Fulbright Basics
What is the Fulbright Student Program? An international exchange program that offers grants for study, research, teaching, and cultural exchange.
Who is it for? Undergraduates who will have graduated by the next academic year, graduate students, and young professionals in any discipline and from any background.
Where can you go with Fulbright? To over 140 countries!
How many awards does it make? The Fulbright Student program typically offers over 2,200 awards each year.
Why does the Fulbright Program exist? The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. government to increase understanding between the United States and other countries.
Interested in the Student Fulbright?
- Look at our Fulbright Overview Slides
- Watch a Presentation by Fulbright Staff and Alumni
- Read the Three Steps for Preparing for Fulbright (below left)
If you would like to apply this fall (deadline: Oct 6), complete the Fulbright 2026 Survey below.
If you plan to apply to Fulbright in the future or are interested in other programs, complete the survey on our Fellowships & Scholarships page.
If you have questions, email Enrico (esassi@nmu.edu).
Three Steps in Preparing to Apply for Fulbright
- Selecting a Country & Program (Research/Study—R/S; English Teaching Assistant—ETA)
- You need to convince reviewers that you are made for your target location:
- R/S: You need an institution or researcher who fits your area of interest.
- Research publications & online, and get help from your professors
- ETA: You need to be committed to your target country.
- Take stock of your life, family heritage, experience, and interests—is there a country/region
- Research the Fulbright site and online resources for country/region for what catches your fancy.
- R/S: You need an institution or researcher who fits your area of interest.
- Read the Fulbright program/country descriptions thoroughly, and research more:
- R/S: Learn about institution/researcher where you want to be. Learn about the country, too.
- ETA: Research the country’s culture and educational system thoroughly.
- All applicants need to show specific knowledge of the host country.
- R/S: Also need to show that you fit with host researchers/institutions
- Review eligibility requirements and language requirements.
- If you need language study, make sure it’s feasible
- You need to convince reviewers that you are made for your target location:
- Preparing Application Components
- Most Urgent: R/S need to reach out early to host to start process for Affiliation Letter
- All applicants
- Start Online Application and identify what is needed and when
- Begin essay process (see below)
- Identify recommenders and make initial contact
- If needed, identify a professor who can complete the foreign language evaluation
- Drafting the Essays
- You have less than ≈2,000 words (≈2,500 for R/S) for all your essays. Every word needs to count!
- Reviewers gloss over generalities; they key into specifics and stories that show the hows & whys about you.
- The process below should occur over the entire summer:
- Writing Step 1: List a) the key elements essays look for, and b) key words for what Fulbright looks for
- Writing Step 2: Do not start the essays! Brainstorm your experiences—which fit the above? What specific instances or stories show you in those areas?
- Writing Step 2.5: Talk to friends, collaborators, and family about your experiences and abilities.
- Writing Step 3: Begin drafting the essays
- Writing Step 3.5: Get extensive feedback (at least 4 or 5 rounds) from a primary helper and one secondary helper
- At the end of August, submit your complete essay drafts to NMU’s Fellow-/Scholarship Committee
- In September: Discuss your essays with the review committee. Subsequently, make one final revision.
*** SEE TIMELINE BELOW FOR WHEN WORK SHOULD OCCUR ***
Application Steps and Links to Fulbright
- Orient yourself to Fulbright: Fulbright Video Tutorials.
- Are you eligibile?
- What type of Fulbright award is for you?
- Where in the world will you go?
- Make sure you know the application components for your award.
- Do you need an Affiliation Letter? Some applications require a letter from an affiliate in your host country.
- Figure out who to ask for letters of recommendation. Read through instructions for Study/Research recommendations or English Teaching Assistant (ETA) recommendations to see what writers should address. Share this guidance with your recommenders. (Note: ETA recommenders complete a form, not a letter.)
- Do you need a Foreign Language Evaluation form? If so, identify someone who can complete it, e.g., “a professional language teacher, preferably a university professor.”
- Plan to submit an official transcript/s (can be scanned copies). Transcripts may be unofficial or official, but they must be produced by your institution’s registrar. Make sure that the document that you submit clearly shows your name, the name of the institution
For more information, look through the Fulbright website or contact Enrico Sassi in NMU's Scholarship and Fellowship Committee.
A Timeline for Success
Award descriptions go live on Mar 31. Students and alumni can explore possible Fulbright locations and award options. After you have done some research on the Fulbright site, contact the Scholarship and Fellowship Center for an advising meeting. Fulbrights are very competitive, and you have a leg up if you plan out your application process. At your advising meeting, we will help make sure that your plan includes all the components you need, including obtaining letters of recommendation, affiliation letters if needed, etc.
You should be working on your applications. You should be kindly requesting three individuals to submit recommendations. If required (particularly for research awards) should make contact with potential affiliation sites in the proposed country to see if the organization/s would be willing to serve as the host site and provide resources necessary to complete the project during the Fulbright grant year.
You should be drafting, getting feedback from your SFC support person, and revising your essays and short answer responses. You should update your recommenders on your applications so that their letters can add positive momentum to your application. If it is required or helpful to the application, you should seek a Foreign Language Evaluation from a professor.
Your application should be nearing final draft form in anticipation of NMU’s August 31 internal due date. Provide your draft to your recommenders and make sure they will write their recommendations. Also, make sure you have any required Foreign Language Evaluations and Affiliation Letters.
NMU provides the opportunity to applicants to have a campus interview and evaluation, which provide more feedback for the submission and allow NMU to recommend you to the Fulbright Program.
To avail yourself of this opportunity, you must email the Scholarship and Fellowship Committee a full draft of your application materials by: August 31, 11:59 p.m.
If you apply through NMU, you will meet with a committee from SFC for an interview. You will receive final feedback, and the committee will complete Fulbright’s Campus Committee Evaluation Form that NMU sends directly to Fulbright. These forms are included with your other materials and are reviewed by Fulbright as a part of the selection process.
Fulbright’s national deadline is October 6, 2025 at 5 PM ET. You must SUBMIT your final applications by this deadline, though given how online systems work, you should plan on submitting the previous day. All other materials (e.g., recommendations and evaluations) are due at this time as well. Fulbright makes no exceptions.