Number of recipients
In addition to being a prestigious academic exchange program, the Fulbright Program is designed to expand and strengthen relationships between the people of the United States and citizens of other nations and to promote international understanding and cooperation. To support this mission, Fulbright Scholars may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host community, in addition to their primary activities.
Host institutions welcome scholars to teach courses, conduct research, carry out a combination of teaching and research activities, or conduct a professional project in any discipline.
For proposals that include a teaching component, full time local faculty are expected to teach up to 4 subjects per semester. However, host institutions are flexible with the number of subjects/hours for Fulbright Scholars.
For proposals that carry out a combination of teaching and research activities, there are no requirements for a teaching/research ratio as this depends on the interests of and agreement between the scholar and the host institution.
More information about teaching and/or research proposals available here.
The Professional Project activity type provides professionals and artists in various fields the opportunity to interact with relevant organizations to further their career goals. Professional Projects may include visits to organizations in the applicant's field, practical experience in day-to-day operations, public lectures, artist residencies, or other appropriate professional activities. For more information, FAQs available here.
Any appropriate institution. Potential host institutions include:
Six to Ten months
Host institutions prefer to host scholars based on the academic year (September - June). Any teaching component must correspond with the length of the academic semester in Bahrain. Applicants proposing to teach two full semesters must apply for a 10-month grant in order to match the length of the academic year. All grant lengths must be completed by June 2027. The academic calendar may be adjusted around Islamic and local holidays.
During their grant period, Fulbright U.S. Scholars in the Middle East and North Africa region may apply for a short-term regional travel grant (three to fourteen days) for participation in a variety of activities including faculty and student lectures, graduate or faculty seminars, curriculum development, public lectures, panel presentations, needs assessment, conferences, or some combination thereof. Scholars who apply for the Flex award are ineligible for the Regional Travel Program.
All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).
The U.S. Embassy will facilitate the placement approval with a host institution and the Higher Education Council. As such, the selection process for Bahrain may require additional time.
Teaching will be in English; additional language proficiency not required. For applicants without Arabic or other applicable language proficiency, feasibility of conducting research in English must be demonstrated in the proposal.
Practicing professionals with a Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree and higher education teaching experience will also be considered for proposals with teaching components. Ph.D. is required for the Professional Project activity.
Although an invitation letter should not be sought, interested applicants are welcome to establish contact with potential host institutions to determine the feasibility of their project. Faculty and/or administrators in Bahrain may be difficult to reach from June through August. Potential host institutions include:
Blog posts from previous Fulbright scholars to Bahrain:
$1,550 for relocation, in-transit, and excess baggage fees.
Plus a round-trip, economy-class, international travel arranged by travel agent selected by IIE.
$750 books and educational materials allowance for teaching or teaching/research grants; should be donated to the host institution (or other entity) upon grantee's departure.
$2000 research allowance for research-only grants.
Additional living and housing allowances are provided for grantees with one accompanying dependent or two or more accompanying dependents. These amounts range from $420/month to $840/month.
Round-trip, economy-class, international travel is arranged by travel agent selected by IIE, for up to two dependents.
Dependent tuition allowance for dependents in grades K-12 is provided on a reimbursement basis upon submission of receipts and depending on funding availability. Reimbursement is based on actual cost of tuition and fees only.
Dependents must accompany the grantee for at least 80% of the period abroad and a minimum of one semester in order to qualify for additional dependent benefits. Dependent benefits are not provided to Flex grantees.
Please refer to the figures above for an estimate of total monthly Fulbright award benefits. Benefits may include a monthly base stipend, living and housing allowances, and additional one-time allowances. Benefits may vary based on a scholar's current academic rank (or professional equivalent), the city of placement, the type of award (teaching, teaching/research, or research), and the number of and duration of stay of accompanying dependents. Research-only or Professional Project grantees receive a standard stipend that is not adjusted for academic rank. In most cases, dependent benefits will not be provided to Flex grantees, or to grantees pursuing grants less than four months (or a semester) in length.
Final grant amounts will be determined prior to the start of the academic year and are subject to the availability of funds. The United States Department of State reserves the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.
The Kingdom of Bahrain has been one of the Gulf’s most important commercial and cultural crossroads for over 4,000 years. The capital city Manama is home to modern skyscrapers and air-conditioned shopping malls, as well as traditional homes and towering minarets. Host institutions in Bahrain will consider placements in a wide variety of fields; however, most successful applicants are able to demonstrate how their field of study can contribute to promoting Bahrain’s economic future, whether through the arts or traditional economic development, banking and finance, and entrepreneurship. Academic semesters are September through January and January through June.
Visit our Scholar Directory to view and search all Fulbright alumni. You can also learn more about Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors.