Interested in doing work overseas? Have you provided education, developed a program, or provided workshops previously in a developing country? Do you have a doctorate degree? Has your previous work been published?

If you answered “yes” to the questions above you may be eligible to become a Fulbright Scholar Specialist candidate. There are four different types of Fulbright Scholars with the Core and Specialist being the most common. In this blog I’ll only be discussing “Specialist” since it was the program I was chosen for.

Fulbright Specialist is a program designed to award grants to U.S. faculty and professionals. The Fulbright Specialist review cycle occur 6 times per year and although the application isn’t lengthy the questions can seem very commonplace, especially if you’ve previously done work abroad and are familiar with different cultures. Be sure to spend time answering the questions carefully so your answers will stand out amongst the other applicants and are conveyed in a well-thought-out manner. It’s important to highlight your previous accomplishments abroad since the committee members on the panel are previous Fulbright Scholars themselves and are looking for candidates who have already proven worth in an sustainable setting abroad. You will need two letters of recommendation, one from your immediate supervisor and one from a colleague familiar with your work.

Once accepted you will be put on a roster for eligible institutions in 140 countries worldwide to host you for a 2-6 week project including short-term lecturing, conducting seminars, teacher training, assessments and evaluations, special conferences or workshops, as well as collaborating on faculty development and curriculum or institutional planning. You will be listed on the roster for 5 years starting at the time of acceptance.

Once an institution has selected you to participate you will receive the grant, travel expenses and a daily stipend which you can implement once every 3 years (therefore making it possible to take 2 Fulbright trips within a 5 year period). After the 5 year time period has elapsed you will be able to apply for another Fulbright Specialist Scholar if you so choose.

Do you have questions I haven’t answered? Interested in learning more? Check out the Fulbright FAQ’s page for more information.

Good luck with your application!