Application Deadline: Monday, September 16, 2024 at 5:00 PM EST
These application instructions are abridged and formatted for your convenience.
General Information About the Application
We recommend using the Google Chrome web browser to complete your application.
Before starting an application, please review Eligibility, the Award description of your interest, and the Application guidelines.
The application does not need to be completed in one sitting, and you can return to your saved work to edit it at any point prior to the submission of your application.
We recommend preparing your short essays in a separate document so you can edit them and make sure character limits are followed before copying them into the application. Character limits include punctuation, spaces, and paragraph breaks. For the documents you will upload to your application (such as your CV/resume), we recommend preparing them as PDF files.
Take care not to open the application in more than one tab on your browser, as this will produce conflicting edits.
Before submitting your application, verify that all responses are correct and you have registered your recommenders and language evaluators. Once you submit your application, you cannot make any changes.
Please note these instructions supplement those in the actual application and address frequently asked questions. For any specific situations not covered, please contact scholars@iie.org.
- Accessing the Application
The application is located at https://apply.iie.org/fusc2025. Please note this is the application for the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. The Fulbright U.S Student and Visiting Scholar Programs have different links and have different applications.
If you have applied in the past, please do not start a new application but see our guidance below for “Returning Users.” Please do not make a new account if you have applied before, as each account is associated with your email address (and also your government name and date of birth).
New users should click “Create an Account” on the application link. Consider using a permanent email address that is not subject to change. Your full name must appear as it does on your government-issued document. Once you enter this information, you will receive an email from apply@iie.org that will give you a temporary PIN to verify the account. Once you enter this PIN on the application link, you will be asked to set a password.
If you have applied at any point since 2020, you are a Returning User: click “Log In” (If you applied for the 2019-20 competition (in 2018) or earlier, you need to create a new application account using the New User instructions above.) If you have forgotten your password, follow the “Forgot Password” link and its prompts. If your password expired, you will be prompted to enter your email and birthdate. Then you will be sent a password reset email with a PIN. If your email address has changed, please email scholars@iie.org, and we can change the email for you. Some information from your previous application will repopulate.
- Creating, Completing, and Managing Your Application
Next, create your new application. Click “Start New Application” at the bottom after logging in. The “Application Type” should show “Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program” and the competition year; it should show the current cycle year.
Once you click “Open Application,” you can start working on your new application. You will also receive an email confirmation that you have started. Please save this email confirmation, as it provides you with essential links to deadlines and resources.
Be sure to work on your application in one, single web browser tab (preferably Google Chrome) to avoid making conflicting edits.
To return to your application after closing the tab, remember that you are now a “Returning user” and you must log in to continue your application. Do not create a new application. When you log in, you will see your application for the current year. This is where you should click to continue your application.
To edit your application prior to submission: You may edit any component of your application prior to submission. Please be sure to click “Save and Continue” each time you edit to save your work. The application will log you out after 60 minutes of inactivity; please save your work frequently.
To view your application after submission: You can view and save a PDF of your application after submission by clicking “Preview Application PDF.” Please note that you cannot change any part of your application after submission, but you can check to see if your recommenders and language evaluators have uploaded their documents.
Letters of Recommendation and Language Evaluations: These components are uploaded directly by your recommenders and language evaluator(s). Once you register them in your application, you can monitor their progress. This means you can submit your portion prior to their uploads. If a recommender is no longer available, you can exclude them and register a new recommender, so please register recommenders earlier than needed!
- Navigating the Application and Eligibility
When you start your application, you will only see three pages: Home, Welcome, and Program Eligibility.
The rest of your application depends on your eligibility, so you will not see pages like Program Type, Country and Award Selection, and any application components available in your application until you complete the Program Eligibility page (Eligibility Criteria). When it is time to select your country (or countries) and award, begin by selecting the country to which you will apply, which in turn populates that country’s available award(s). You may see red text before you select the country, but afterwards this should disappear.
- Changing Awards
Because you can only apply to one award per cycle/year, you may find you change strategies for your application this year and would like to apply to another award. This is possible until you submit your application.
Depending on how much of your application was completed before changing awards, you may need to update some responses and materials to match the new award. Application pages that may be impacted are Award Details, Language Skills, Essays & Uploads.
These are the procedures for changing the award to which you are applying:
Same country, different award
- Return to this Country & Award Selection page.
- Select the new award from the dropdown list.
- New country: De-select the award so the field is blank, then select the new country, then select the new award from the dropdown list.
Different country
- Return to this Country & Award Selection page.
- De-select the award so the award field is blank.
- Select the new country from the dropdown list.
- Select the new award from the dropdown list.
Single-country award to a multi-country award (or the reverse)
- Return to this Country & Award Selection page.
- De-select the award so the award field is blank.
- De-select the country so the country field is blank.
- Go to the Program Type page to change your response to the multi-country award question.
- Continue to the Country & Award Selection page and select the new country and award.
- Award Details
Now that you have confirmed your eligibility and specified your country and award to which you are applying, you can now start telling us about your project.
You must first specify an Award Activity, even if there is only one option for that award. If your activity is “Teaching/Research,” you will be asked to specify a ratio of teaching to research. Make sure this is consistent with what you describe in your Project Statement, and please check the award to which you are applying for any additional guidance or requirements.
Then you will be asked to select the award duration, proposed host institution (Enter this even if an award already has a designated host), and, where applicable, proposed award calendar (for Flex awards or multi-country awards).
Next, select the discipline and specialization in which your proposed project most closely falls. If your discipline or specialization does not appear, check this indexed, searchable list containing all the disciplines and specializations available in the application. All complete and eligible applications will undergo discipline peer review; the discipline and specialization you select will be used in part to inform the committee assignment. The Other Specializations text box is where you can enter additional details about the discipline(s) and specialization(s) of your project. This is especially recommended if your project is interdisciplinary. Please note if you choose “Medical Sciences” (or related disciplines) as your discipline, no clinical work can be conducted on a Fulbright as noted in our FAQs. Similarly, religious workers, lay or ordained, are not eligible for consideration if their projects involve engaging in pastoral, missionary, or other professional religious activities.
Here also you will be expected to enter your Project Title and Abstract. The Title has a 100-character limit and the Abstract has a 700-character limit, including spaces and punctuation. Please note the Abstract is a summary of your project and its impact, to be used by reviewers for quick reference as they discuss your application during review meetings.
If you are an artist, architect, journalist or select a discipline outlined in the Portfolio section, you will be prompted to upload a Portfolio. Only these applicants will be asked to upload the portfolio. Please note that files must be uploaded to your application; links to websites will not be accepted. Content to be considered in the application review must be contained within the application itself. More guidance for portfolios can be found in the Essays and Uploads section below.
- Recommendations and Language Evaluators
Two Letters of Recommendation, and a Language Evaluation (where applicable) are the only third-party components of your application. We recommend registering the people who will be submitting for you as soon as possible.
Once you input a name and information for either the Letters or the Evaluation, the person will receive an automated email with upload instructions. You are responsible for managing their awareness of the deadline. Your recommendations and foreign language evaluation(s) are due by September 16, 2024 (5:00 p.m. EST). You may send them reminder(s) from the application interface. Only two recommendations will be accepted; and up to two language evaluations. Please note our guidance on who may serve as either of these parties.
You may submit your application prior to these external uploads from letter writers and evaluator(s). If needed, you can also put in a new name for a recommender up until the deadline, but you may only have two recommenders. If you add a new recommender, you must delete a recommender/evaluator who was unable to submit their letter/evaluation.
- Language Skills
If your chosen award requires foreign language proficiency, you will be prompted to provide information about these skills. This is for languages other than English.
For any language self-evaluations, you will rate your reading, writing, and speaking proficiency, and describe your previous experience with the language(s), and if language proficiency is necessary for your project to be feasible.
For Language Evaluations, please see the subhead above on “Language Evaluators.”
The table below explains what will be required of you depending on language in your award:
Award Requirement: What this means in the application: None, English is sufficient Self-Evaluation: Optional: You may complete the self-evaluation for language(s) relevant to your proposed project
Foreign Language Evaluation: Do not register a Foreign Language evaluator on the Recommendations & Language Evaluators page
None, English is sufficient. However, feasibility of conducting the project must be demonstrated in the project statement Self-Evaluation: Required: You are required to complete the self-evaluation for language(s) relevant to your proposed project
Foreign Language Evaluation: Optional: You may register a Foreign Language evaluator(s)on the Recommendations & Language Evaluators page
Recommended Self-Evaluation: Required: You are required to complete the self-evaluation for language(s) relevant to your proposed project
Foreign Language Evaluation: Recommended: You are encouraged to register a Foreign Language evaluator(s) on the Recommendations & Language Evaluators page (waived if native in all three skill areas)
Required Self-Evaluation: Required: You are required to complete self-evaluation for language(s) relevant to your proposed project
Foreign Language Evaluation: Required: You are required to register Foreign Language evaluator(s) on the Recommendations & Language Evaluators page (waived if native in all three skill areas)
- Essays and Uploads
Now you will upload components of your application and enter your essay responses.
Requirements for the format of all uploads can be found on our Application Steps page, along with guidance for the content of these materials.
Please see which uploads you will need, depending on your award activity, below:
- Project Statement - Required for all applicants.
- Curriculum Vitae/Resumé - Required for all applicants.
- Reference List - Required if you selected Research or Teaching/Research on the Award Details page. Not accepted for: Teaching or Professional Project.
- If this upload does not appear, check the Award Details page to make sure the award activity is selected.
- Syllabi/Course Outlines - Required if you selected Teaching or Teaching/Research on the Award Details page. Not accepted for: Research or Professional Project.
- If this upload does not appear, check the Award Details page to make sure the award activity is selected.
- Essays - Required for all applicants. Provide responses to the essay questions in the text boxes provided.
- Character limits include punctuation, spaces, and paragraph breaks.
- You are strongly encouraged to draft and save your response outside of the application in case of any technical issues. This also lets you monitor character limits and use spellcheck.
- Letter(s) of Invitation - Ensure your letter(s) of invitation follow these requirements, and see the subhead “Recommendations and Language Evaluators” above.
- Portfolio - Required for artists, architects, journalists, select a discipline outlined in the Portfolio section. Files must be uploaded directly to the application; links to websites will not be accepted.
Please note the application does not allow for any additional uploads beyond the components above.
To upload your documents and/or portfolio (where applicable), click “Choose File” under each document’s name. To see if your file(s) were uploaded successfully, continue to the next page and return to the Uploads & Essays page, then check the file(s) you uploaded (e.g., Project Statement). The file will appear there with the page count (e.g., 6 page(s)). If you exceed page limits, a warning will only appear at the “Review” page at the end of the application. Please be sure to preview the file to check that the file is what you intended to upload.
- Academic & Professional Information
Here you will enter information about your academic and professional background, including your current employment, academic history, accomplishments, and previous Fulbright grants (if applicable).
Please enter your institution names accurately. While the application has a responsive menu with most institution names, you must manually enter the address details.
If you are an independent scholar, artist, musician, or you are self-employed, enter “No Affiliation” here. Do not enter your name here.
For your Accomplishments, enter your five most significant professional accomplishments into the text boxes (one per box). These may include honors, awards, publications, performances, exhibitions, etc..
If you have previously been awarded a Fulbright grant, indicate the type of Fulbright you received. Fulbright awards include Fulbright U.S. Scholar, Fulbright U.S. Student (including ETA), International Education Administrator Seminar, Fulbright Amazonia, Fulbright Arctic, German Studies Seminar, NEXUS, Fulbright Visiting Scholar, New Century Scholars, Fulbright Foreign Student (including FLTA), Fulbright Specialist, and Fulbright-Hays.
Recipients of a Fulbright Scholar grant are eligible to apply for another Fulbright Scholar grant two years after the date of completion of the previous grant. For the 2025-26 program, this means your grant must have ended by September 16, 2022. (For Flex grants, the two-year period begins at the end of the final grant in the series.). If you received a Fulbright Student or Fulbright Specialist grant, the two-year waiting period does not apply.
- Personal Information and Contact Information
Next, you will be prompted to enter your personal information. You must enter your name exactly as it appears on your government-issued document. Other demographic details are required, per Fulbright’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility.
You also will need to input information for your dependents and information regarding your own citizenship (some awards do not allow dual citizens to apply).
For your Contact Information, please enter any U.S. phone numbers starting with “+1.”
Regarding felony/misdemeanor/misconduct information, please note the following:
Applicants are required to disclose if they have ever been arrested for, indicted for, or charged with a felony or a misdemeanor (excluding minor traffic violations, juvenile convictions, or cases where the record has been sealed or expunged) or accused of misconduct (including but not limited to unethical practices, harassment, sexual harassment or abuse, or other misconduct that may have been the focus of some kind of inquiry or process). Applicants must promptly notify IIE in writing if they are arrested for, indicted for, charged with or convicted of a felony or misdemeanor (excluding minor traffic violations) after submitting the application․ FFSB policies can be found here (Chapter 600/Section 626 Ineligibility Factors.)
Submitted documentation will not be revealed to those reviewing your application during the Peer Review process or as a part of the host country selection process․ However, statements and documents may be forwarded the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for review and determination of eligibility.
Note: If you are arrested for, indicted for, charged with, or convicted of a felony or misdemeanor (excluding minor traffic violations), or accused of misconduct after the submission of this application, you must promptly inform IIE in writing (FulbrightScholarReview@iie.org).
- Signature, Review, and Submission
You will now be asked to sign your application, attesting to the authenticity and accuracy of its information. (You type your full name in the text box.)
After signing, proceed to the “Review” page. This page validates your forms and uploads. It primarily checks for questions with missing answers and uploads with too many pages. Please read and proofread your entire application at this stage.
Notifications that can appear on the Review page are “Required Field or Error,” indicating you must fill out a form field, or “Warning: Letter of Invitation,” which invites you to double-check if your award requires a Letter of Invitation. The application will allow you to submit without a letter of invitation. If your award requires an Invitation, please be sure to upload it by the due date.
As a final check, please download and review your “Application Proof,” which generates a PDF version of your application for your records.
Make sure to click “Submit Application”
Application Deadline: September 16, 2024 at 5:00 PM EST
After Submission
Once you submit your application, you will land on your Application Status page.
This page confirms your application was submitted. It also contains your application checklist, a link to your application proof, an overview of the application review process and timeline, and more.
You will also receive an email confirming your submission. Please save this email as it contains the link to your application and the review timeline. You can return to your application at each stage of review to see its progress.
If you do not receive an email confirming submission within a few minutes, please double check that you submitted your application.
We recommend adding Scholars@iie.org and FulbrightScholarReview@iie.org to your address book to prevent emails from landing in your spam/junk folder.