Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) Eligibility Requirements

 

U.S. Citizenship:  

  • S. citizenship is required.
  • In some cases, a dual national may not be eligible to participate in a Fulbright program in the country of their other nationality due to host country law or policy. While individual award descriptions specify whether this is a point of ineligibility, it is incumbent upon all applicants to ascertain whether they have, or are eligible to have, their host country’s nationality and to address any potential consequences thereof before they accept an award.

Prior Fulbright Grants:

  • Recipients of a Fulbright Scholar grant are eligible to apply for another Fulbright Scholar grant two years after the date of completion of the previous grant. (For serial or Flex grants, the two-year period begins at the end of the final grant in the series.) This includes: Fulbright U.S. Scholar, International Education Administrator Seminar, Fulbright Arctic and Fulbright Visiting Scholar.  
  • Candidates who previously held a Fulbright Scholar grant should be aware that, as a general matter, preference will be given to candidates who have not previously received a Scholar grant. Therefore, previous Fulbright Scholar grantees are expected to make a strong justification in their application for a repeat Fulbright grant. For further guidance, please refer to the relevant section in the Application Requirementsand Review Criteria.

Residency abroad:

  • Applicants who have resided abroad for five or more consecutive years in the six-year period preceding the date of application are ineligible. In this case, a period of nine months or more during a calendar year is considered to constitute a full year abroad. Applicants must clearly demonstrate this in their application.

Education and experience:

  • Individual awards may specify education, experience, and/or discipline requirements, and may also indicate any exceptions.
  • Degree requirements: Individual award descriptions specify if a Ph.D. or equivalent professional/terminal degree is required.
  • Professional/terminal degree refers to the highest degree awarded in a field. The degree level can vary by academic and professional field, as not all terminal degrees are doctorates. Common terminal degrees include Ph.D., Ed.D., M.F.A., J.D., M.D., and M.B.A.
  • Applicants are expected to demonstrate they meet the qualifications stated in the award; in some cases, this may include briefly addressing the nature of their terminal degree in the application. 
  • Specific education, experience, and/or discipline requirements (and any exceptions) will be described in the individual award description.

Generally:

  • Applicants for teaching are experienced educators (normally at the Ph.D. or equivalent level) or experienced professionals with substantial professional, scholarly, or artistic accomplishments who will engage in full-time lecturing (teaching or consultation) at the college or university level abroad. Applicants are expected to have teaching experience relevant to the proposed course topic(s).  
  • Applicants for research may be academics, experienced professionals, artists, and independent scholars. They have made recognized contributions to their fields, including scholarship and artistic works, and are typically at the Ph.D. or equivalent level. They will conduct full-time advanced research abroad at, or in cooperation with, an approved institution of higher education, research facility, or other organization under a clearly-defined project.  
  • Postdoctoraland early career applicants have recently completed their doctoral degree – typically within the five previous years. Scholars are eligible to apply if they will complete the requirements for their doctoral degree by February 1, of the year following the application deadline, unless otherwise specified in the award description. If not complete at the time of application, applicants must address when they expect to complete their degree in the application.
  • Recent college graduates with limited professional experience are ineligible for consideration under the Fulbright Scholar Program. Instead, such applicants can visit theFulbright Student Program.
  • Projects that will be used toward completing degree requirements and/or seeking funding to complete graduate or doctoral degrees are ineligible for consideration under the Fulbright Scholar Program. Instead, such applicants can visit the Fulbright Student Program.
  • Applicants may be enrolled in a degree program at the time of application so long as they can demonstrate that the above requirement is met. 
  • Language requirements: Foreign language proficiency may be required depending on the country, type of grant activity (teaching or research), and the nature of the proposed projects. (Note: In many world areas, English is sufficient for teaching activities.)

Grant activity:

  • Grants shall not authorize engagement in pastoral, missionary, or other professional religious activities.
  • Grants shall not authorize engagement in activities for which a license to practice medicine or nursing is required.

Other:

  • Sound physical and mental health: selected candidates are required to submit a Medical History and Examination Report before their grants can be finalized. (This process takes place after candidates selected for grants are notified of their selection.)
  • Applicants are required to disclose if they have been arrested for, indicted for, or charged with a felony or a misdemeanor (excluding minor traffic violations, juvenile convictions, or cases where the record has been sealed or expunged) or accused of misconduct (including but not limited to unethical practices, harassment, sexual harassment or abuse, or other misconduct that may have been the focus of some kind of inquiry or process). Applicants must promptly notify IIE in writing if they are arrested for, indicted for, charged with or convicted of a felony or misdemeanor (excluding minor traffic violations) after submitting the application․ FFSB regulations can be found  here (Chapter 600/Section 626 Ineligibility Factors.)
  • Employees and their immediate families (i.e. spouses and dependent children) of the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development and of public or private organizations under contract to the U.S. Department of State are ineligible to apply for a Fulbright grant until one year after termination of such employment.