The Fulbright U.S. Student Program sends U.S. citizens to more than 160 countries to study, research, and teach English abroad.
With a unique focus on mutual understanding between people of different backgrounds and cultures, the program offers the freedom to curate your experience as you engage with your host community.
Be aware that federal funding changes may affect future cycles of this opportunity. We are monitoring the situation closely and will provide updates as more information becomes available.
The Einaudi Center provides counseling, essay feedback, and application support to help your Fulbright application succeed, even if you are preparing your application at a distance as a study abroad student or recent graduate. Our Fulbright advisor offers guidance throughout the year and hosts info sessions about Fulbright opportunities each semester.
"I taught English at Alanya Alaaddin Keykubat University in Alanya, Antalya in Turkey," said Savanna Lim '21. "I'm positive that this experience will inform the work I do in the future and especially aid in the understanding of foreign policy, America's role in the world, and creating meaningful people-to-people relationships across cultures."
Fulbright Facts
Cornell University is a Fulbright Top Producing Institution. One in four Cornell applicants wins an award. The national average is only one in six. This is how Cornell has sent over 500 students across the globe as part of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program since the 1940s.
Fulbrighters from Cornell have traveled to more than one hundred countries, studying topics ranging from court efficiency in Zambia to gender-based inequalities in India. Many have taught English abroad and attended international graduate programs in other languages.
On a Fulbright in Spain, Alexis Fintland '22 researched migration in the Canary Islands. Fintland is a former undergraduate Migrations scholar.
Application Opens
March 31, 2025
Deadline
August 22, 2025
Eligibility
United States citizens in any field of study are eligible. In addition, you must fulfill one of the following criteria:
You will graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Cornell before September of the award year.
You are currently a Cornell graduate student.
You are a young professional who graduated from Cornell within the past five years.
Do I have to be in the humanities or social sciences?
The program funds applicants and projects from all disciplines. Individual country programs may give priority to particular disciplines.
Is language fluency required?
Language requirements depend on the host country, but you must have sufficient proficiency to carry out your proposed study. Refer to the Fulbright country profiles for more details.
What if I want to conduct research in Indonesia?
If you're a current Cornell faculty or student planning research in Indonesia—including Fulbright and Fulbright-Hays—you'll need to apply for a foreign research permit. Learn more about the required steps.
Can undergraduates apply?
Fulbright scholars must have a bachelor’s degree before September of the year in which the grant begins. If you want to participate in a Fulbright program immediately following graduation, plan to prepare your application in your junior year to submit at the beginning of your senior year.
Day in the Life: U.S. Student Program
Amanda Cronin '21 shares a day in her life as an English teaching assistant in Argentina.
How to Apply
Cornell applicants must apply through the Cornell Fulbright Program, managed by the Einaudi Center. Reach out to our Fulbright advisor to get started. We provide counseling, essay reviews, and application support to all applicants, including study abroad students and alumni, for every type of application.
When should I start applying?
Start preparing early in your undergraduate career. The best applications are thoughtfully planned, so decide which world regions or countries interest you as soon as you can.
Learn a language.
Take courses relevant to a country or region that interests you.
Get to know and work with professors who can write your reference letters.
If you intend to begin the program right after graduation, start the application process in the fall of your junior year.
What is required of an application?
It depends on your goals.
The application is different for academic study/research, creative or performing arts study/research, or teaching English. Visit the Fulbright website to find out about your application components.
Does Einaudi review my application?
Yes, we work with you throughout the application process before completed applications are sent to the national review committee.
How are awards decided?
Since the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is funded by the U.S. Department of State, all application decisions are made at the national level. Recommendations are then sent to host countries, which must approve the applications before awards are announced in the spring.
Meet Cornell's Fulbrighters
Seventeen Cornellians will go abroad in academic year 2024–25 to fourteen countries.
Nine of this year's Fulbright awardees will travel to Asian countries, with a particular concentration headed to South Asia. Three of the four national research awards to Nepal this year were given to Cornell applicants.
