UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — The Fulbright cycle for the U.S. Student Program kicks off this month, offering recent graduates and graduate students the chance to travel the world. Fulbrighters work and live alongside the people of their host country, resulting in an immersive experience and the opportunity for cultural understanding and language development.
Funded by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright student program provides financial and logistical support to graduating college seniors, graduate students and young professionals traveling to more than 140 countries. The application process is competitive and requires the support of students’ colleges and universities. At Penn State, Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring (URFM) helps current students and recent graduates prepare their application materials. URFM also coordinates the committees for the campus feedback process.
This summer, URFM is offering a Fulbright Canvas course to help candidates prepare for the application writing process for the 2025-26 competition.
“The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is an excellent opportunity for those who want to study abroad, expand their perspective and be immersed in a culture,” said Tineka Lebrun, director of URFM. “There is no limit to the number of Penn Staters who can earn a Fulbright, and we want to help as many people as possible submit a competitive application. The Canvas course will allow students to take the summer to prepare which we hope for many will end in an unforgettable life experience through Fulbright.”
Last year, Penn State students and alumni traveled to Peru, Colombia, Germany and Vietnam as part of Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The year before, they traveled to countries such as Italy, Finland, India and Paraguay.
Later this summer, hopeful candidates can register for the on-campus process from Aug. 1 to 9, which involves selecting a chosen specific Fulbright and country and submitting availability for the on-campus feedback interview.
Then, the deadline to submit an application for the on-campus process to the Fulbright application system will be Aug. 15 for study/research grants and Sept. 2 for English teaching assistantships. Campus feedback interviews will run from August through September, where applicants will receive feedback on their application materials from a panel of faculty staff. Finally, all materials must be submitted for the national application deadline by Oct. 8.
Applicants must be citizens or nationals of the U.S. at the time of the application deadline and have earned a bachelor’s degree or equivalent before the start of the grant period. To be considered, applicants must also meet the language requirements of the award to which they are applying and demonstrate competency to complete their project and adjust to life in the host country. To view a full list of factors that affect eligibility, visit the Fulbright Program website.
Undergraduate Research and Fellowships Mentoring is part of Penn State Undergraduate Education.