Fulbright Visiting Student Researchers Program 2026/2027 for Doctoral Students (Fully Funded to the United States )

Application Deadline: Varying by Country

Applications are now open for the 2026/2027 Fulbright Visiting Student Researchers Program. The Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program provides grants to approximately 850 foreign scholars from over 100 countries to conduct post-doctoral research at U.S. institutions from an academic semester to a full academic year. 

SELECTION CRITERIA

 Applications must be considered in a transparent competition. The interview committee is comprised of qualified local representatives from the U.S. and nominating country.

1. Nominees must be citizens or nationals of the nominating country, or permanent residents holding a valid passport issued by the nominating country.
2. Nominees must have at least the equivalent of four (4) years of university study and the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree.  Nominees that have three (3) years of tertiary study should have the equivalent of thirteen (13) years of primary and secondary school and their undergraduate degree should allow them to be eligible to pursue higher education in their home country.  Please note that final equivalency decisions will be determined by each U.S. university and not all institutions will accept three (3) year undergraduate degrees.
3. Nominees should have a sufficient level of English proficiency to enable them to engage in full-time graduate level study in the U.S., as demonstrated in interviews and via standardized tests.
4. Nominees must meet the minimum scores on required standardized tests; these test scores should be submitted to and reviewed by Posts PRIOR to October 1, 2025, to ensure that they meet the standards listed below in the Standardized Testing section. Any nominee who does not meet these standards will not move forward in the placement process.
5. Nominees should have a high motivation and a serious commitment to completing the program as scheduled and to returning home.
6. Nominees with no extensive or recent U.S. experience will be given preference.
7. No applicant may receive more than one Fulbright Student grant, including Humphrey Scholar alumni. This does not apply to the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Program alumni.
8. Local employees staff (LES) abroad employed by the State Department/United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are ineligible for grants during the period of their employment and for one year following the termination of employment.

Note: MASTERS and First-Degree applicants are NOT qualified to apply for this program.

How to apply:

 Completed applications must include:

• Three (3) Letters of Reference (can be submitted online by instructors, professors or work supervisors);
• Detailed project statements of proposed activity for research/lecturing in the U.S.
• Detailed Curriculum Vitae (resume)
• Academic transcripts/diplomas (certified translation into English or verified copies of original academic transcript and degree certificate – scanned and attached to the application);
• Official English translation of certificate for the current academic status (scanned and attached to the application);
• Valid results from the U.S. standardized test – TOEFL/IELTS,GRE/GMAT
• a copy of a valid passport.

Please note that all items should be translated into English.

Participating Countries

• Cote d’Ivoire: Fulbright Visiting Student Researchers Program – March 14, 2025
• Djibouti: Fulbright Visiting Student Researchers Program – April 25, 2025
• Mali: Fulbright Visiting Student Researchers Program – March 31, 2025.

For More Information:

Visit the Official Webpage of the Fulbright Visiting Student Researchers Program