All Disciplines
Dominican Republic
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.
Teach in any academic or professional discipline and advise on curriculum development for all proposed projects. Pursue independent or collaborative research as desired. For Teaching/Research projects, candidates should plan a 50/50 ratio of teaching to research. For the Teaching only awards, the expected commitment is 2-3 classes per semester.
Public and private universities, community colleges, government agencies, cultural centers and museums, and non-profits.
Four to six months; for Flex awards see Flex description.
One-semester grants must begin in either August 2027 or January 2028; longer grants must begin in August 2027.
All Scholars to the Dominican Republic are required to attend a pre-departure orientation, which typically takes place in June or July, prior to beginning their Fulbright grant.
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.
Flex awards are offered for teaching, teaching/research, and research grants.
Areas of particular interest include:
- Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM): Semiconductor industry development and engineering; rare earths; environmental science; energy; and other emerging and strategic technologies. Proposals in additional STEM-related fields are also welcome.
- Security: Citizen security; food security; border security and the reduction of illegal immigration; combating drug trafficking; cybersecurity; countering the illicit trafficking of cultural property; combating trafficking in persons; and public health.
- International Trade and Economic Growth: Nearshoring; strengthening critical supply chains and supply chain management; fair trade practices; orange economy and entrepreneurship.
- Education: Literacy; teacher training; English as a Second Language (ESL); international education policy; internationalization of education and mobility; arts education with focus on music, theater, visual arts and dance; STEM education; vocational and technical education; and sports education and leadership.
All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).
Please see "additional comments" section for a non-exhaustive list of university contacts.
Applicants are encouraged to consult the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) “Can-Do Statements” to determine if they are qualified.
Applicants are encouraged to register qualified language evaluator, such as a language instructor or a translator, to conduct the external assessment in the application. Being a native speaker alone does not qualify an individual to conduct the assessment.
Applicants who are native speakers do not need to complete an external evaluation.
Preference for applicants with a Ph.D/terminal degree and three years of teaching experience. A master's degree is acceptable with five to seven years of teaching experience.
Research Scholars should have a Ph.D/terminal degree and five years of research experience.
Professionals and/or Artists outside of academia should have at least seven years of experience in their field of expertise if they do not hold a terminal degree.
U.S. Embassy website: https://do.usembassy.gov/
Applicants without contacts in the Dominican Republic may contact the U.S. Embassy for assistance; inquiries may be directed to the Emerging Voices Specialist, Lidia Valez or Exchanges Coordinator, Crislena Mendez, copying the Embassy Santo Domingo Scholarship inbox.
$2,850
For Flex grants, round-trip travel will be included for each segment of the grant for the Scholar only. Dependent travel will not be provided for Flex Scholars.
$1,000 books and educational materials allowance for teaching and teaching/research grants; these materials should be donated to the host institution or other entity upon grantee's departure.
$300 - $500 research allowance for research-only grants.
Additional living and housing allowance is provided for grantees with one accompanying dependent or two or more accompanying dependent. These amounts range from $300/month to $600/month.
In addition, travel allowances are provided for up to two dependents. These amounts range from $1,500 - $3,000.
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.
Renting a one-bedroom apartment in a modern building in Santo Domingo is approximately $1200-$1300 per month. Approximately $1000 per month should be budgeted for food and transportation expenses for a comfortable stay in the Dominican Republic. You may consult a cost-of-living calculator to determine potential costs for goods and services.
During their grant period, Fulbright U.S. Scholars in the Western Hemisphere (WHA) region may apply for a short-term regional travel grant for activities such as workshops, seminars, presentations, lectures, performances, exhibits, curricular advising and similar projects at institutions in eligible WHA countries. (Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados and Eastern Caribbean, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad & Tobago and Uruguay).
The Regional Travel Program covers travel to and from the destination; lodging may be offered by the host institution. Scholars may only apply for this grant once they are in country on their Fulbright grant. Scholars who apply for the Flex award are ineligible for the Regional Travel Program. Additional information can be found on the Regional Travel Program website.
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.
Dominican Republic
In the Dominican Republic, the largest public four-year university is the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD). Founded in 1538, UASD is the first university established in the Western Hemisphere and currently serves approximately 200,000 students. The country’s higher education system also includes nearly 50 additional universities, among them Instituto Superior de Formación Docente Salomé Ureña (ISFODOSU), a public four-year institution dedicated to teacher education, as well as two public two-year technical higher education institutions offering associate degrees and certificate programs. Several private universities throughout the country are also suitable host institutions for Fulbright grantees.
In addition to universities, Fulbright scholars in the Dominican Republic may affiliate with non-profit organizations, local and national government institutions, museums, and cultural centers, depending on the nature of their proposed project. The Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo can suggest potential host institutions and provide general guidance; however, finalizing affiliation arrangements remains the responsibility of the applicant. Post Santo Domingo strongly encourages applicants to align their proposals with U.S. Government priorities and the country’s stated areas of interest.
The academic year in the Dominican Republic typically runs from August to December and January to May. Universities and partner institutions are generally open to hosting U.S. scholars for teaching, research, and combined teaching/research activities.
Fields of special interest include, but are not limited to: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)—including emerging technologies, energy, and applied sciences; citizen and human security, such as cybersecurity, public health, food security, and migration-related issues; international trade, nearshoring, supply chain management, entrepreneurship, and economic development; and education, including teacher training, English language teaching, vocational and technical education, STEM education, internationalization of higher education, and academic and professional mobility. Projects related to environmental sustainability, climate resilience, urban planning, tourism, anti-corruption, consumer protection, and cultural preservation are also encouraged. Applicants should note that the level of instruction and research infrastructure in mathematics and some hard science disciplines may differ from that of U.S. institutions, and proposals should be designed accordingly to ensure feasibility and impact.
As part of the application process, candidates are encouraged to review the latest State Department Travel Advisory about the Dominican Republic here: https://travel.state.gov/en/international-travel/travel-advisories/dominican-republic.html
Click here for a full list of Fulbright Scholars to the Dominican Republic.
Visit our Scholar Directory to view and search all Fulbright alumni. You can also learn more about Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors.
Below, you will find a list of contacts at Dominican higher education institutions and information on some of their related areas of interest. Please note: this is not an exhaustive list and applicants may affiliate with institutions not listed here:
• Pontificia Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, (PUCMM): Caribbean studies, urban planning, finance, biology, physics, chemistry, engineering, linguistics, education, evaluation and curriculum development. Contact Vice Chancellor Dr. Kiero Guerra or International Relations Director José Miguel Hernández at jhernandez@pucmm.edu.do.
• Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD): Arts, humanities, social sciences (including political science, economics, sociology and psychology), education, natural disaster mitigation, sciences (to include botany, biology, chemistry, physics and zoology). Contact Rocio Billini.
• Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE): Arbovirosis, mental health, non-communicable diseases: diabetes and cardiovascular, health, literacy, neurocognition and poverty, prosthodontics, cardiology, dental bio-materials, autism, green roofs, teaching of mathematics. Contact Dra. Aída Mencía-Ripley.
• Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC}: Technology and telecommunications, physics, business, tourism development, engineering and environmental sciences. Contact Maria Luisa Ferrand.
• (ISA): Forestry, agronomy, biotechnology, veterinary sciences and food technology. Contact Angel Castillo.
• Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Ureña (UNPHU) Medicine, dentistry, architecture, veterinary and civil engineering. Contact Jose Rafael Espaillat.
• Universidad APEC: Business administration. Contact Fiordaliza Bencosme.
• Universidad Dominico-Americano: TEFL, TESOL, English teaching and curriculum development for English programs. Contact: Thelma Camarena.
• Instituto Tecnico Superior Comunitario (ITSC): Community college development and training for faculty, arts (interior design, fashion design, event production, furniture design and production), electromechanics (electricity, automotive mechanics, refrigeration, electronics) logistics and manufacturing, health (clinical simulations) and English training for community college professors. Contact: Academic Vice Chancellor Maria Corporan at maria.corporan@itsc.edu.do
• Instituto Tecnológico de las Américas (ITLA): Technology and English language. Contact: Head of the International Relations Department, Camila Michele Alcantara, cmalcantara@itla.edu.do or Nicole Méndez nmendez@itla.edu.do, Assistant of the International Relations Department