Getting started on your Fulbright Application
Tips from IIE and the Office of Graduate Student Assistantships and Fellowships
THE STATEMENT OF PROPOSED STUDY OR RESEARCH
Instructions from IIE:
“Describe your study or research plan and your reasons for wishing to undertake the
research in the country of your choice. Outline a plan that realistically can be completed in
one academic year abroad. Applicants in the creative or performing arts, applicants for
internships and applicants for teaching awards are not expected to formulate detailed
research projects.”
Suggestions from the Office of Fellowships:
► Make a clear declaration at the beginning of your proposal that states exactly what you
are proposing to do.
► The Fulbright supports a number of activities depending on the country to which you are
applying. The majority of Fulbright proposals are for academic study, research, or a
combination of both. Internships and teaching assistantships are limited to a few countries
and only where specified.
► Consult IIE’s published country summaries for more information on their respective
programs, eligibility requirements, and to find out individual country preferences with
respect to applicants’ level of study or subject area.
ACADEMIC STUDY
First: Determine whether you need to gain “affiliation” with a university or whether I.I.E
will arrange placement for you; this will be indicated in the country summary.
► SECURING AFFILIATION
 Start gathering information early!
 The affiliation must be at an academic institution.
 Investigate the programs in detail at a number of universities. Ask your
professors if they can suggest specific programs for you. They may be able to
connect you with a faculty member abroad who can assist you.
 Contact each program’s admissions office to find out the procedure for
becoming a visiting student in their program as a Fulbright scholar. If
matriculation is required, you may need to go through a lengthy application
process.
 You will need to have a letter of affiliation from the university or organization.
IIE will no longer accept emails or faxes as proof of affiliation.
► FOR COUNTRIES WHERE AFFILIATION IS NOT REQUIRED
This information is useful for all Fulbright applicants, not just those who are
pursuing Academic Study
If the country will place you at a university, you still must describe an academic
program of interest. Fulbright might consider your suggestions and place you at
your first choice university. You might, however, be placed at another university
so it is best to describe courses or programs found at more than one university in
the country.
 Determine from a number of programs in the country what coursework you
would like to undertake. Be able to describe what you hope to learn from
these types of courses.
 In addition, how will this academic program help you to the next step in your
career? Will you go on to another degree here in the US? Will it inform your
career?
ACADEMIC STUDY WITH A RESEARCH PROJECT
► Decide in advance what will be the proportion of academics and research in the plan of
your proposal. Will a few courses inform your research, or will the research project be a
side project to an academic program?
► Your level of study-- Master’s program, Master’s candidate, or doctoral candidate -- might
indicate an appropriate mix. Be sure to connect your research to the academic study. The
policies at the university you are interested in might be another factor.
 If doing academic study, make sure your proposal’s main focus is on this
component. Side research projects should be mentioned but not presented as
the centerpiece of your proposal.
 If research is the main focus for your proposal, you must include a detailed
methodology for your project. (see below)
 Refer to the suggestions above for the academic component.
RESEARCH PROJECT – Doctoral and Master’s Candidates
► Before you begin, brainstorm ideas by writing them down. You want an idea that is
feasible and persuasive. Consult with professors, professional colleagues and the Office of
Fellowships as you tailor your proposal.
► All research projects must be clearly described and show evidence of a specific
methodology.
► Write clearly and cleanly. Start with the 5 Ws and H—who, what, when where, why and
how. Avoid technical or discipline-specific jargon.
► Address the following areas:
 Research Topic
 Research Question(s): Specifically, what is your plan for trying to answer your
research question(s)?
 Access Requirements (and Your Plan for Gaining Access)

♦ Subjects (Will interviews be part of your project? Who will they be and how will
you gain access to them?)
♦ Archives ( Which ones? What types of documents will you be looking for?
Will you need access to special libraries or archives?)
Feasibility
♦ Is the scope of the research narrow enough to be completed in approximately
9 months?
♦ How will the culture and politics of the host country impact your work?
♦ How do the resources of the host country support your project?
♦ Is your language facility adequate to carry out your project? If not, how will
you accomplish your research?
 Validity
♦ What purpose does the research serve?
♦ What will happen to the data?
♦ What is the end product? (thesis, dissertation data collection, paper, etc.)
♦ What is your background in this subject area?
Extra tips for Doctoral Candidates
Important: Doctoral students should have had their dissertation proposal approved by the
time of application for the Fulbright. If the proposal has not been approved, be able to
indicate when it is likely to be approved. This date must be before the month the
applicant expects to depart on a Fulbright fellowship.
Doctoral students applying for the Fulbright to conduct dissertation research should
consult primarily with their dissertation committee on their Fulbright proposals. The Office
of Fellowships will also comment on the draft.
TEACHING ASSISTANTSHIPS AND INTERNSHIPS
► Teaching assistantships, internships and special opportunities in business are available
in a limited number of countries.
► In some cases, these countries supply additional instructions on information you should
include in your application with respect to the programs.
If you are applying for a teaching assistantship, you are not expected to present an
extensive research plan. Your proposal should address the following areas
♦Why you want to undertake a teaching assistantship?
♦What are your qualifications?
♦How do you expect to benefit from the assignment and how will you make use
of your experience upon your return?
♦What will you do in the host country outside of the classroom?
THE PERSONAL STATEMENT
Instructions from IIE:
The Fulbright Personal Statement is not a resume or curriculum vitae in the traditional
sense. Your personal statement should be a narrative, an intellectual biography than a
reiteration of work history, etc. Describe professional commitments and on-campus or
community activities, to which a serious commitment, or from which leadership potential is
clearly demonstrated. This enables the committee members to get a feel for the candidate
as a person and thus permits them to form a judgment regarding such items as seriousness
of purpose, adaptability, etc.
This statement should be a narrative giving a picture of yourself as an individual. It should
deal with your personal history, family background, influences on your intellectual
development, the educational and cultural opportunities (or lack of them) to which you have
been exposed, and the ways in which these experiences have affected you. Also include
your special interests and abilities, career plans, and life goals, etc. It should not be a
recording of facts already listed on the application or an elaboration of your statement of
proposed study. There is no set “form” for a Fulbright personal statement, so be creative
and include whatever makes you and your intellectual history unique.
If you have a period of poor academic performance, you may want to include an explanation
of it in your essay. This could well help the committee overcome any doubts raised by subpar grades or a series of withdrawals on your transcript.
Suggestions from the Office of Fellowships:
►The personal statement is your opportunity to put yourself down on paper. This essay
should support your proposal by describing your “intellectual self” without reiterating the
material in your proposal. While this essay should explain your academic interests, it
should not be purely academic in nature. A committee member, who in most cases will not
have the opportunity to interview you, will want to see your personal side as it relates to
who you are academically.
►There is no set formula for a “winning essay” but we have some general “don’ts” which
might help steer you away from some common pitfalls. The Office of Fellowships has file
copies of some GW Fulbright Fellows’ winning essays and proposals. You may not make
copies of them but you are welcome to read them for inspiration. We recommend that you
DON’T:
♦GO TOO FAR BACK INTO YOUR PAST. – Evaluators are more interested in who you
are now. If there was an extremely significant event that led you to where you are today,
think carefully about how you present it and move quickly to the present and your current
interests and motivations.
♦REPEAT MATERIAL FROM YOUR PROPOSAL. – Keep in mind that the committee
will read both essays. If you repeat material from your proposal, you are wasting precious
space that should be used to tell them something about yourself you haven’t told them
already. The two should relate, not echo one another.
♦LIST FROM YOUR RESUME OR TRANSCRIPT. – Again, the personal statement is a
place for you to describe who you are. Listing adds nothing to your essay that a committee
member would not learn elsewhere in your application. If you mention something from
your resume and transcript, be sure that the experience or course was significant and
reflect on how it has affected you rather than just telling about it.