Basic Requirements

• must be a U.S. citizen at the time of application
• hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent before the start of the grant period
• some countries have a minimum language proficiency requirement

Ineligibility

• anyone who has resided abroad for five or more consecutive years in the six-year period preceding the national application deadline
• anyone who currently holds or will hold a doctorate degree by the national application deadline
• in some cases, it may not be feasible for a dual national to participate in a Fulbright program in the country of their other nationality due to the host country’s law or policy

View additional eligibility requirements. Additionally, please be sure to check the country award page for any additional eligibility criteria and/or special instructions.

Fulbright U.S. Student Program Information Sessions:

The 2026-27 application cycle of the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is now open. It is highly recommended that you attend an information session in order to become familiar with the Fulbright US Student Program and the campus application procedure.

Below are the dates for upcoming information sessions which will be held via Zoom. Please RSVP using the links below to receive the zoom invitation.

Fulbright U.S. Live Information Sessions

• Thursday, July 24th 10:00 AM – 11:30 PM PST
  • RSVP Here
• Monday, August 4th 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
  • RSVP Here
• Monday, August 14th 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM PST
  • RSVP Here

If you are unable to make any of these dates, keep an eye out for more dates coming up. Please reach out to askgrad@grad.ucla.edu to gain access to the recorded session, slides, and other resources. 

Fulbright U.S. Student Program Writing Workshops:

Please refer to the GWC website for the recorded session.

(GWC) and will cover strategies for writing the Fulbright U.S. fellowship application. We will discuss the structure and content of key documents using examples. We will address writing tips for fellowship applications as well as specific advice for this Fulbright fellowship.

Important Dates

Application Opens: March 31 2025

• Fulbright Application Portal is open for registration. Please navigate to “Applicants”>”Fulbright Online Application” on the official Fulbright page to start an application.
  • Applicants are encouraged to apply through campus. To apply through UCLA, you must select UCLA in the “Country & Award Selection” section of the application. 

Statement Deadline (optional): August 1 at 4:00 PM PT

• This optional deadline is an opportunity to receive written feedback on your statements from UCLA faculty.
• Indicate your interest here.
• Required action(s):
  • Save your statements as ONE Word document in the following order:
    • Personal Statement
    • Statement of Grant Purpose
  • Name the file as:
    • For ETA applicants: “[insert First and Last name]_ETA”
    • For study/research applicants: “[insert First and Last name]_StudyResearch_[insert Field of Study]”
  •  E-mail the file to askgrad@grad.ucla.edu
    • Subject line – Fulbright US: Optional Statement Submission

Campus Interview Deadline (optional): September 1 at 4:00 PM PT

• ALL application components, including letters of recommendation, transcript(s), and affiliation letter(s) (if applicable) must be submitted on the Fulbright portal by this deadline in order to be eligible for the campus interview
• Required action(s):
  • Lock your application on the Fulbright Application Portal (make sure you selected UCLA as the institution in the “Country & Award Selection” section)
  • Fill out the Fulbright US Campus Interview Interest form.

Campus Interviews (optional): September 22-26

• Campus interviews for the 2026-27 cycle will be held through Zoom
• A campus committee evaluation form will be filled out for each student who participates in an interview
• After the campus interview, applications will be rereleased for last-minute changes

Campus Deadline: October 6, 4:00 PM PT

• This is the last and final deadline to submit for those who participated in a campus interview
• Required action(s):
  • You must submit your application one more time on the Fulbright Application Portal

National Deadline: October 7, 2:00 PM PT

• All applicants, regardless of whether applying at large or through campus, must submit applications by this deadline. No exceptions.
• Required action(s):
  • You must submit your application on the Fulbright Application Portal

Fulbright U.S. Student Program E-Application

• Create an application on the official Fulbright US site
  • To apply through UCLA, select UCLA as the institution in the “Country & Award Selection” section

Fulbright U.S. Student Program Campus Coordinator at UCLA

UCLA Fellowships
Fellowships and Financial Services
1228 Murphy Hall
askgrad@grad.ucla.edu

Basic Requirements

• be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident at time of application
• be advanced to doctoral candidacy before your award begins, but you may apply prior to advancing
• be prepared to conduct dissertation research in modern languages and area studies; projects should deepen research knowledge on and help the nation develop capability in areas of the world not generally included in US curricula. Projects in the US and its territories will not be considered. Western Europe is possible, though only with connection to a country of another region.
• be proficient in the language(s) necessary to carry out your research
• planning a career in the U.S. upon completion of doctoral program in university teaching or a position related to the research
• there is a competitive preference for research projects conducted in the field of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, computer science, education (comparative or international), international development, political science, public health, or economics.
• there is a competitive preference for languages utilized that are not Spanish, French or German

Fulbright-Hays DDRA Application Webinars:

• Watch the application webinar to familiarize yourself with the process now.
• Watch a DDRA Fellow Alumni Panel Discussion and Application Tips webinar
• November 13, Noon Pacific. LIVE Technical Assistance Webinar (request link via survey link above)
• November 20, Noon Pacific. LIVE Question and Answer Session #1 for Applicants (request link via survey link above)
• The U.S. Department of Education’s Office of International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) administers the DDRA program and has further information.

Fulbright-Hays DDRA Writing Workshop:

• Tuesday, December 17, 11 AM. Submit survey response for link.

Deadline(s)

• December 16, 2024: Deadline for initial draft of select application materials (proposal. bibliography) to the Division of Graduate Education.
• January 15, 2025: Final Campus Deadline (Institutional Deadline) for students. Late or incomplete applications will be disqualified. No exceptions.
• The published final DoED DDRA deadline Of January 29, 2025 applies to the institution, NOT STUDENT APPLICANTS. References must be uploaded to G5 by the campus deadline.
• Assume the application cycle will be announced without warning in early winter.

Application Links

Internal review by the UCLA Division of Graduate Education is required for applicants to be nominated to the Department of Education for consideration. Students may not apply without Division of Graduate Education endorsement. Revisions to materials, transcripts, language references, faculty references, and letters of affiliation must be submitted to G5 (application website) by the Final Campus Deadline or the application will be deemed ineligible and disqualified.

Fulbright-Hays Application
Please note that the e-application website is only available for limited periods. Please reference the maintenance schedule on the e-application website.

Fulbright-Hays website

Application Guidelines and Tips

Department of Education guidelines and Federal Register information
Overview for starting the Fulbright-Hays application.

Access to online sample materials is available to applicants registered with DGE for the current application cycle.

• Project Proposals
• Bibliography
• Letters of Affiliation
• CV

Fulbright-Hays DDRA Project Director at UCLA

Fellowships and Financial Services
1228 Murphy Hall
askgrad@grad.ucla.edu