Fulbright Distinguished Arctic Scholar Award
Norway
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.
Research and teach within areas that are relevant to understanding of the Arctic and High North regions. The Distinguished Scholar is expected to engage with faculty inside and outside the host institution(s), give public lectures and lead seminars, as well as supervise and mentor Master’s and Ph.D. candidates with their research and writing. Details about award activity should be worked out with the host.
Any institution of higher education or research in Norway.
Three months. The grantee may stay for more than three months, but no additional funding will be offered.
Start date to be agreed upon jointly between host university and candidate, but must occur within the 2025-26 academic year.
See Award Activity. The Arctic Distinguished Scholar award is not limited to the natural sciences. This award is open to applications in the social sciences and the humanities and recognizes the important contributions these disciplines can make to our understanding of the Arctic.
The Distinguished Scholar is welcome to travel to other universities in Norway for shorter periods of time. No additional funding will be provided for such travel.
All U.S. awardees to Norway have two opportunities to gather as a group. The first is an orientation program held in Oslo in August. The second is a seminar in February during which awardees present on their projects followed by a weekend at a ski resort near Lillehammer. Domestic travel and lodging expenses for these gatherings are covered by the Fulbright Foundation. In addition, these expenses are covered for dependent family members of awardees for the seminar/ski weekend, which is a highlight of the Fulbright year.
All applicants must meet the Program eligibility requirements (click to review the requirements).
Invitation letter required from each institution where activity is to take place.
All teaching and research will be in English; proficiency in another language is not required.
Five to 10 years of research and experience. Candidates should be accomplished scholars and have a significant publication and teaching record.
Please note that dual U.S.-Norway citizens are not eligible for Fulbright awards to Norway. Applications will not be considered if the applicant is currently residing in Norway or will be residing in Norway during the year preceding the award period.
You may be asked to participate in an interview as part of the in-country selection process.
For further details and updates, please visit the U.S.-Norway Fulbright Foundation’s website.
200,000 Norwegian kroner (NOK) (approximately $20,500*) for a three month grant period. This sum will cover maintenance, housing and research-related expenses. Fulbright funding will be offered for a total maximum of four months, but scholar may stay beyond the four month Fulbright grant period. There is no additional financial support for dependents, but family members may accompany scholar to site.
*Please note, USD amounts are subject to change due to currency fluctuations.
Allowance of NOK 25,000 (approximately $2,500) for round-trip international travel, including excess baggage allowance, shipping costs, etc. for awardee only.
Please note, USD amounts are subject to change due to currency fluctuations.
Housing costs can vary considerably depending on the type of place scholars rent, including whether or not they get access to researcher housing at their host university. For other costs of living, please see Consumption Research Norway’s reference budget for ordinary consumer expenditures.
One-time grants of up to 2,000 NOK (approximately $250*) are available for scholars to use for grant-related travel in Norway or Europe.
Scholars are also eligible to participate in the Fulbright Intercountry Lecturing Program. The program provides opportunities for professional enrichment and cultural experience outside of Norway through short visits to give presentations in other participating European countries. Intercountry Lecturing travel is covered by the Fulbright commission and host institution in the country the scholar travels to.
*Please note, USD amounts are subject to change due to currency fluctuations.
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 and the Fulbright Commission in the host country reserve the right to alter, without notice, participating countries, number of awards and allowances.
Norway
Norway is an excellent place to live, teach, and conduct research. With a strong public emphasis on knowledge and learning, Norway's generously funded and publicly accessible system of higher education and research is the backbone of Norwegian intellectual development, creativity, and innovation. A good introduction to Norway can be found here. In addition, Statistics Norway has a wealth of information in English on many topics.
The vast majority of higher education institutions in Norway are public. There is a single national admissions process for undergraduate study at public colleges and universities as well as some private institutions. In accordance with European standards, the years of study for a bachelor’s, master’s and Ph.D. degree are three, two and three respectively. In-depth information about higher education in Norway can be found here.
Norwegian institutions of higher education and research offer many opportunities for international scholars to conduct research and teach. English is used almost as a second language in Norway, and the international environment in most research and higher education institutions means that competence in Norwegian is not a requirement for a successful short-term research or teaching visit.
In addition, The Research Council of Norway has designated a number of Centers of Excellence and Centers for Research-Based Innovation in various fields. The centers are affiliated with Norway's top universities and premier independent research institutes and may be of particular interest for Fulbright scholars. Scholars especially interested in efforts to strengthen quality in higher education may want to consider one of the Norwegian Centres for Excellence in Education.
The academic year runs from mid-August to mid-December and mid-January to mid-June.
Early career applicants who are currently working on a PhD must have a doctorate in hand by February 2025 to be eligible.
Please note that dual U.S.-Norway citizens are not eligible for Fulbright grants to Norway.
The US-Norway Fulbright Foundation is proud to have welcomed scholars in a variety of disciplines from the creative and performing arts to education to mathematics and natural sciences. Every scholar and every host situation is different, and we cannot guarantee an exact match, but we will be happy to try and connect potential applicants with relevant recent alumni. For a complete list of current and past scholars, please see the Fulbright Scholar Directory.
Visit our Scholar Directory to view and search all Fulbright alumni. You can also learn more about Fulbright Alumni Ambassadors.
Applicants are encouraged to secure recommendation letters from individuals with different institutional affiliations.