Annual Competition for Fulbright Grants Opens

The United States Department of State, the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board and the Institute of International Education (IIE) announce the opening on March 1, of the 2003-2004 competition for Fulbright and related grants for graduate study or research abroad in academic fields and for professional training in the creative and performing arts.

The purpose of these grants is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills. Fulbright grants are funded under the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 through an annual appropriation made by Congress to the United States Department of State and by foreign governments, universities, corporations and private donors. The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, composed of 12 educational and public leaders appointed by the President of the United States, establishes criteria for the selection of candidates and has the final authority for the awarding of grants.

For all grants, applicants must be U.S. Citizens at the time of application and hold a bachelor's degree or its equivalent by the beginning date of the grant. Creative and performing artists are not required to have a bachelor's degree, but they must have four years of relevant training or study.

All applicants may be required to have sufficient proficiency in the language of the host country to carry out their proposed study or research.

Full grants provide round-trip international travel, maintenance for the tenure of the award, a research allowance and tuition waivers, if applicable. Travel grants provide round-trip international travel and are available to selected countries to supplement maintenance awards from other sources that do not provide funds for international travel or to supplement the applicant's personal funds. All grants include supplemental health and accident insurance.

Complete program and application information is contained in the brochure, "Fulbright and related grants for graduate study and research abroad, 2003-2004," and on IIE's website at http://www.iie.org/fulbright/ .

Students currently enrolled in TSU University should contact the Fulbright Program Adviser on campus, located in The International Education Office for brochures, application forms and further information. The deadline for the receipt of applications is October 15, 2002. Applications will be reviewed on campus prior to being forwarded to IIE for the October 25, 2002 deadline.