Fulbright Internal Application Instructions for 2025–2026 Competition
The purpose of applying to the Fulbright through ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï (rather than applying At-Large) is to take part in the campus committee evaluation process and to earn an institutional endorsement from ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï to be included in your external Fulbright application. Additionally, the internal process is designed to facilitate the development and strength of your application.
To earn this endorsement, students must submit materials internally on August 7th, 2024 and September 4th, 2024. Both internal deadline submissions are required to receive the optional institutional endorsement and evaluation. If you miss either internal deadline, you will be ineligible for the institutional endorsement and evaluation for this competition, but you are still welcome to apply to the Fulbright program through ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï.
After submitting the required materials on each of the deadlines, each submitted applicant will then have an individual feedback session (in-person or virtual) with two members of ½ñÈճԹϒs Fulbright Campus Committee (composed of faculty and staff). The committee will then prepare a campus evaluation for you that will be submitted with your external application.
Even if you have missed the internal deadlines, we still encourage you to choose to apply through ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï (as opposed to applying At-Large). CLBR can still help you with your application, but you won't be included in the campus committee evaluation process or receive an institutional endorsement. Doing this allows ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï's Fulbright Program Advisors to see the progress on your application, and makes it easier for CLBR advisors to help you with your materials. Note also that the Fulbright administrators have told us that applications without an endorsement are not disadvantaged in their selection process.
Important: Read the country award page carefully for any awards which you're considering, as each award will have its own additional rules, and affiliation letters, when required, may have associated deadlines as early as August 1st (or earlier).
Application Deadlines and Dates
August 7th, 2024 at 12:00 PM noon Pacific Time
Internal deadline: First draft of application essays due.
September 4th, 2024 at 12:00 PM noon Pacific Time
Internal deadline: Application and all essays need to be complete and ready for internal review (recommendations and language evaluations are not due at this time).
Campus Feedback Sessions: September 9th–20th, 2024
Campus Feedback Sessions are required and will happen on a weekday during these two weeks. Applications can be edited after the feedback session.
October 8th, 2024 at 2:00 PM Pacific Time
National deadline: Final applications (including recommendations and language evaluations, if needed) must be submitted online by this time.
Overview of Internal Application Process
In order to participate in the internal application process, applicants must be registered in Fulbright’s online application system. Create an online : Applicants > Fulbright Online Application.
New in 2024: Do not click submit in the online application until your application is complete and finalized. All submitted applications are final and cannot be unsubmitted.
By the August 7th, 2024 deadline, you must complete the following within your online application:
- Designate ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï as your selected school in the Country and Award Selection section
- Identify your country of choice and award type in the Country and Award Selection section
- Upload a draft of your Statement of Grant Purpose
- Upload a draft of your Personal Statement
- Lock your application for campus review by checking the box on the Ready for Campus Review page within the application
By the September 4th, 2024 deadline, you must complete the following:
- Complete all steps identified above by the August 7th deadline
- Complete one appointment with a CLBR advisor to have application materials reviewed (scheduled via )
- Complete the entire online application, including attaching a current transcript and registering your Recommenders and (if applicable) Language Evaluator in the system.
- Recommendations and foreign language evaluations are not due until the national deadline in October.
- Letters of Affiliation (if applicable) are not required by this deadline, unless your award had an early deadline.
- Lock your application for campus review by checking the box on the Ready for Campus Review page within the application by September 4th at 12 PM Pacific Time.
- Note: you will be able to make edits after your campus feedback session. This will not be your final submission to the program.
- Complete the waiver form on the ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï website (½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï login required).
Details for Sept 4th Deadline: Study/Research Awards
- The page for your award type has answers for many applications questions.
- Find three people who will write letters of recommendation for you and register them in the online system. They should be the three individuals who can best speak to your ability to carry out the project being proposed; they should be able to discuss your intellectual and professional preparation, and your ability to represent the U.S. abroad.
- Read CLBR's advice to applicants on requesting letters of recommendation.
- Give your recommenders the link to on the Fulbright website.
- You will register your recommenders in the online system by the September 4th deadline, which will send them a link to use in uploading the letter, which will not be due until the national deadline in October. You should provide a draft of your Statement of Grant Purpose and Personal Statement so recommenders are able to see what you propose to do.
- It is imperative that your recommenders know as much about your proposed project as possible in order to write the strongest letter.
- When preparing a research proposal, carefully read the section on the Fulbright website in your award's country summary on "Affiliation." You will need to seek out a contact in the country in which you plan to study and request a letter from them. For assistance in finding contacts abroad, you may want to speak to professors in your major department or with the Director of International Programs.
- See advice on securing an affiliation from the Study/Research portion of the page.
- The deadline for the affiliation letter will be listed on the country page for your award.
- Request a foreign language evaluation, if needed, through the online application system. The evaluation will not be due until the national deadline in October.
- Request a transcript from ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï. If you studied abroad, ask the registrar to include a certified copy of your study abroad transcript, or obtain the transcript from that school. Transcripts from other institutions you attended may be required; see the application components page for your award type for more details. Unofficial transcripts from ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï are accepted, but they need to include the Transcript Key and the Grades at ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï pages.
Details for Sept 4th Deadline: English Teaching Assistant Awards (ETAs)
- The page for the ETA has answers for many applications questions.
- Find and register in the online system three individuals who can best speak to your ability to teach English in a classroom abroad based on your intellectual and professional preparation. At least one of these should be able to speak to your skills outside of academia. The ETA recommendation form consists of a series of short answer questions instead of a letter.
- Read CLBR's advice to applicants on requesting recommendations.
- Give your recommenders the link to on the Fulbright website.
- You will register your recommenders in the online system by the September 4th deadline, which will send them a link to use in filling out an online form. The form is not due until the national deadline in October.
- You should provide a draft of your Statement of Grant Purpose and Personal Statement so recommenders are able to see what you propose to do.
- It is imperative that your recommenders know as much about your proposed project as possible in order to write the strongest letter.
- Request a foreign language evaluation, if needed, through the online application system. The evaluation will not be due until the national deadline in October.
- Request a transcript from ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï. If you studied abroad, ask the registrar to include a certified copy of your study abroad transcript, or obtain the transcript from that school. Transcripts from other institutions you attended may be required; see the application components page for your award type for more details. Unofficial transcripts from ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï are accepted, but they need to include the Transcript Key and the Grades at ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï pages.
Fulbright Resource Page from CLBR
Read through our Fulbright Resources page for additional guidance. We've compiled the advice we typically give in a first advising appointment about Fulbright on this page.
Next Steps
After the September 4th deadline, each applicant who has completed all steps for both the August and September internal deadlines will have a feedback session (also referred to as the campus interview) in the following two weeks with two members of ½ñÈÕ³Ô¹Ï's Fulbright Campus Committee. You will hear from CLBR via clbrfellowships@reed.edu before the internal September deadline, and immediately afterward, requesting your availability for the session in those two weeks. Once your session is scheduled, it is very important that you do not miss it, as it will not be possible to reschedule it, and it is a required part of your internal application.
After your session your application will be unlocked and you'll be able to make edits to submit the final draft of your Fulbright application by the national deadline. Members of the Campus Committee will also submit a confidential Campus Committee Evaluation form with your application. This evaluation form is meant to support your application.
After the national deadline in October, the Fulbright National Screening Committee (NSC) will review applications over winter, and initial notifications will be made via email toward the end of January. If the NSC recommends your application, you will be notified and become a semi-finalist and your materials will be sent to that country's Fulbright committee for final consideration. Some countries do require a virtual interview at that point; the country page on the Fulbright website will say if an interview is required.
Final selection notifications begin in February and continue through June, depending on the country. It is also possible that you could be selected as an alternate. If an alternate is going to be offered a Fulbright, that will usually happen within two months of becoming an alternate.
If you have any questions, please contact clbrfellowships@reed.edu