The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 under the legislation introduced by then Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The exchange program was initiated to reach out to scholars and students to develop their personal and professional potential in the present socio-cultural scenario.  The Fulbright program aims to promote dialogues on issues of contemporary interest, transcending geographical boundaries. It has been successful in fostering mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through international educational and training programs.

 

Funds for Fulbright fellowships are allocated by the Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) Division of the U.S. Department of State. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs develops policies to assure fulfillment of the purposes of the Fulbright Program and administers it with the assistance of bi-national commissions and foundations in 50 countries, U.S. Embassies in 89 other countries and a number of cooperating agencies in the U.S. Guidelines and policies for administration of the fellowships are laid down, reviewed and revised periodically, by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB), whose members are appointed by the President of the U.S. In addition to these programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, The Institute of International Education and the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars also assist in administering the Fulbright Program worldwide.

 

Approximately 273,500 'Fulbrighters'; 102,900 from the United States and 170,600 from other countries, have participated in the Program since its inception sixty years ago. The Fulbright alumni have been awarded 35 Nobel Prizes, more than 60 Pulitzer Prizes, 21 MacArthur Foundation 'Genius' awards and 14 Presidential medals of freedom. Currently, the Fulbright Program operates in over 150 countries worldwide.

 

USEFI administers Fulbright fellowships for Indian and U.S students and professionals primarily by reviewing applications and selecting fellows from India and by assisting U.S. grantees in India. All nominations are presented for confirmation to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. USEFI has administered approximately 7,400 Fulbright fellowships to Indian and U.S Nationals in the last six decades.

 

USEFI also coordinates selected academic conferences and sponsors lectures and workshops involving Fulbright grantees in India. The online Fulbright Quarterly Newsletter from Washington reports news and events from commissions and alumni worldwide. Specific scholarships are funded with the support of our cost-share partners such as the International Fellowships Program and the EWC Graduate degree fellowship program. As a Fulbright alumnus you can keep in touch with other alumni across the world. All you need to do is to register yourself on the alumni online database and contact an alumni association in your city. Be sure to visit the Fulbright Online Art Gallery.

 

For further information on the worldwide program, you can visit

http://exchanges.state.gov/education/fulbright/about.htm