Fulbright International Education Administrators Awards

Fulbright International Education Administrators (IEA) Awards are two-week funded seminars for U.S. higher education administrators to learn about participating countries’ higher education systems, exchange information on best practices, explore the potential for partnerships with institutions of higher education in the host country, and raise the profile of your home institution within the host country and the U.S. participant cohort. By participating in a Fulbright IEA seminar, you can build your institution’s capacity for international education, gain a cross-cultural perspective, and open doors to collaboration with colleagues and students throughout the world.

Two-week Seminar activities include:

Campus visits to a wide range of universities and colleges
Briefings from faculty, administrators, and leaders at public and private higher education institutions as well as from leading educational experts and government officials
Tours of historical and cultural sites

Each country arranges an itinerary of meetings, briefings, and campus visits. There is little time available for individual appointments. Seminars are not self-directed projects. All travel, accommodations, and schedules are provided by the Fulbright IEA Program. For IEA awards, no financial benefits for dependents are provided.

Current IEA Seminar Participating Countries (Click on a country for award information)

France and Senegal HBCU IEA Award - Deadline: September 15, 2025 at 5:00 PM EDT (UTC-4:00)
This award is an opportunity designed for administrators at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). HBCU administrators are also eligible for and encouraged to apply for any of the below IEA programs.
Taiwan - Deadline: September 15, 2025 at 5:00 PM EDT (UTC-4:00)
Japan - Deadline: November 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM EST (UTC-5:00)
South Korea - Deadline: November 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM EST (UTC-5:00)
France - Deadline: February 2, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST (UTC-5:00)
Germany - Deadline: February 2, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST (UTC-5:00)

Contact

For more information about any award, contact IEA staff at iea@iie.org.

Grant Duration

Two weeks

The 2026-27 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Competition is now open.

If you are a non-U.S. citizen, please review the Non-U.S (Visiting) Scholar programs.

Application Deadlines

Application Deadlines for the 2026-2027 competition:

HBCU, Taiwan IEA Seminars: September 15, 2025 at 5:00 PM EDT (UTC-4:00)
Japan, South Korea IEA Seminars: November 3, 2025 at 5:00 PM EST (UTC-5:00)
France, Germany IEA Seminars: February 2, 2026 at 5:00 PM EST (UTC-5:00)

Once an applicant submits their application, they receive an email from scholars@iie.org confirming submission of their application.

Following the application deadline, IIE conducts a preliminary screening of applications for eligibility and technical completeness. Applications are reviewed individually to ensure they meet program and award requirements. Applications are assigned to a country-specific peer review committee.

If an application is found to be ineligible and/or missing required application component(s), IIE will notify the applicant of this outcome.

Only eligible and complete applications are forwarded to the next phase, which is peer review.

Peer Review and Notification

Country-specific Peer Review Committees read and assess applications against the Review Criteria and meet to review and determine whether or not applications are recommended for further consideration in the host country. Peer review committees are comprised of U.S.-based administrators and professionals with relevant expertise.

Following the conclusion of peer review, applicants are notified by email of the status of their application, recommended or not recommended. Applications not recommended in the peer review phase are not forwarded to the next phase of review.

If your email address has changed since you submitted your application, please update your application with your new address. You can also log into the application portal to check for a status update if you are concerned about missing an email notification. Please note decisions are not communicated by phone.

IEA applicants can expect to be notified in the following time ranges:

HBCU, Taiwan IEA Seminars: December 2025
Japan, South Korea IEA Seminars: December 2025
France, Germany IEA Seminars: March- April 2026

Selection and Notification

All recommended applications are forwarded to the Public Affairs Sections of U.S. Embassies (Posts) or binational Fulbright Commissions overseas, the U.S. Department of State, and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for review. All three entities must approve selection decisions before candidates can be notified. Not all applications that were recommended in the peer review process will be selected for grants.

Please note that IIE cannot predict precisely when the final selection results will become available.

Applicants are notified by email of the final status of their application, selectee, alternate, or non-select.

Selectee: A candidate who has been offered a Fulbright IEA award, contingent upon obtaining a secured placement at an institution in your host country, official research clearance from the host country (where applicable), satisfactory medical clearance, a visa, if required, and submission of all required grant documents.
Alternate: A candidate who may be promoted to Selectee status if additional funding becomes available. We provide alternate candidates with an update by late summer of each year.
Non-Select: A candidate who is no longer under consideration for a Fulbright IEA award.

IEA applicants can expect to be notified about selection in the following time ranges:

HBCU, Taiwan IEA Seminars: January 2026
Japan, South Korea IEA Seminars: April-May 2026
France, Germany IEA Seminars: April-June 2026

Following selection, details about preparing for the IEA program will be provided, including information on arranging travel and visas (if needed).

What are the safety and security protocols in place for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program?

Please see our safety, health and security page for more information.

General Eligibility and Guidelines for Previous Fulbright Grantees

View the complete Fulbright policies for U.S. Lecturers and Research Scholars (Chapter 600), which includes U.S. International Education Administrator Seminar participants.

Applicants must hold U.S. citizenship by the IEA application deadline. Permanent residence is not sufficient.

Please reference the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program's Eligibility page for all program eligibility requirements.

If you are not a citizen of the United States and would like to apply for a grant to visit the U.S., please visit the Visiting Fulbright Scholar Program. If you are a recent college graduate, or graduate student or a doctoral candidate with limited professional experience, please visit the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

Award-specific Requirements

Consult the individual award descriptions for additional eligibility information, including professional qualifications. See the Award Requirements tab, Additional Qualification Information section.

Professional Profile: Individual award descriptions specify the preferred administrator background and years of experience.
Language Requirements: The seminars are conducted in English, foreign language proficiency is not required.
Directors of English language programs and instructors in such programs are not eligible for some of these awards.

The 2026-27 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Competition is now open.

Thank you for your interest in the Fulbright U.S. International Education Administrator Awards. Explore current opportunities and Connect with Fulbright to receive important program updates and application resources. Register for a webinar today for more information and join an office hour to have your questions answered live by IIE staff.

All application materials, including recommendation letters, must be submitted via the online application by the deadline for your award, available in the IEA overview section and the award description.

If you are a non-U.S. citizen, please review the Non-U.S. (Visiting) Scholar programs.

Start your application now.

Instructions

Before you begin, check your eligibility for the U.S. Scholar Program as well as for the specific award. The Award Requirements tab in the award description indicates any specific requirements in the Additional Qualification Information section. Only complete, eligible applications will be forwarded for consideration.

Your application materials should be well-organized. Connect the dots for the reader: present information clearly to prevent the reader from (mis)interpreting to the extent possible. You may find the Review Criteria to be helpful as you prepare your materials.

Applicants must submit a complete application by the application deadline to be considered for the selected IEA award for that application cycle (competition). Applicants may only apply for one Fulbright award per application cycle, and applications will only be considered for that competition. This means applicants cannot apply for multiple IEA awards in the same program year (2026-2027).

The sections below contain guidance for the application materials. IEA applications do not include a Project Statement, Reference List, Syllabi, nor Invitation Letter.

Seminar Details

IEA seminar itineraries are arranged by the host country. This means you do not provide a project statement or make your own plans. Instead, you provide responses to the following questions in the application.

You are encouraged to write these in a document before copying them into your application. Note character limits and hard returns (paragraph breaks), which count as characters.

Professional Biography (Up to 2,000 characters, including spaces, punctuation, and paragraph breaks): Highlight your educational background, professional/administrative experience, most significant professional accomplishments, and key responsibilities in your current position. You may include information on your professional affiliations/memberships, community service, publications, honors and awards, and any other relevant information.
Country Selection and Professional Relevance (Up to 4,500 characters, including spaces, punctuation, and paragraph breaks):
- Why are you applying to the IEA seminar for this country? Describe how your professional responsibilities relate to this grant, including any achievements in the development of international initiatives and/or systems.
- What expertise can you share with peers in the host country? Describe your experience with this country. Please include if you have visited this country previously, and any communication or interaction with the country such as setting up partnerships, cultural engagement, and experiences sending/receiving students.
Outcomes and Impact (Up to 3,000 characters, including spaces, punctuation, and paragraph breaks):
- How would your participation in this IEA seminar contribute to the international education goals of your institution?
- What is the anticipated impact your participation would have on your institution and/or community? Be specific and consider outcomes with the potential to be broad and sustainable. How would you share what you have learned with your home institution and others?
- What is the anticipated impact your participation would have on your professional development and career?
Cultural Preparation (Up to 1,500 characters, including spaces, punctuation, and paragraph breaks): Please describe your ability to be adaptable, culturally sensitive, collegial, and how you may serve as a cultural ambassador for the U.S.
Additional Information: If there is any additional information you would like those reviewing your application to be aware of, please include it here. This is an optional component that allows you to add any other information that you feel completes the picture of your candidacy. (Up to 500 characters, including spaces, punctuation, and paragraph breaks.)

CV/Resume

All applications require a curriculum vitae or resume. It should be clearly organized and tailored to show how your credentials, professional standing, and accomplishments relate to international education. Your CV should help demonstrate that you meet the requirements for the specific award.

Include your employment history, listing all items chronologically, starting with the most recent.

Format Requirements:

Up to 6 pages
Single spaced, 12-point font size; 1-inch margins
Use headers and/or bullets to organize and convey key elements, and page numbers
File type: Adobe PDF (recommended) or Word document
Note: If any non-English characters, images, tables, equations, etc. are used, you must upload your document as an Adobe PDF.
Do not include hyperlinks designed to direct the reader outside of the application reader window. You may cite web links with the expectation that reviewers are not meant to click them. Content to be considered in the application review must be contained within the application itself.
Do not include:
Contact information: Mailing address, email address, phone number
Date of Birth, Marital Status, Citizenship
Your picture

Institutional Statement

All applications require an institutional statement. Note that this document is not about you personally; it is to provide an overview of your institution and its international engagement.

Institutional Statements should address the following:

General information about your home institution (type of institution, total enrollment, number of degrees offered, etc.).
The number of international students on campus and where they are coming from.
- If applying for the IEA Seminar in Japan or South Korea, you must include the number of students from Japan and South Korea currently on your campus.
The study abroad opportunities available on your campus.
Any institutional partnerships, particularly with universities in the country where the grant takes place.
Any future goals/plans to engage internationally.
If this document is produced (in part or entirely) by someone other than the applicant, the source should be cited within the document.

Format Requirements

Up to 2 pages
Single spaced, 12-point or larger font size; 1-inch margins
Use headers and/or bullets to organize and convey key elements, and page numbers
File type: Adobe PDF (recommended) or Word document
Note: If any non-English characters, images, tables, equations, etc. are used, you must upload your document as an Adobe PDF.
Do not include hyperlinks designed to direct the reader outside of the application reader window. You may cite web links with the expectation that reviewers are not meant to click them. Content to be considered in the application review must be contained within the application itself.

Recommendations

The application requires two recommendations. Recommendations evaluate your professional qualifications, the potential for institutional impact, and your cultural preparation.

Applicants must register their recommenders in the online application
Applicants are responsible for ensuring their letters are submitted via the online system by the application deadline. Deadline extensions will not be granted.
Recommenders cannot submit their recommendations outside the online system.
Applicants can track the status of the recommendations on their online application and can send reminders to recommenders to submit their recommendations by the application deadline.
Recommendations can be submitted by your recommenders before or after you submit the application, but must be submitted by the application deadline.
All recommendations must be in English

Who may serve as a recommender?

One letter must be from your current supervisor or someone in your reporting line at your institution; they should be familiar with your administrative skills and leadership success
One letter can be from any colleague who can speak to your personal attributes and interest in international education; they can be from your own or another institution

Who cannot serve as a recommender?

Relatives of the applicant
Representatives of U.S. Embassy posts or Fulbright Commissions in the proposed host country (country of application)
Representatives of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) at the U.S. Department of State
Representatives of the Institute of International Education, including current IIE staff, IIE Board of Trustees, and Fulbright Scholar Advisory Board (CIES) members
Anyone who serves as a recommender may not also provide the applicant with an invitation letter or foreign language evaluation.

For Recommenders

Please see these instructions for those providing letters of recommendation.

Reapplying

If you applied for 2025-2026 or earlier, to reapply or submit an updated application for the current competition:

Has your email address changed? Contact us at scholars@iie.org if you need help with updating your email address on your application account.
Go to the Slate application (https://apply.iie.org/fulbrightusscholar) and login as a “Returning User” using your existing login and password. Please DO NOT create (another) application account to start a new application. This will actually make things more confusing: we have found it can be challenging to distinguish between accounts.
You will land on the Application Management page where you can view your prior application(s) and start your new application.
Click “Start New Application” and choose Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program 2026-2027. If that does not work, go to https://apply.iie.org/fusc2026 and it should prompt you to create your 2026-2027 application. Note: DO NOT open past and current applications in the same browser simultaneously as data will not save properly. If you must refer to an old application, download it as a PDF or open it in a different browser.
Some of the basic personal information fields will automatically populate based on the information you provided last year, though you should double-check them in case any updates are needed.
Be sure to carefully review the award description, as it may have been updated.
You will need to re-upload the supporting documents (CV/Resume and Institutional Statement). We encourage you to review them to make sure they fit the award requirements. Be sure to carefully review the award description, as it may have been updated.
You will need to register two recommenders. Even if they have provided a recommendation for you before, they must upload their letters to your new application. If they need a copy of the letter they uploaded last year, your reference(s) are welcome to email FulbrightScholarReview@iie.org for assistance.
To download a PDF copy of your 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025, or 2025-2026 application, click on the respective Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program application to open it. Then click on Preview Application Proof to open a downloadable copy of your application.
If you applied earlier than 2020, you will need to create a new application account in the Slate application system; please refer to the Instructions linked above.

Review Criteria for International Education Administrator Awards

The Fulbright Scholar Program supports activities and projects that recognize and promote the critical relationship between educational exchange and international understanding, in addition to the intellectual merit of the proposals.

Reviewers consider the basic objectives of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program; applications are evaluated with the criteria below for the IEA awards.

Applications must at minimum sufficiently address each of the review criteria in order to be recommended or ultimately selected. Applicants should ensure materials they submit address the requirements clearly. Reviewers are asked to base their evaluation solely on the information provided in the application.

Applicant training, background, experience: Application demonstrates appropriate background and experience necessary to effectively participate in this seminar, as appropriate for the applicant’s career path and stage, and home institution type.
Country Selection and Professional Relevance: Application demonstrates why participation in the seminar in this location is needed and how the applicant’s professional responsibilities relate to the seminar. Application addresses the applicant’s experience with the host country and expertise they can share with peers in the host country.
Potential impact, outcomes, and benefits: Application demonstrates applicant will share what they learned from the seminar and how their participation will contribute to their institution’s international education goals. Application exhibits potential for impact, which is significant, broad, and can be sustained at their home institution and community. Application demonstrates commitment of the applicant’s home institution to international education activities and programs. Application demonstrates potential for impact on the applicant’s career and professional development.
Cultural Preparation: Application demonstrates the ability to be adaptable, flexible, culturally sensitive, and collegial. Application demonstrates the ability to serve as a cultural ambassador for the U.S., their community, and their institution.
Previous Fulbright Awards: Applicant provides compelling justification for prior Fulbright Scholar award(s), including IEA awards. Preference will be given to candidates who have not had previous Fulbright Scholar awards, especially within the past ten years. View the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board’s policies on previous Fulbright Scholar grants here. [link: Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board’s policies]
Veteran status: Preference is given to veterans of the U.S. armed forces when other factors are equivalent.

Common mistakes in applications

Connection between current role as administrator and award qualifications is not apparent
Application is not well developed: vague or generic
Application does not clearly demonstrate why Fulbright, why IEA, why this country, and/or why now
Impact, outcomes, and benefits are ambiguous or partially addressed, or overly ambitious
Not proofread; materials are confusing, hard to follow

Frequently Asked Questions

Application Materials

Applications cannot be updated once the review and selection process are underway. This includes updating the CV/Resume (title, institution/employer, etc.). Note: Should the applicant’s position or institution change after submitting the IEA application, please notify us at iea@iie.org.

Should an application be selected, the applicant can communicate any updates and requests to the respective Fulbright Commission/U.S. Embassy and IIE advisor upon selection.

Application Feedback and Reapplying

Fulbright program policy does not authorize implementing partners (including IIE) to provide reasons for an application to be not recommended or not selected.

Applicants may reapply for a future competition and we can work with you to do so. Applications are reviewed individually, on their own merit each year. Some applicants choose to revise their application; others opt to change countries. Please see the Application page for instructions on how to reapply.

U.S. Scholars

Non-U.S. Scholars