Fulbright grants available to students for foreign study

Completed applications must be submitted to Purdue’s Fulbright adviser, Brian Harley, director of the Office of Programs for Study Abroad, by Sept. 29. Candidates will be interviewed the week of Oct. 4.

Fulbright applications are evaluated by the Institute for International Education, a nonprofit foundation devoted to international education and training. Applications must be received by the institute by Oct. 20.

The Fulbright program is the largest sponsor of U.S. international exchange. Last year, it funded approximately 6,000 U.S. students, teachers, professionals and scholars to study, teach and conduct research abroad. The program also awards grants to people from other countries, enabling them to engage in similar activities in the United States.

The Fulbright program supports more than 1,200 U.S. citizens in all fields of study annually for a year of study, research, teaching experience or professional training in the arts in more than 140 different countries. The program is for recent bachelor's degree recipients, master's and doctoral candidates, young professionals and artists.

In addition to the academic and career benefits it provides, Harley said, the program gives students opportunities for personal development and international experience, and it lets them to design their own programs. He said students benefit from being able to meet, work and live with people of the host country, promoting cross-cultural interaction and mutual understanding.

The Fulbright Commission also provides a number of other opportunities, such as business grants, Islamic Civilization Initiative Awards, Language Training Initiative grants and English teaching assistantships.

For more detail on the Fulbright program and how it is administered at Purdue, go online.

Congress established the Fulbright Program in 1946 to enable the U.S. government to increase mutual understanding between Americans and people of other countries.

The primary source of funding for the Fulbright program is an annual appropriation from Congress to the Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions in foreign countries, and in the United States, also contribute financially through cost sharing and indirect support, such as through salary supplements, tuition waivers and university housing.

Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu

Source: Brian Harley, (765) 494-2383, bharley@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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