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.
For a teaching/research award, the ratio of these activities should be 50/50. Typically, scholars teach one course per semester with two in-class meetings and devote the remaining time to research.
Depending on their specialization, scholars may conduct research, teach up to three courses, consult on curriculum development, advise students, participate in faculty development, and give occasional lectures at other institutions or for the public.
Applicants are welcome to propose any appropriate institution, but they should remain flexible depending on need and local capacity. The U.S. Embassy's Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) will ultimately place scholars.
Applicants can apply to spend from five to ten months in the Kyrgyz Republic. For Flex grants, please see the Flex Option section.
One-semester grants may begin in August 2026 or January 2027. Two-semester grants must begin in August or September 2026. Flex grants must be completed by September 30, 2027.
Flex grant parameters:
Flex grants are available for research only.
Scholars must enter the first segment of their grant anytime from September 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027 for no less than two months and complete all grant activities by August 31, 2027. Note that July and August are vacation months for universities in Kyrgyzstan, so faculty availability for collaboration may be extremely limited during that time.
Minimum length of the total grant is four months and the maximum is six months.
Minimum length for any grant segment is one month and the maximum is three months.
Two or three grant segments may be spread over one or two consecutive years.
The Flex Award is designed for scholars who require multiple visits to the host country. This option allows grants to be conducted over two or three short segments. Applicants must select Flex in the application form, and clearly describe their plans for Flex in their project statement, including a project timeline. Flex grantees may be asked to give public talks, mentor students, and otherwise engage with the host-country academic community.
We seek applications in all disciplines, from the humanities to the hard sciences, from early- through late-career scholars and researchers. However, the Kyrgyz Republic's unique history and landscape make it especially suited to projects in the following areas:
All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).
The U.S. Embassy's Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) will make institutional assignments based on the best and most appropriate match between the expertise of the grantees and the needs of prospective host institutions. An invitation letter may help facilitate placement at that institution, but is not a guarantee of final placement. PDS will decide on the final affiliation. Local institutions must have the capacity to support the work visa of the applicant, which can be administratively cumbersome.
All teaching will be in English; proficiency in a local language is preferred, but not required. Host universities will assist in supplying interpreters if needed.
For research projects, language proficiency sufficient to complete the research project is preferred; teaching/research and research applicants are encouraged to submit a language proficiency evaluation. For applicants without local language proficiency, feasibility of conducting the project must be demonstrated in the project statement.
Ph.D. or terminal degree preferred, but not required. Applications from early and mid-career academics with at least three years of university-level teaching experience, faculty from community colleges and four-year colleges as well as senior academics, scholars, and retired faculty are welcome. Candidates expecting to teach at the university level should bring an original or certified copy of their diploma.
List of universities in Kyrgyzstan
Potential candidates with country-specific questions are welcome to contact the U.S. Embassy's PAS team at phone number +996-312-597000:
Jeff Bunting (BuntingJS@state.gov), Cultural Affairs Officer: Ext. 7410
Gulzat Kochorova (KochorovaGT@state.gov), Cultural Affairs Assistant: Ext. 7398
For program information and application guidance, please view our schedule of webinars for the current competition.
Stipends are calculated within this range based on a number of factors including a participant’s grant activity, location in the host country, number of dependents, and home institution position.
Round-trip, Fly America Act compliant international travel for the grantee will be arranged by an agency designated by IIE.
Additional Travel and Relocation Allowances will range from $3,550.00 - $3,750.00
Flex grants: Round-trip travel for each segment of the grant. Dependent travel will not be provided.
$1,500 Book and educational materials allowance for Teaching Awards. All materials purchased with the allowance are expected to be donated to the host institution (or other in-country entity) upon grantee's departure.
$1,000 research allowance for Research Awards ONLY
Additional living and housing allowance is provided for grantees with one accompanying dependent or two or more accompanying dependents. These amounts range from $230/month to $530/month.
Travel allowances are provided for up to two dependents.
A dependent education reimbursement allowance is provided ranging from up to $6,000 to up to $24,000 depending on the number of dependents and length of the grant. Reimbursement is based on actual cost of tuition and fees only, and is dependent on funding availability.
For Flex grants, dependent tuition allowance will not be provided.
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.
South and Central Asia Fulbright Regional Travel Grant
With additional funding provided by the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, during their grant period, Fulbright Scholars in the South and Central Asia (SCA) region may apply for a regional travel grant to engage in a variety of activities at academic institutions or non-profit organizations in eligible SCA countries (Bangladesh, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan). Activities that U.S Scholars may engage in include: faculty and student lectures, graduate or faculty seminars, conferences, curriculum development, public lectures, panel presentations, needs assessment, or some combination thereof. Scholars in the arts may be invited to give master classes or recitals, participate in exhibitions or workshops, or consult with cultural institutions. Activities may not include research. This grant will cover travel to and from the destination and lodging may be offered by the hosting institution. Scholars may only apply for this grant once they are in country on their Fulbright grant, and as funds are limited, may only participate in one Regional Travel Grant during their Fulbright grant.
Before traveling to another country on a Regional Travel Grant, it is important to confirm trip details with the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Section or Fulbright Commission in that country.
South and Central Asia Fulbright Conference
With funding provided by the United States Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the U.S.-India Educational Foundation (the Fulbright Commission in India) invites eligible Fulbright grantees in the South and Central Asia region to attend the annual South and Central Asia Fulbright Conference in India (usually held in February or March). The conference is an opportunity for Fulbright U.S. Scholars and U.S. Student Researchers who are on their Fulbright grants in the SCA region at the time of the conference to gather to discuss each other’s work, network, and share their experiences as international exchange participants.
Financial assistance to attend the conference is provided as an additional Fulbright grant benefit.
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.
Natural, cultural, and culinary wonders await you in the Kyrgyz Republic!
The Kyrgyz Republic, sometimes called the "Switzerland of Asia," boasts unparalleled natural beauty, fresh produce and dairy, and a warm and welcoming culture. With highly motivated students and enthusiastic faculty, it is an ideal country to spend a year teaching and researching. The country hosts relatively few Americans, making our Fulbrighters instant family among their colleagues and students. Our U.S. participants regularly give lectures and trainings across the country at the American Spaces and other universities and collaborate with their Kyrgyzstani counterparts. They also receive invitations from students and faculty to attend local holiday celebrations and weddings - unforgettable experiences with festive food and dancing.
Kyrgyzstani citizens have worked to build an open and democratic society in the heart of Central Asia. Slightly smaller than South Dakota, the Kyrgyz Republic borders China, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The country is known for its unique felt crafts, traditional oral legends, its postcard perfect mountains, the world’s largest natural-growth walnut forest, and endangered species, including the snow leopard and Marco Polo sheep.
In their free-time, our Fulbrighters take advantage of accessible hiking, mountain biking, mountain climbing, skiing, horseback riding, ice skating, camping, birdwatching, and swimming on the pristine Lake Issyk-Kul. Fulbrighters also enjoy attending nomadic sports matches, concerts featuring traditional Kyrgyz instruments, recitations of the epic "Manas" poem, traditional Turkish and Russian spas, and cooking and felting classes. Many take Kyrgyz or Russian lessons as well! From fresh baked naan bread and pastries at the bazaar, to excellent and inexpensive international and national restaurants (Kyrgyz, Georgian, Italian, American, Japanese, Korean, Turkish, etc.), the country's culinary offerings cater to every palate. You won't go hungry! Fulbrighters generally rent apartments (both new builds and Soviet-era units) within walking, bus, or biking distance of their host institutions. And, on winter break, our participants have traveled to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to see historic silk road sites.
The U.S. Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic's Public Diplomacy Section supports scholars on every step of their Fulbright journey - from detailed pre-departure and in-country orientations to coordination with host institution counterparts on housing, teaching, and visa issues. We are committed to helping you take full advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Edward Morgan, 2023-2024 Fulbright Scholar (http://edward-morgan.com/), a director, a playwright and an educator, who among other things, teaches English through staged plays. He taught courses in English and Journalism at Ala-Too International University, and Creative Story making for the TV and Film department at the American University of Central Asia. He published his reflections on his experiences in Milwaukee Independent: https://mkeind.com/KyrgyzMorgan1; https://mkeind.com/KyrgyzMorgan2; https://mkeind.com/KyrgyzMorgan3
Sophie Pegrum, 2023-2024 Fulbright Scholar (Sophie Dia Pegrum - Sophiepegrum.com), a multidisciplinary artist whose work transcends the boundaries of fiction and documentary, weaving poetic narratives that reveal profound connections between humanity, the land, the sky, and the creatures that inhabit these worlds. Her filmography spans the globe, illuminating ephemeral collaborations between art and science in Antarctica, chronicling the mountain cultures of the Himalayas, exploring equine traditions, and capturing the semi-nomadic lifeways of Kyrgyzstan. She has taught at the University of Central Asia and led workshops at the American University of Central Asia, offering insights into ethical storytelling, filmmaking in challenging environments, and the delicate art of discovering one’s voice through film. Sophie Dia Pegrum - Sophiepegrum.com
Visit our Scholar Directory to view and search all Fulbright alumni. You can also learn more about Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors.
The host institution will provide assistance in finding housing. Additionally, there are a number of resources the U.S. Embassy's Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) can provide that advertise adequate housing for rent.