeting will be at 4 p.m. and the January 23 meeting will be at 11 a.m.

January 31, 2020

You may do this anytime BEFORE this date, but please do it by the date. You will be considered a serious candidate only after submitting the items listed below. You can always change your mind later.

If you are planning to apply for a Fulbright that will fund you to spend the academic year 2021-2022 abroad, please fill out our Fulbright Form: 2020 Fulbright Process for 2021–22 Placement to indicate your intention to proceed with the application process. Include:

Your full name.
Your phone number.
Your fellowship type: “Teaching Assistantship” or “Research/Study.”
The country to which you plan to apply (Choose only one.)
The e-mails of three faculty referees who can speak to your qualifications for this award, and a foreign language evaluator if required. You can change these names later, but please fill in your best options.
Graduation year and month.

If you have problems with the form linked above, please e-mail Elizabeth Bocks at bocks@hope.edu for assistance. At any point, you may drop the process; just e-mail gibbs@hope.edu, maiullo@hope.edu, or remillard@hope.edu. In addition, please locate, purchase (or borrow) and read a book — yes, an actual book — about the country where you plan to study or teach.

Monday, February 3, 2020 at 4 p.m.
-OR-
Thursday, February 4, 2020 at 11 am -OR- 4 p.m.
Granberg Room, Van Wylen Library

Attend a mandatory seminar on writing essays for the Fulbright Scholars program. If you cannot attend, speak with the advisors about what you must do instead.

No later than March 1, 2020

Please submit a three- to four-page essay on a book (a book, not a website!) that you have read about the country to which you plan to apply, to gibbs@hope.edu, maiullo@hope.edu and remillard@hope.edu. Be sure to include full bibliographic information (author, title, city, publisher, year of publication) for your book.

March 6, 9, 10 & 11, 2020

Attend one of the mandatory essay workshops. The workshops will run about two and a half hours.

Friday, March 6, 2020, 4–6:30 p.m., Lubbers Hall 222
Monday, March 9, 2020, 7–9:30 p.m., Van Wylen Library Granberg Room
Tuesday, March 10, 2020, 7–9:30 p.m., Van Wylen Library Granberg Room
Wednesday, March 11, 2020, 7–9:30 p.m., Van Wylen Library Granberg Room

April 3, 6, 7 & 8, 2020

Attend one of the second round of mandatory essay workshops. The workshops will run about two and a half hours. All of the second round workshops will be in the Granberg Room, Van Wylen Library.

Friday, April 3, 2020, 4–6:30 p.m., Lubbers Hall 222
Monday, April 6, 2020, 7–9:30 p.m., Van Wylen Library Granberg Room
Tuesday, April 7, 2020, 7–9:30 p.m., Van Wylen Library Granberg Room
Wednesday, April 8, 2020, 7–9:30 p.m., Van Wylen Library Granberg Room

Between Late April and Early May 2020

You must meet personally with Dr. Gibbs, Dr. Maiullo or Dr. Remillard to go over your essays, discuss your list of referees, and find out what else needs to be done during the spring semester and the summer of 2020. You should continue to work on your statement of grant purpose and personal statement during your semester away, and during the summer months.

May 1, 2020

The online application officially opens. During the months of May and June, you should complete the application to the best of your ability and ask any questions that arise in the process. Once you have received the go-ahead from the Fulbright Advisors, register your reference-letterwriters online.

After you receive your spring 2020 grades

Order an official transcript from the Registrar’s Office. It’s fine if it’s marked “Issued to Student.” You will need to upload it with your application. The multi-page transcript available on KnowHopePlus is NOT acceptable. You must order a transcript from the Registrar’s Office.

June 1, 2020

Application Check

The status of your online application will be checked by the campus Fulbright advisors at this point. If your application is radically incomplete at this stage, you will be asked to complete it (or else to drop the process). You can still change it after this point, of course, and in fact you are encouraged to work on the application over the summer.

There will be a series of essay revision deadlines during the summer. We will provide those deadlines during the spring semester.

August 28, 2020

Complete your preliminary online application

We will read your application and return it to you for corrections and finalization. We will schedule campus interviews during September, after which you will have a final opportunity to make your application “practically perfect in every way.”

Mid-September 2020

On-campus interviews with Hope College faculty members.

Late September and very early October 2020

Make final revisions, proofread one more time, and submit your application.

Be sure to read the materials on the U.S. Fulbright website.