Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program
The 2024-2025 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program competition is now open.
Find out how to get started and view the full list of awards.
Visit the webinar schedule for details about events throughout the competition, featuring specific countries, regions and disciplines. Please note that any times listed for webinars or other live resource events are in U.S. Eastern time. Can't join live? All webinars are archived here.
Fulbright History
The Fulbright Program was established in 1946 to expand and strengthen the relationships and increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and citizens of the rest of the world. The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Institute of International Education’s Council for International Exchange of Scholars. The program operates in over 160 countries worldwide.
The program awards 800 U.S. Scholar grants annually; more than 400,000 students, scholars, teachers, artists, and scientists have been given the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
Among those who were awarded the Fulbright, there are:
- 39 heads of state or government
- 61 Noble Laureates
- 88 Pulitzer Prize recipients
- 75 MacArthur Fellows
- 16 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients
Fulbright at UNMC
UNMC has participated in the Fulbright program for over two decades, hosting fellows from countries worldwide. In the 2022-2023 academic year, UNMC had six Fulbright students from Cameroon, Congo, Grenada, Myanmar, Tanzania and Togo.
UNMC has twice been named a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program top-producing institution by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. In the 2020-2021 academic year, UNMC ranked among the institutions with the highest numbers of scholars (faculty, researchers, and administrators) awarded Fulbright scholarships. Being recognized as a top producer for two consecutive years (2019 and 2020) reflects the growing interest of UNMC faculty in this elite program, which enhances the global presence and recognition of our university. This also strengthens the research, teaching, and training connections between UNMC and other international institutions.
UNMC’s mission is global, and we strive to expand our multicultural campus. Expanding our Fulbright program aligns our global mission with that of Fulbright and helps our institution expand its global footprint to build cultural bridges and establish permanent scientific collaborations across the globe.
Dr. Wael ElRayes serves as the UNMC Fulbright scholar liaison, and is ex-offico of the board of the Nebraska Fulbright Chapter. Contact him with questions at wael.elrayes@unmc.edu.
Learn More
The program is vast and comprehensive — for students, postdoctoral students, and seasoned faculty — and is open to U.S. and foreign citizens. To know more about the different programs please visit the following resources.