USA Scholarships
Fully Funded Professional Fellowship the USA

Hubert Humphrey Fellowship 2028-2029 - Fully Funded

Deadline Varies by country, most fall around July 2027 296 days left · Hosted by US Department of State and IIE · Published

The Hubert Humphrey Fellowship is a Fulbright exchange that brings accomplished mid-career professionals to the United States for 10 months of non-degree graduate study, leadership development and hands-on work with American counterparts. The US Department of State funds it, the Institute of International Education runs it, and seven US host universities take cohorts of 13 to 15 fellows each. The grant covers tuition and fees, a monthly maintenance allowance, a settling-in allowance, accident and sickness cover, books, a one-time computer subsidy, international airfare and a professional development allowance. There is no single global deadline. You apply through the US Embassy or Binational Fulbright Commission in your own country, and each sets its own cutoff. In the last round those cutoffs landed in early July 2026 in India and Malawi, with nominations due in Washington by mid-September, so expect the calls for the 2028-2029 year to open in spring 2027 and close over the summer.

Tuition, allowance, airfare
Fully funded
Non-degree fellowship
10 months
Set by your embassy
Around July 2027
Not open to US citizens
100+ countries
How to apply Am I eligible? Official website

What is the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship?

The Hubert Humphrey Fellowship is the year that mid-career professionals take when they have run out of room to grow at home. It is a Fulbright exchange, funded by the US Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education, and it hands you 10 months in the United States to study what you already do for a living, work inside an American organisation, and build a network you would never assemble from your own desk. The 2026-2027 cohort has 97 fellows from 65 countries spread across seven host universities, which tells you the scale: small, selective, and deliberately mixed.

What you get is not a degree, and the programme repeats that everywhere it can. You take graduate-level coursework without exam pressure or credit requirements, then spend at least six weeks on a professional affiliation with a US organisation in your field. Around that sit the required Humphrey Seminar, the Global Leadership Forum in Washington DC, field trips and conferences. Fellows who need language support start with an eight-week pre-academic programme of intensive English and professional training. The money side is straightforward: tuition and fees, a monthly maintenance allowance, a settling-in payment, health cover, books, a one-time computer subsidy, international airfare and a professional development allowance. Dependents get nothing extra, which is worth planning around before you accept.

Applying is the part people get wrong. There is no central application and no global deadline. Every participating country runs its own competition through the US Embassy Public Affairs Section, or through a Binational Fulbright Commission in the 28 countries that have one. They shortlist, interview and nominate, and their nominations have to reach Washington by mid-September. Selection committees in the United States review them over the winter and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board signs off, with results going out around March or April. Fellows then arrive in August or September. Because that chain is fixed, national deadlines cluster in the middle of the year. For the 2027-2028 cohort India closed on 9 July 2026 and Malawi on 8 July 2026, so a similar window in 2027 is a fair assumption for the 2028-2029 year. Confirm it with your own embassy rather than trusting any date you read on a listing site, including this one.

Be honest about the five-year rule before you spend a weekend on essays. Five years means five years of full-time professional work, and the programme says plainly that part-time experience may not count. Candidates also need real management or policy responsibility, which is why university teachers without an administrative role are usually screened out. Work out which of the six fields you belong in, since panels review by field rather than by region and each campus takes a limited number per field. Then write essays that show what you would do differently at home with a year of American exposure behind you. That last part is the whole point of the programme, and it is what the selection committees are actually reading for.

Who can apply

Eligibility

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    Citizen of a participating country, not the United States
    The Humphrey Fellowship is for professionals from the roughly 150 countries and territories on the programme list, and you apply from home through the US Embassy or Fulbright Commission there. US citizens cannot apply. The United States India Educational Foundation states the rule bluntly for its own competition: people with dual US citizenship or US permanent resident status are technically ineligible.
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    An undergraduate degree
    You need a first university or bachelor's degree. Commissions that spell this out, such as the one in India, ask for the equivalent of a four-year US bachelor's, and accept a shorter bachelor's paired with a masters or a full-time postgraduate diploma.
  • ✓
    Five years of full-time professional experience
    This is the hard floor and it is counted in full-time years. The programme FAQ says candidates with only part-time work experience may not be considered eligible, so five years of part-time consultancy will not carry you through the national screening.
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    Management or policy responsibility
    The fellowship is built for policymakers, planners, administrators and managers in government, the public and private sectors and NGOs. University teachers with no management or policy role are ruled out in several country competitions, with teachers of English as a foreign language treated as an exception.
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    Leadership record and a public service commitment
    Selection panels look for demonstrated leadership qualities and a track record of service in your community, not just a good CV. The programme describes itself as one for people at a point in their careers where a year of exposure to US institutions will change what they can do at home.
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    Limited previous experience in the United States
    Prior US time is not automatically disqualifying. The official FAQ sets the line at three years: if you have spent less than that in the US, and have been home working at a level of professional responsibility for at least four years, you can still apply. A full academic year or more at a US graduate school rules you out in several national competitions.
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    Demonstrated English ability
    You have to be able to work and study in English. Scores are usually collected after shortlisting rather than at application, and TOEFL, IELTS and the Duolingo English Test are all accepted. India, for example, screens nominees at TOEFL 72, IELTS 6.0 or Duolingo 100 and provides test vouchers.
What you get

Benefits

  • Tuition and fees at your host university Covered
  • Monthly maintenance allowance Covered
  • One-time settling-in allowance Included
  • Accident and sickness coverage Included
  • Book allowance Included
  • One-time computer subsidy Included
  • International air travel and domestic programme travel Covered
  • Professional development allowance Included
  • Allowance for dependents Not provided
  • Academic degree Non-degree programme
  • Non-degree graduate study at a US host university 10 months
  • Professional affiliation with a US organisation Six weeks minimum
  • Humphrey Seminar Required course
  • Global Leadership Forum in Washington DC Included
  • Pre-academic English and professional training Up to eight weeks
  • Cohort placement 13 to 15 fellows
  • Choice of host university Assigned, not chosen
What to prepare

Document checklist

Documents gathered 0 / 7
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    Online application form
    The whole application runs through the IIE portal at apply.iie.org/huberthhumphrey. Your embassy or commission tells you when it opens and when their local cutoff falls.
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    Essay responses in English
    The programme asks for complete answers to every question, with essays that properly address the prompt. These essays carry the case for why this year, for you, at this stage of your career.
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    Two letters of recommendation
    Both must be in English and one must come from your current employer. Referees are invited through the portal and have to file their confidential reports by the deadline, so ask them early.
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    Official transcripts in English
    Valid, official transcripts listing the courses you took and the grades you received. Upload a diploma only if the transcript does not itself prove the degree was awarded.
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    Employer endorsement and leave undertaking
    Several commissions require a signed employer endorsement confirming that leave will be granted for the fellowship year. Government employees usually have to route it through their cadre controlling authority.
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    English test score
    TOEFL iBT, IELTS or Duolingo, depending on what your commission accepts. Shortlisted nominees are typically told to sit an approved test on a set date after the national interview.
  • ✓
    Passport or proof of citizenship
    Country competitions ask you to prove you hold, or qualify to hold, a valid passport from the nominating country. Visa paperwork for the J-1 exchange category comes later, after selection.
Step by step

How to apply

The programme lists participating countries and the body that runs the competition in each one. In 28 countries that is a Binational Fulbright Commission; everywhere else it is the Public Affairs Section of the US Embassy.
There is no global cutoff. Contact your embassy or commission and ask when their call opens and closes for the 2028-2029 fellowship year. Working backwards from the mid-September nomination date in Washington, most national deadlines land between May and early September.
Candidates are reviewed by field, not by region. The six are communications and journalism, law and governance, natural resources policy, public and economic policy, public health policy and management, and technology policy and management. Pick the one your daily work actually sits in.
Register at apply.iie.org/huberthhumphrey, answer every question, write the essays in English, invite two referees, upload official transcripts and add the employer endorsement if your commission requires one.
Your embassy or commission shortlists, interviews and then nominates. In India that runs from early August through early September, with the English test sat right after nomination. Other countries follow a similar rhythm on their own dates.
Nominations reach the Institute of International Education by mid-September. Independent review committees read them in the United States and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board gives final approval. Your embassy or commission then tells you the outcome.
Selections are announced in the spring, usually March or April. You do not choose your campus: fellows are assigned in clusters of 13 to 15 to whichever of the seven host universities fits their field. The fellowship year starts in August or September.
When

Deadline and timeline

Application deadline
Varies by country, most fall around July 2027
296 days left
Spring 2027
Embassies and Fulbright Commissions open their calls for the 2028-2029 Humphrey year and publish their own national deadlines.
Around July 2027
Most national deadlines fall. In the previous round India closed on 9 July 2026 and Malawi on 8 July 2026, both for the 2027-2028 fellowship year.
Aug - Sep 2027
National screening, interviews and English tests. Embassies and commissions must forward their nominations to the Institute of International Education in Washington DC by mid-September.
Mar - Apr 2028
Review committees finish, the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board approves the final list, and finalists are notified through their embassy or commission.
Aug - Sep 2028
The fellowship year begins. Fellows who need it start with the pre-academic programme of intensive English and professional training before joining their host campus.
Mid 2029
The 10-month programme ends after the six-week professional affiliation and the Global Leadership Forum, and fellows return home.
Questions

FAQ

What is the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship?

It is a Fulbright exchange that brings mid-career professionals from more than 100 countries to the United States for 10 months of non-degree graduate study, leadership development and professional work alongside US counterparts. The US Department of State funds it and the Institute of International Education administers it. The programme started in 1978 in memory of Senator and Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey, and the first fellows arrived in 1979.

Who is eligible for the Humphrey Fellowship?

You need to be a citizen of a participating country, hold an undergraduate degree, have at least five years of full-time professional experience, carry management or policy responsibility, show leadership and a record of public service, have limited previous US experience and be able to work in English. Applications go through the US Embassy or Binational Fulbright Commission in your own country.

Is the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship fully funded?

Yes. The grant pays tuition and fees at your host university, a monthly maintenance allowance, a one-time settling-in allowance, accident and sickness coverage, a book allowance, a one-time computer subsidy, international air travel plus domestic travel to required programme events, and a professional development allowance for field trips, professional visits and conferences. It does not add an allowance for dependents.

What is the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship deadline?

There is no single deadline. Each US Embassy or Fulbright Commission sets its own, and the only fixed date is the mid-September cutoff by which they must send nominations to Washington. In the round for the 2027-2028 year, India closed on 9 July 2026 and Malawi on 8 July 2026. Treat around July 2027 as a planning target for the 2028-2029 year and confirm the real date with your own embassy.

Can US citizens apply for the Humphrey Fellowship?

No. The programme exists to bring professionals from other countries to the United States, so US citizens are outside its scope. Country competitions go further: India rules out anyone with dual US citizenship or US permanent resident status, and also excludes local employees of US missions and people who have taken part in another US government exchange in the past three years.

Does the Humphrey Fellowship lead to a masters degree?

No, and the programme is emphatic about it. Fellows take graduate-level coursework at their host university to refresh their knowledge, but they receive no degree and cannot transfer from non-degree to degree status during the year. The value is in the mix of study, the six-week professional affiliation, the seminar series and the network.

Which universities host Humphrey Fellows?

Seven campuses currently host cohorts, each tied to a field: American University for law and human rights, Arizona State for communication and journalism, Emory for public health policy and management, MIT for urban planning, Syracuse for public policy, UC Davis for natural resources and environmental policy, and the University of Minnesota for public policy and human rights. Fellows are assigned by field and cannot request a campus. Note that the Indian commission describes the network as roughly eight campuses, so the count moves as host competitions run.

Can I bring my family on a Humphrey Fellowship?

Sometimes. Fellows may apply to have family join them shortly after arrival, but there is no extra maintenance allowance for dependents and you have to show proof of financial support, adequate insurance and childcare plans before J-2 visas are approved. Not every country permits it, and the programme warns that the schedule keeps fellows away from campus a lot.

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