Fulbright U.S. Student Program – Campus Instructions

OVERVIEW: 2027-2028 Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Attachments A & B deadline: 10:00am CDT, Monday, September 7, 2026
Campus deadline: 10:00am CDT, Wednesday, September 9, 2026
National (final) deadline: 4:00pm CDT, Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Complete information on the Fulbright US Student Program is available at https://us.fulbrightonline.org/. If you plan on applying, we encourage you to open an application ASAP at https://apply.iie.org/fulbrightusstudent.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program (FUSP), has an online application submission process. Applications must be marked “ready for campus review” in the FUSP application system by the campus deadline; this is the first step in a two-part submission process. Step 2 is the final submission of the application by the national deadline. In between these two steps, your application can be revised.

Each applicant initiating an application and selecting UW-Madison as their institution becomes part of the UW-Madison applicant pool. Please read all email that comes from the UW-Madison Fulbright Program Advisor (uwfulbright@wisc.edu) and Fulbright. We will address general issues that might come up, highlight webinars & resources of interest, send deadline reminders, announce interview schedules, etc via email.

Review all UW-Madison materials and documents available at https://fulbright.wisc.edu/fusp/. On the Fulbright website – https://us.fulbrightonline.org/ – the tab at the top labeled “Applicants” has valuable information about getting started, components of the application, and initiating an application. Most questions on filing a Fulbright application are answered there. Writing tips are also available online.

Read the individual country and award summaries on the Fulbright website – available at https://us.fulbrightonline.org/countries – to ensure that your project is an appropriate match for the country and program to which you are applying. Normally, research projects must be completed in one academic year. Fulbright-supported work is limited to a single country with only a small handful of exceptions.

Students applying for a Fulbright who have completed a university study abroad program ARE eligible to apply to the country in which they studied.

If you are pursuing a research/study/arts project, affiliation with a university, research, or community-based institution is required for most country programs (check the individual country summary); and for those countries where it is not required, we strongly recommend securing in-country affiliation/s by the application deadline. These letters can be sent to you as pdf documents via email; they should be on letterhead and have some form of signature. You will upload these letters into your online application. You can include up to 3 affiliations on your application and submit multiple letters (compiled into a single pdf). If you are applying for an ETA grant, no affiliation letters are expected or will be accepted.

FILLING OUT THE APPLICATION

The application is available online starting March 31, 2025. You can initiate an application by following the links on the Fulbright U.S. Student Program web site or directly at https://apply.iie.org/fulbrightusstudent. The UW-Madison Fulbright Program Advisor is available to advise on various aspects of the competition and provide feedback on your application; however, you are expected to familiarize yourself with the application components and process.

You must complete your application online and mark it as “ready for review” through the online system by the CAMPUS deadline. You will be given access to your application soon after the campus deadline so that you can continue to revise your application and statements or add transcripts and letters of affiliation. Your final submission deadline via the application system is the national deadline.

After completing basic identifying information in your application, all applicants will complete 4 brief written pieces: abstract/summary of proposal (1,750 characters), your preparedness to be flexible & adaptable working abroad (2,000 characters), a description of your planned community engagement (2,000 characters) and the impact that the Fulbright will have on your plans upon return to the U.S. and how you will share your experience post-Fulbright (1,000 characters).

These are substantive written pieces and should not be “cut and paste” jobs from your statement of grant purpose (see below). The abstract can be productively thought of as the cover letter of your application, presenting the broad themes of why this Fulbright program, why now, and why you, signposting your application as evaluators read through your listed academic, professional, and personal accomplishments on the way to your longer, in-depth statement of grant purpose. You do not need to write to the character count in any of these 4 pieces though they should be detailed and specific to you and your goals, presenting a complete, rounded picture of yourself. Take advantage of the space you’re afforded but keep on point.

Matters addressed in the flexibility/adaptability, community engagement and impacts short answer pieces do not need to be repeated in your statement of grant purpose.

The Statement of Grant Purpose is among the most important components of the application. This statement is limited to 3,000-6,000 characters (research/study/arts statement maximum is 6,000 characters; ETA statement maximum is 3,000 characters). Each application type has a description of Application Components and Tips at https://us.fulbrightonline.org/applicants/application-components. Also be sure to read closely the individual country & award summary (linked through via https://us.fulbrightonline.org/countries) – any additional requirements or country priorities will be detailed on these pages. It is in your best interest to heed any specific requirements and recommendations noted on the award page in completing your application.

We have a collection of UW-Madison proposals & statements from previous applicants who were offered Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards on file and available for review electronically. Email uwfulbright@wisc.edu to request access.

LANGUAGE USE

Language Self-Evaluation: Complete a separate form for each language needed for the proposed project and/or as required by the host country. Where noted, proficiency generally means a minimum of two years of college level language study (or the equivalent). For example, proficient spoken and written Spanish is required for most Latin American countries and for Spain regardless of the nature of the work being proposed. Many other countries do not require language proficiency at the time of application and/or on uptake of the award. The level of proficiency you should have depends on the nature of your project and country requirements.

Foreign Language Evaluation: In general, you are required to have foreign language proficiency adequate for carrying out the proposed research (research/study/arts awards) and in some cases for communicating with people of the country/community where you will be living and working; however, there are exceptions. Please read the individual country descriptions carefully concerning language requirements. The Foreign Language Evaluation should be completed by a professional foreign language teacher. If you will be using a language for your project that is not required by the country description, you should still have your proficiency with the language to be used in your project evaluated.

REFERENCES/LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Research/study/arts & Fogarty references: Three letters of recommendations should be provided by three different people. These MUST be submitted through the online system. Please note that the due date your letter writers will see when invited through the online application system is the national deadline; make clear to your referees that you need their letters submitted by the campus deadline. You should provide your referees with adequate information so that they can assess your proposal and your ability to carry out the proposed work. I strongly recommend providing them draft versions of your project statement & short answers (as appropriate). References are not the same as letter/s of affiliation or language evaluations. Please let your referees know that submission of letters by the campus deadline is important. The Fulbright campus committee reviews your entire application before your interview; references and language evaluations are important to the committee in its review of your proposal. Instructions for referees can be found at https://us.fulbrightonline.org/instructions-for-study-research-recommendation-writers.

Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship (ETA) reference form: If you are applying for an ETA grant, your references will be asked to complete an online form. These are ONLY for those applying for an ETA position. A separate narrative letter cannot be submitted, the fill-in form MUST be used and should be submitted by the campus deadline. Instructions for referees, guidance, and links to a sample form can be found at https://us.fulbrightonline.org/instructions-for-eta-recommendation-writers.

The importance of strong recommendations cannot be overstated. While you can’t control what your referees say you can pick your references strategically and give them the information & guidance they need to write the strongest possible letters of support. The best references are those that are detailed, demonstrate a familiarity & engagement with the applicant, provide specifics about the applicant and her/his ability to complete the proposed work, and avoid cliché.

CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS PORTFOLIO

This is ONLY for applicants in the creative and performing arts. Applicants will upload supplementary materials to support their proposed projects and preparedness. More information about this process and what can and should be included in a portfolio can be found at: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/required-supplementary-materials-for-arts-applicants.

TRANSCRIPTS

You must upload one academic transcript from each post-secondary institution from which you received a degree and any institutions where you received 12 or more credits for coursework (and that is not reflected as transfer credit on another transcript). Additional transcripts can be uploaded for coursework and grades not reflected on degree-granting transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable at this stage. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program does NOT have any GPA minimums or requirements. Low grades and/or incomplete study can be explained in your written statements as appropriate but should NOT keep you from applying for a Fulbright. If you are concerned about your academic record, please come speak with me!

Candidates who are offered a Fulbright will be required to submit official copies of all college transcripts upon award acceptance.

CAMPUS REVIEW PROCEDURE

A UW-Madison FUSP Campus Review Committee is convened each year. The disciplines and regions of the world represented change from year to year depending on who serves on the committee. The members are specialists in various fields and area studies, but you might not meet with someone who is a specialist in your field and region. Each applicant will have a chat scheduled with a member of the review committee. Interviews take place in campus offices or online and will last roughly 15-25 minutes. The committee member will have reviewed your application as it was presented at the campus deadline and will provide feedback to the applicant. It is also your opportunity to ask questions about how your application reads, if there are particular strengths, weaknesses, or ways it could be strengthened. Each application then has a written campus committee evaluation attached, effectively as a 4th letter recommendation. All UW-Madison applications are forwarded to Fulbright to be screened by the National Screening Committees. No one is eliminated from the campus stage of the competition; the campus review is not a gatekeeping exercise.

The sole purpose of the campus review process is to help all applicants strengthen their applications and make assist each UW-Madison applicant put forward the most competitive application possible! The goal of the review committee is to help all UW-Madison applicants secure their desired Fulbright.

Campus reviews are slated to be conducted September 16-29, 2026 though we are collecting information on applicant’s availability for meetings September 14-October 2, 2026 (via Attachment B) to allow for maximum flexibility. You should make your schedule as open as possible for the interview. I will try to take your schedule into consideration when setting up interviews; however, committee member schedules take precedence over applicant schedules as they are often not as open as applicants’ schedules.

ELECTRONIC APPLICATION AND CAMPUS PROCEDURE

You must submit Attachments A (waiver) & B (campus review availability) by 10:00am CDT on Monday, September 7, 2026. You must complete & mark your application as “ready for campus review” in the online application system by 10:00am CDT, Wednesday, September 9, 2026. Although you must lock your application in the system by the CAMPUS deadline, I will give everyone access to their applications again by the next day at which point you may continue to revise your application, if you so desire.

Applicants are encouraged to review and revise their applications and statements as they feel is appropriate following their campus review/interview and based on any feedback they receive. The final application submission deadline is the national deadline, Tuesday, October 6, 2026 @ 4:00pm CDT.

QUESTIONS?

Please email Mark Lilleleht, UW-Madison’s Fulbright Program Advisor at uwfulbright@wisc.edu or schedule an appointment via Starfish (current UW-Madsion undergraduate & graduate students) or Calendly (faculty, staff, and alumni).