USA Scholarships
Fulbright Foreign Student Program 2028 - Fully Funded
The Fulbright Foreign Student Program is the route non-US citizens take into an American master's or doctorate on US government money. It has run since 1946, it operates in more than 160 countries, and IIE puts the number of Fulbright scholarships going to foreign students at roughly 4,000 a year. Selection happens at home, not in Washington. Binational Fulbright Commissions in 49 countries and US Embassies in more than 100 others run their own competitions, set their own extra eligibility rules and publish their own deadlines, which is why no single date fits everybody. IIE administers the programme for Africa, Eurasia, Europe, East Asia and the Pacific, South and Central Asia, part of the Middle East and the Western Hemisphere, while AMIDEAST covers most of the Middle East and North Africa. The standard grant carries J-1 visa sponsorship with the DS-2019 issued by IIE, funding support, a health benefit plan and enrichment activities. What that funding actually adds up to is decided country by country: the Spanish commission's last round paid a monthly allowance of $2,830 to $4,300 plus tuition up to $40,000, while IIE tells host universities plainly that many Fulbright students are not fully funded by the grant alone. Most calls for the 2027-2028 year have closed, so the live target for a new applicant is the 2028-2029 intake, with Indonesia due to close on 15 February 2027 and other countries opening across that year.
What is the Fulbright Foreign Student Program?
The Fulbright Foreign Student Program is how a graduate student in Jakarta, Lagos or Bogota ends up on US government money at an American university. It is the inbound side of the Fulbright Program, running since 1946, and IIE puts the scale at roughly 4,000 Fulbright scholarships a year to foreign students across more than 160 countries. The money comes from the US Department of State. The administration is split: IIE handles Africa, Eurasia, Europe, East Asia and the Pacific, South and Central Asia, part of the Middle East and the Western Hemisphere, and AMIDEAST handles most of the Middle East and North Africa. Sitting inside the same programme is the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant track, which places teachers of more than 30 languages on US campuses for one academic year.
Here is the part that trips up most applicants. There is no central Fulbright application and no worldwide deadline. Your country runs its own competition through a binational Fulbright Commission, and 49 countries have one, or through the US Embassy, which covers the other hundred-plus. That office sets extra eligibility rules, screens, interviews and nominates. IIE's own four-line summary of what you get is J-1 visa sponsorship, funding support, a health benefit plan and enrichment activities, and the reason it stays that vague is that the actual figures are national. Spain's last Master and PhD call paid a monthly allowance of $2,830 to $4,300, a $1,300 travel and settling-in payment, and tuition up to $40,000 for programmes of a year or less. India's master's award listed round-trip economy airfare, tuition and fees, living costs and accident and sickness cover, with a footnote saying the funding may not cover everything and nothing at all for dependents. Ask your own office for its numbers before you plan a budget.
Timing matters more here than on most awards because the lead time is long. Applications for the 2027-2028 academic year closed months ago in most places, and the IIE application portal for the following round had not opened as of mid-September 2026, so the realistic target for anyone starting now is the 2028-2029 intake. Indonesia publishes 15 February for both its master's and PhD scholarships. Spain opened in January and closed in mid-April last time, interviewed in June and released results in July. Once your country nominates you, IIE's placement machine takes over: applications reviewed from September, university applications submitted through the autumn, funding negotiated between January and March, admission decisions announced from February, placements finalised by June and final tuition figures settled in July and August, ready for an autumn arrival.
One more thing worth knowing before you commit a month to the essays. Whether you pick your own university depends on which model your country uses. Under IIE Placement the placement team applies on your behalf, negotiates funding with the universities and accepts or declines for you, which saves a fortune in application fees but hands over the choice. Under self-placement you do all of it yourself, on each university's deadlines and at your own cost. The programme is also not evenly stable everywhere: AMINEF in Indonesia currently lists several related exchanges as paused pending funding, and the Indian commission's published list of fellowships for Indian citizens no longer includes a master's degree award, while its doctoral, postdoctoral and professional fellowships carry on. Check what your own office is actually offering this year rather than what it offered three years ago.
Eligibility
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✓You are not a US citizenThis is the inbound Fulbright, so US citizenship rules you out and IIE states that dual citizens are not eligible either. Americans looking to go abroad want the Fulbright US Student Program instead. Several country competitions go further and exclude US permanent residents and anyone who has already applied for a green card.
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✓You live in the country nominating youIIE requires you to reside in the country of nomination at the time of application. Indonesia spells out what that means in practice by ruling out anyone currently studying, living or working outside the country, and by excluding people already on an academic, training or research programme in the United States.
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✓A bachelor's degree by the start of the grantYou need the equivalent of a US bachelor's degree with a good academic record by the time the programme begins, not necessarily by the application date. For a doctoral award most commissions raise the bar: Indonesia asks PhD applicants to hold a master's degree already.
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✓English good enough to study in itIIE recommends a recent score of at least 550 on the paper-based TOEFL, 79 to 80 on TOEFL iBT, or 6.5 overall on IELTS, and asks you to send scores using institutional code 2326 on test day. National thresholds can sit much higher: Spain asked for TOEFL iBT 97, rising to 100 for journalism and international relations, or IELTS 7.
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✓Your country runs a competition and you meet its extra rulesIf your country is not in the dropdown on the official apply page, you cannot apply at all. Where it is, the local rules carry real weight. Indonesia wants a 3.0 GPA and a commitment to return home, and India excludes central and state government employees from its Fulbright-Nehru awards entirely.
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✓A clean record with US exchange programmesHaving held a US government exchange grant of more than six weeks without serving the two-year home residency requirement is disqualifying in several competitions. Local staff of US missions, and their close family, are also excluded, usually for a year after the job ends.
Benefits
- J-1 exchange visitor visa sponsorship IIE issues your DS-2019
- Tuition and mandatory fees Funded, capped by country
- Monthly living allowance Set by your commission
- Health benefit plan Accident and sickness cover
- Enrichment activities and alumni network Included
- University placement service Where your country uses IIE
- Full cost of every programme Not guaranteed
- Allowance for dependents Not provided
- Monthly allowance $2,830 to $4,300
- Travel and settling-in payment $1,300
- Tuition, programme up to 12 months Up to $40,000
- Tuition, programme over 12 months Up to $35,000 a year
- Sickness and accident insurance Included
- Grant length 10 to 12 months, renewable once
- Same figures in your country No, terms are national
- One academic year at a US college Included
- Teaching assistantship in your language Up to 20 hours a week
- Coursework alongside the teaching Two courses a semester
- One course in US studies Required
- Languages covered More than 30
- A degree at the end Non-degree programme
Document checklist
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✓The national application formFiled with your own Fulbright Commission or US Embassy, not with IIE. Some countries use the IIE portal at apply.iie.org, others their own system such as the AMINEF platform in Indonesia. The form itself is where the study objective and personal statement live.
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✓Study objective and personal statementUsually one page each. The study objective sets out what you want to study and why it has to happen in the United States; the personal statement is where the selection panel decides whether they believe you.
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✓Letters of referenceTwo or three depending on the country, from employers or academics. Indonesia asks for three, Spain asked for three in English where possible, and referees are contacted through the application system, so give them weeks rather than days.
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✓Official transcripts and degree certificateLegalised copies in the original language plus an English translation are standard. If your degree is still in progress, most competitions accept proof that it will be awarded before the grant starts.
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✓English test scoreTOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo, taken recently. Indonesia caps the age of the certificate at two years for the master’s award, and Spain required tests sat after 1 January 2024 for its last round. Use IIE code 2326 when the test centre asks where to send scores.
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✓Curriculum vitae and identity documentA CV in the language the commission asks for, plus a passport or national ID. Spain wanted the CV in Spanish, which catches out applicants who prepare only an English pack.
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✓Extra material for certain fieldsA GMAT score for MBA and management doctorates in the Spanish competition, a writing sample and a bibliography of published work in Indonesia, and portfolio links for arts, architecture and design applicants. Check your own call before you assume the standard set is enough.
How to apply
Deadline and timeline
FAQ
What is the Fulbright Foreign Student Program?
It is the inbound half of the Fulbright Program: US government funding for graduate students, young professionals and artists from other countries to take a master's or doctorate, or run a research stay, at a US institution. The US Department of State pays for it through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, IIE has administered it since 1946 and AMIDEAST covers most of the Middle East and North Africa. Around 4,000 grants go out each year across more than 160 countries.
Is the Fulbright Foreign Student Program fully funded?
In most countries yes, and that is how commissions present it: tuition and fees, a monthly living allowance, travel, a settling-in payment and accident and sickness cover. The honest caveat comes from IIE itself, which tells host universities that Fulbright students are typically funded through a mix of grant money, university support and personal funds, and that in many cases the grant alone does not cover everything. Tuition caps are real too. Spain funded up to $40,000 for programmes of a year or less and $35,000 a year beyond that, so an expensive US programme can still leave a gap.
What is the Fulbright Foreign Student Program deadline?
There is no single deadline. Every Fulbright Commission and US Embassy runs its own competition and publishes its own date. Indonesia closes on 15 February each year for both the master's and PhD scholarships, and Spain ran its last Master and PhD call from 15 January to 14 April. Most calls for the 2027-2028 year have already closed, so a new applicant is aiming at 2028-2029, with dates falling across 2027. Confirm yours with your own commission.
How do I apply for a Fulbright scholarship from my country?
You apply at home. Use the country dropdown on the official apply page to reach the Fulbright Commission or US Embassy that handles your country, and follow their instructions. Applications are never filed directly with IIE in Washington, and if your country does not appear in that dropdown then no competition exists for you.
Do I need to be admitted to a US university before I apply?
It depends on which placement model your country uses. Under IIE Placement you do not: the placement team applies to universities for you once you are selected, manages the admission decisions and negotiates funding. Under self-placement you handle admission yourself, including each university’s deadlines, fees and deposits, and IIE stays out of it. Spain sat somewhere in between and asked applicants to have requested admission to a US institution.
What TOEFL or IELTS score do I need for Fulbright?
IIE recommends at least 550 on the paper-based TOEFL, 79 to 80 on TOEFL iBT, or 6.5 overall on IELTS, and asks you to route scores using institutional code 2326. Your own competition can set a higher bar. Indonesia wants iBT 80 or IELTS 6.5 for the master’s award and iBT 90 or IELTS 7.0 for the PhD, while Spain asked for iBT 97, or 100 for journalism and international relations.
Can I bring my family on a Fulbright grant?
Not on the grant money. The Indian commission states flatly that its Fulbright-Nehru master’s fellowships provide no financial support for dependents, and no country adds a dependent allowance as standard. Families can sometimes join on J-2 visas, but you have to show you can fund them yourself, and that sits on top of a grant that may not fully cover your own costs.
What is the difference between the Fulbright Foreign Student Program and the Fulbright US Student Program?
Direction of travel. The Foreign Student Program brings non-US citizens into the United States and is run through commissions and embassies abroad. The Fulbright US Student Program sends American citizens overseas and is run through US campuses with a national deadline. You cannot apply to both, and picking the wrong one wastes a cycle.
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