Doctoral Research

As part of the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, Fulbright Schuman awards scholarships to European citizens to study or conduct doctoral research in any academic field at an accredited U.S. institution for a period between four months and nine months.

Applicants must demonstrate in their Study/Research Objectives Essay that their proposed program/research is relevant to US-EU relations or EU affairs/policy, and to at least two EU Member States.

Benefits

• Scholarship of up to 2,000 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. orientations, seminars)
• Prestigious title and access to alumni network

Eligibility

• Citizenship in an EU Member State
• Proficiency in English
• Minimum of a bachelor’s degree
• 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
• Study/Research Objectives Essay (make sure to demonstrate relevancy to the EU!)
• Personal Statement Essay
• 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)
• Writing sample
• 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 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 with exception of the affiliation letter. However, student researchers are encouraged to include the affiliation letter in their application when possible.

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 program 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.

• Program 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. 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.

There are no requirements for particular fields of study, however, the proposed research project must be relevant to Europe, the European Union, and/or US-EU relations. The program has funded research projects in political science, law, and economics but also in linguistics, social sciences, public health, arts, etc.

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 are able to 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 applying and securing letters of affiliation on their own. While these letters are not required at the time of application, they do strengthen an application if they are included and they must ultimately be provided by selected grantees in order to receive the grant. 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.