Missed the Information Session

1. If you are not a junior or senior, you can relax (just a bit). You won’t apply this year; and although it’s never too early to start thinking about it, you can come to a later information session. Meanwhile, visit the Fulbright website and learn all you can about the program.
2. If you are a junior or senior, and you would like to study or teach abroad after you graduate, try to learn everything you can about the Fulbright program. The application process takes six months to a year, and the final due date is a year before the grant begins, so juniors needs to start soon. If you are just starting the process now, you need to plan on making the process of learning about the scholarship and applying for it a real priority; the application process is complicated and you need to put your best foot forward. Everything is due in August of your senior year (or the August following your graduation, if you want to wait a year before you begin your Fulbright year). Please note that in order to be competitive, students need to begin work on them at least six months in advance — and you can begin before that if you like. If you’ll be off campus for part of the year, an even earlier start is strongly recommended.
3. Have a look at the initial pages of the Fulbright's U.S. Student Program website, including everything under “About” and the first three sub-entries under “Applicants” (Getting Started; Application Components; Application Tips). READ THIS MATERIAL IN DETAIL: it provides you with information about the types of grants available, eligibility, the selection process, and the application procedure. Please don’t ask for further information about the program until you’ve done this! Knowledge of this information is important for your application, and it would take far too long for us to repeat this material to everyone who inquires.
4. Make two important and interrelated decisions: First, to what country do you want to go? Second, do you want to undertake a program of study and research, or do you want to be an English Teaching Assistant (ETA)? The website has resources for making this decision. You’ll find a list of countries where you can teach English together with their language requirements and level of competitiveness by going to About > Types of Grants > ETAs and then clicking on the link to “this table.” In addition, each country has a page of its own; click on “Countries” and choose yours.
5. Follow the process (on the page entitled “Fulbright Application Process”). Turn everything in by the dates listed (on the page titled “Important Dates for Fulbright Candidates”). We hope you’ll consider applying. Best wishes for the process!

Revised September 21, 2015