The Fulbright Foreign Student Program is a scholarship program funded by the U.S. government that provides opportunities for graduate students, young professionals, and artists from around the world to study and conduct research in the United States. The program is designed to promote cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the United States and other countries.
The Fulbright Foreign Student Program is open to citizens of more than 155 countries who hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent. Applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency and have a strong academic record and a clear research proposal.
The scholarship provides funding for tuition, airfare, a living stipend, and health insurance for the duration of the program. The duration of the program varies depending on the field of study, but generally ranges from one to two years.
In addition to the financial support, Fulbright Foreign Student Program scholars are also provided with opportunities for cultural exchange and professional development. They participate in events and activities organized by the Fulbright program, engage with other Fulbright scholars, and have access to resources and opportunities to connect with the broader academic and professional communities in the United States.
To apply for the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, interested applicants should contact the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in their home country for more information and application instructions. The application deadline varies depending on the country, but generally falls in the late fall or early spring of the year prior to the program start date.
Type: Doctoral & Research
Purpose: The FFSP program is designed primarily to strengthen capacities of African universities through higher degree training and to develop the potential of their academic staff. It is targeted at young and exceptionally promising faculty members who wish to conduct their doctoral research in the United States. Applicants must be at least two years into their doctoral program in any discipline at a Nigerian university or research institute at the time of application.
Grant Benefit: The grant covers the grantee’s round-trip airfare to the U.S., a settling-in allowance, monthly stipend, housing allowance, books-and-supplies allowance, and computer allowance. The grant also covers basic university health insurance as a primary insurance coverage and the Fulbright ASPE health benefit as secondary coverage.
Note: The grant does not cover travel of dependents, hence grantees will not be allowed to travel with spouse and children to the United States.
Fields of Study: Competition is open for the following study fields: Science, engineering, technology, arts, journalism/public relations/media studies, agriculture/food science, economics, environmental science, international relations, political science, public administration/policy, public health, and tourism.
Note: The Fulbright Foreign Student Program is extremely competitive, particularly in the fields of journalism, communication, and business administration, sciences such as chemistry, biology, physics, and engineering related disciplines
Eligibility Requirements:
To be eligible for a grant:
- Applicants must be citizens or nationals of Nigeria, or permanent residents holding a valid passport issued by the government of Nigeria.
- Applicants must be DOCTORAL OR PHD students who have completed a significant amount of their doctoral program in Nigerian universities and have the endorsement of their home institution.
Note: MASTERS and First-Degree applicants are NOT qualified to apply for this program. - Applicants must have an outstanding academic record and high level of English proficiency.
- Applicants must take their first TOEFL exam by May 2023.
- Applicants must meet the minimum score on required standardized tests (TOEFL: a score of 90)
- Applicants must have high motivation and a serious commitment to completing the program as scheduled and to returning home.
- Only applicants with strong proposals, outlining their research objectives, methodology, time-frame, and justification for conducting the research in the U.S. will be short-listed for interviews.
- Preference will be given to applicants who have not studied in the U.S.
- Those in business, law and accounting should understand that most U.S. institutions rarely accept research students in these fields due to high demand for full-time programs and tuition concerns. Therefore, we face great challenges in finding placements for such grantees unless their proposals are tilted toward economics, development-related areas, democracy, human rights and conflict resolution.
All applicants must fill out the application forms completely and attach their supporting documents online (3 academic and professional references, Curriculum Vitae, academic transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended and writing sample.)
How To Apply for Fulbright Scholarship Application Form 2024
- Application opens: February 1
- Application Closes: June 1
- Eligible Countries: Nigeria
Step 1: Applicants should log onto the website, enter an e-mail address and create a password. Please remember this password because it will be used throughout the application process. Applicants are also advised to read the instructions preceding the application carefully and seek the assistance of senior colleagues who are Fulbright alumni before they fill out the forms. All FFSP program applicants should select “Visiting Researcher “or “non-degree” as their degree objective in their applications.
Complete Application:
A complete application includes:
- An online application which includes:
- A clearly written research objective.
- Professional resume.
- Three letters of reference specifying the personal, academic and professional competence of the candidate (submitted electronically and attached to the online application).
- Student copy of academic transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended should be scanned and attached to the online application if available.
- TOEFL score report.
Hard copies of official academic transcripts from higher institutions should be forwarded to our office by regular mail.
For Candidates in the South/ South- East/ South West of Nigeria please address the envelope to the Fulbright Program Officer, Public Affairs Section, U.S. Consulate General, 2 Walter Carrington Crescent, Victoria Island, Lagos
For Candidates in the North-Central/North-East/North-West of Nigeria please address the envelope to the Cultural Affairs Assistant, U.S. Embassy, Plot 1075 Diplomatic Drive, Central Area, Abuja.
Application and Instructions: The application and instructions can be found at: https://apply.iie.org/ffsp2024
Applicants with specific questions not addressed by the online application instructions may e-mail them to [email protected]
The Fulbright program is a popular program, the Public Affairs Office will only notify shortlisted candidates.
As usual, if you have any question as regards Fulbright Scholarship program for Nigerian students 2024, kindly get back to us via the comment section below and we shall respond accordingly.
