International Educator Award

As part of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program, Fulbright Schuman awards scholarships to international education professionals at European universities who are interested in conducting research at a U.S. university on an issue related to international higher education and/or best practices in this field. The International Educator grants are open to European citizens to conduct research at an accredited U.S. institution for a period between three months and nine months.

Applicants must include a letter of affiliation from a U.S. host institution in their application and propose a comparative US-EU perspective on global issues within international higher education and/or share best practices within the field.

Benefits

• Scholarship of up to 3,000 euro per month (USD equivalent)
• J-1 visa sponsorship
• Pre-departure support
• Travel stipend of 2,000 euro (USD equivalent)
• Health benefit plan
• In-country programming (e.g. seminars, local advisor)
• Prestigious title and access to alumni network

Eligibility

• Citizenship in an EU Member State
• Proficiency in English
• Candidates do not need to hold a PhD but must have a bachelor’s degree and at least three years of experience in the field of international education
• Academic/professional experience of 3+ months in two or more EU Member States recommended
• Academic excellence, or outstanding personal or professional background

Factors that may make an applicant ineligible for the Fulbright Schuman Program include: current employment/traineeship at the European Commission, strong professional ties to European institutions, current or former residence in the United States, and lack of experience outside of home country. No candidate may receive Fulbright Schuman funding in concurrence with other EC funding (e.g. Marie Curie) for the same activity.

Required documents

• Americanized resume/CV
• 3-5 page single-spaced Project Statement (make sure to demonstrate relevancy to the EU and international higher education!)
• 1-3 page Bibliography of References relevant to the proposed research
• Diploma of most recent degree including transcripts with completed coursework. (certified translation in English unless the original documents are in Dutch, French or German)
• Three letters of recommendation (uploaded directly into online application by chosen recommenders)
• Letter of affiliation from a U.S. host institution; this letter should contain the institution’s letterhead, mention the exact dates, the objective of your research stay, as well as any facilities you may have access to during your grant

All these documents must be included in your application by December 1 including the affiliation letter.

How to apply

The application period to apply for this grant is between September 15 and December 1 for applicants who intend to start their research in the next academic year.

E.g. if you intend to start your research in the academic year of 2025-2026, you will need to apply for a grant between September 15 and December 1, 2024.

• Research proposals should start no earlier than mid-August (the U.S. academic calendar typically runs from August/September to May/June)
• Every applicant needs to submit a complete online application in English via the Fulbright/IIE platform by December 1 at noon (CET)
• You must include all required documents in your application. Incomplete applications will not be considered for an award
• When creating an online account to start a new application, preferably use a personal email address instead of a temporary work or school address

When filling out the initial fields of the online application in the ‘Preliminary Questions’ section, applicants MUST select ‘European Union (Schuman)’ as the Program Country. This indicates that you are applying for a Fulbright Schuman award and ensures that your application is sent to our office and not to a different Fulbright Commission. In the ‘Country Information’ section you also need to specify that you are applying for the International Educator Award. We strongly encourage you to send us an email after submitting your application to make sure that our office has received your application for the Fulbright Schuman Program.

The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program of the U.S. Department of State. Keep in mind that the program is all about promoting mutual understanding through cultural diplomacy.

The most competitive applicants demonstrate ambassadorial qualities and a genuine interest in cultural exchange. It is important for candidates to articulate a clear, creative, and feasible plan for their time in the United States and to explain why this is the right time to pursue their plan and how their grant will ultimately help them achieve their personal and professional goals in the future. The Commission is looking for candidates who will also have a multiplier effect within their U.S. and European communities and who wish to ultimately return to Europe to share their knowledge and experiences after their grant has ended.

Candidates are responsible for securing a letter of affiliation on their own. Top-ranked candidates will be invited for a mandatory virtual interview in English. The interview will include a discussion of your motivations for going to the U.S., your plans when you arrive, and how you will improve U.S. relations between Europe as an alumni when you return. Successful candidates will demonstrate ambassadorial qualities, English proficiency, and the ability to explain their academic proposal in simple terms. All applications are evaluated by our selections committee which is composed of academia, professionals, government officials, and Fulbright alumni from various fields.