Fulbright Opportunities

Established in 1946 and sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Program aims to increase mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries, through the exchange of persons, knowledge, and skills—and through funding students, scholars, and professionals in undertaking graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and teaching in elementary and secondary schools.

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Programs for Scholars

Programs for U.S. Scholars

Members of the UC Davis community have been active participants in the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program in countries around the world. Visit the Fulbright Programs page on the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) website for a full list of programs.

Fulbright Scholar Awards

Fulbright Scholar Awards comprise the bulk of awards offered and include opportunities for professionals, artists, and scholars at all career-levels. Location and eligibility vary across all awards, and some awards may be restricted to certain career levels or types of scholars. This information is outlined in the award description. 

Learn more about Fulbright Scholar Awards 

Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Awards

The prestigious Distinguished Scholar Awards are open to scholars who have more than seven years of experience in their discipline or area of expertise, though some awards may further restrict eligibility. Distinguished Scholars are expected to actively engage host institutions in a spirit of promoting mutual understanding and sharing knowledge.

Search for Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Award opportunities

Fulbright Specialist Program

The Fulbright Specialist Program sends U.S. faculty and professionals to serve as expert consultants on curriculum, faculty development, institutional planning and related subjects at academic institutions in other countries for a period of two to six weeks.

Learn more about the Fulbright Specialist Program

Fulbright International Education Administrators Program (IEA)

The Fulbright International Education Administrators (IEA) seminars help U.S. international education professionals and senior higher education officials create empowering connections with their counterparts and higher education systems of other countries. Selected applicants have the opportunity to learn about the host country’s education system and establish networks of U.S. and international colleagues over the course of an intensive two-week grant duration. Awardees return with enhanced ability to serve and encourage international students and prospective study-abroad students.

Learn more about Fulbright International Education Administrators

Fulbright-Hays Program

The Fulbright-Hays Program, an opportunity funded by a Congressional appropriation to the U.S. Department of Education, awards grants to individual U.S. K-14 pre-teachers, teachers and administrators, pre-doctoral students and postdoctoral faculty, as well as to U.S. institutions and organizations.

Learn more about the Fulbright-Hays Program

Programs for Visiting (Non-U.S.) Scholars

Visit the full list of programs 

Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program

Each year roughly 850 faculty and professionals from around the world receive Fulbright Scholar grants for advanced research and university lecturing in the United States. Individual grants are available to scholars from over 100 countries. Individuals who meet the eligibility requirements apply for grants through the Fulbright commission/foundation or public affairs section of the U.S. embassy in their home countries. After a thorough selection process in the home country, final approval for awards is issued by the presidentially appointed Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB) in the United States. Exchanges range in length from three to twelve months.

For information on how to apply, including deadlines, please contact your country's Fulbright commission or the public affairs section of the U.S. embassy

UC Davis Visiting Fulbright Scholar Contributes to Local Research with Global Impact

Pedro Luis Borges Chaffe, an associate professor of hydrology from Brazil, reflects upon his Fulbright Scholar experience working with UC Davis Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Geoffrey Schladow on the changing hydrology of streams in the Lake Tahoe basin.

Outreach Lecturing Fund

The Outreach Lecturing Fund allows U.S. institutions to invite Fulbright Visiting Scholars to:

• give department or campus-wide lectures to students or faculty (or both);
• hold lectures in classrooms where the scholar can make a contribution to the discipline;
• meet with faculty to allow for an exchange of ideas;
• have informal gatherings with students and faculty; or
• meet with community organizations or religious groups that have a special interest in international relations.

Visit the Outreach Lecturing Fund page for further information about the program.

Fulbright Visiting Scholar Enrichment Programs

The Enrichment Program, implemented by CIES on behalf of the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), offers a variety of enrichment activities in different locations throughout the academic year. These activities are designed to enable scholars to better experience America and to further the Fulbright Program’s goal of increasing mutual understanding between the people of the U.S. and people of other countries.

UC Davis Fulbright Visiting Scholars can take advantage of the Northern California Fulbright Visiting Scholar Enrichment Program. The current coordinator is Liliane Koziol, lkoziol@berkeley.edu. Visit the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Enrichment Program page to view additional enrichment program locations and details.

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Programs for Students

Programs for U.S. Students

Fulbright U.S. Student Program

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers fellowships for U.S. graduating college seniors, graduate students, young professionals and artists to study, conduct research, and/or teach English abroad.

UC Davis Ranked Among Top Producers of Fulbright Students

In 2018-19, UC Davis sent the largest group of students and alumni abroad for Fulbright experiences with the recipients’ global footprint stretching from Mexico to Malaysia, Iceland to South Africa.

Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program

The Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program places recent college graduates and young professionals as English teaching assistants in primary and secondary schools or universities in other countries. ETAs may also pursue individual study/research plans in addition to their teaching responsibilities.

Fulbright-mtvU Fellowships

The Fulbright-mtvU Fellowships center around research on an aspect of international musical culture and focus on contemporary or popular music as a cultural force for expression.

Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship

The Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship provides opportunities for U.S. citizens to participate in an academic year of overseas travel and digital storytelling in up to three countries on a globally significant social or environmental topic. This Fellowship is made possible through a partnership between the U.S. Department of State and the National Geographic Society.

Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program

The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program awards grants to individual U.S. K-14 pre-teachers, teachers and administrators, pre-doctoral students and postdoctoral faculty, as well as to U.S. institutions and organizations. The Fulbright-Hays Program is funded by a Congressional appropriation to the U.S. Department of Education.

More Information

Visit the Fulbright Student Programs website for more details and for a full list of programs in countries around the world.

Programs for Visiting (Non-U.S.) Students

More than 1,800 new Foreign Fulbright Fellows enter U.S. academic programs each year through the Fulbright Commission/Foundation or U.S. Embassy in their home countries. The Institute of International Education (IIE) arranges academic placement for most Fulbright nominees and supervises participants during their stay in the U.S.

Visit Fulbright Foreign Program website for program eligibility and selection procedures (as they vary widely by country) and for specific information about the Fulbright Program in your home country, including eligibility requirements and application guidelines. 

 

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For Teachers

Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program 

The Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program offers teachers the opportunity to pursue projects, conduct research, and lead master classes or seminars in other countries with opportunities available for both U.S. and non-U.S. participants.

Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad

The Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad--Bilateral Projects is a Fulbright opportunity funded by a Congressional appropriation to the United States Department of Education with awards granted to individual U.S. K-14 pre-teachers, teachers and administrators, pre-doctoral students and postdoctoral faculty, as well as to U.S. institutions and organizations. 

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For Professionals

Grants for U.S. Professionals

Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program

The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program offers opportunities for U.S. scholars, artists and professionals to conduct research, lecture, and/or consult with other scholars and institutions abroad

Fulbright Specialist Program

The Fulbright Specialist Program, a short-term complement to the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program, sends U.S. faculty and professionals to serve as expert consultants on curriculum, faculty development, institutional planning and related subjects at academic institutions on other countries for a period of two to six weeks.

Fulbright U.S. Student Program

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers fellowships for U.S. young professionals and artists to study abroad for one academic year.

Fulbright International Education Administrators Program (IEA)

The Fulbright International Education Administrators (IEA) seminars help U.S. international education professionals and senior higher education officials create empowering connections with their counterparts and higher education systems of other countries. Selected applicants have the opportunity to learn about the host country’s education system and establish networks of U.S. and international colleagues over the course of an intensive two-week grant duration. Awardees return with enhanced ability to serve and encourage international students and prospective study-abroad students.

Learn more about Fulbright International Education Administrators

Grants for Visiting (Non-U.S.) Professionals

Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program

The Hubert H. Humphrey Program brings outstanding mid-career professionals from countries in states of development or transition to the U.S. to engage in professional development and collaboration at select American universities.

• Find out more about the Humphrey Fellowship Program at UC Davis.

Fulbright Foreign Student Program

The Fulbright Foreign Student Program offers opportunities for foreign graduate students, young professionals and artists from abroad to study, conduct research, and/or teach their native language in the U.S.

Fulbright European Union Scholar-in-Residence Program 

The Fulbright European Union Scholar-in-Residence (EUSIR) Program brings scholars and professionals from EU countries to U.S. college and university campuses for semester-long grants to give guest lectures and seminars, consult with faculty and students on research, engage in collaborative study and provide outreach to neighboring institutions and the local community.

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For Groups

The Fulbright-Hays--Group Projects Abroad Program, a Fulbright Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, provides support for overseas projects in training, research, and curriculum development in modern foreign languages and area studies for U.S. teachers, students, and faculty engaged in a common endeavor. Projects may include short-term seminars, curriculum development, group research or study, or advanced intensive language programs.