Fulbright Scholarship 2028-2029 for International Students: Country Deadlines, Eligibility and How to Apply

The Fulbright scholarship for international students, officially the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, pays for master’s and PhD study (and some non-degree research) at US universities. It is run by the US Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE), and about 4,000 foreign students receive it each year across more than 160 countries. You cannot apply to Fulbright in America. You apply through the Fulbright Commission or US Embassy in your own country, and that office sets the deadline, the fields it funds and some of the rules.

That is why there is no single Fulbright deadline. For the 2027-2028 intake, countries closed their rounds anywhere between February and September 2026. The applications open now, or opening soon, are for students starting in the US in August or September 2028. Below are verified example dates for ten countries, what the grant usually covers, the documents, and how selection works, checked on official and commission pages on 25 October 2026.

How the Fulbright scholarship works for international students

Fulbright has two layers. The binational Fulbright Commission or Foundation (or, where none exists, the US Embassy’s public affairs section) advertises the competition, receives applications, interviews candidates and nominates them. IIE then handles US university placement and grant administration for most nominees. Some countries run the competition through a partner such as AMIDEAST (Lebanon), USEFP (Pakistan), USIEF (India) or AMINEF (Indonesia).

Once you are nominated, there are two placement routes. Under IIE Placement, IIE applies to US universities for you, negotiates admission and funding, and accepts or declines offers. Under Self-Placement, you apply to universities yourself, pay the application fees and secure your own admission. Your country office tells you which route it uses, so ask early, because Self-Placement means meeting each university’s own admission deadlines as well.

• Who funds it: the US Department of State; IIE administers the grants.
• Who runs selection: the Fulbright Commission or US Embassy in your home country.
• Visa: grantees travel on a J-1 exchange visitor visa sponsored by the programme.
• Scale: about 4,000 foreign students a year, according to the Foreign Fulbright site.

The programme is aimed at graduate students, young professionals and artists, and it covers all fields, including interdisciplinary ones.

Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) option

Many countries also run the FLTA programme, a non-degree route for teachers who want to teach their native language and culture at a US college or university. IIE lists it in about 58 countries, including Nigeria, Kenya, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Egypt, Morocco, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Brazil and Germany. You must be nominated by your Commission or Embassy, be an early-career English teacher or educator, and show English at TOEFL iBT 79 to 80 or IELTS 6.0 (half a band lower than the Foreign Student Program’s 6.5). If your degree is in education or languages, ask your country office whether it is running an FLTA call alongside the main one.

Fulbright scholarship deadlines by country

These are the deadlines for the 2028-2029 intake (students starting in the US in autumn 2028). Every country in the table except Indonesia has not yet published its new call, so the dates below repeat this year’s closing date one year later.

(based on this year’s date; confirm on the official page when the call opens)

Indonesia closes in February, about 18 months before you would start, while Germany closes in September, just under a year before. If your country is not listed, open the country selector on the Foreign Fulbright apply page, which links to every participating Commission and Embassy. Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, India and most other countries have their own calls; I did not find a published 2027-2028 date for Nigeria or Kenya on a page I could open, so check the US Mission pages directly.

What the Fulbright scholarship covers

Benefits are set country by country, so read your own call. These are the items the published 2027-2028 calls actually list.

Dependants are usually left out: Indonesia’s call says no support is given for accompanying family members. Lebanon’s call also warns that its two benefit lists do not fully match, so confirm what your grant includes, and for how many years, before you choose a PhD over a master’s.

Fulbright scholarship eligibility

IIE’s apply page sets the baseline that every country builds on.

• Residence: you must live in the country that nominates you when you apply.
• Degree: the equivalent of a US bachelor’s degree, with a good academic record, by the programme start date.
• English: TOEFL paper-based 550, TOEFL iBT 79 to 80, or IELTS 6.5 is the general guide (scores go to IIE under code 2326).
• Citizenship: US citizens and dual US citizens are not eligible.
• Fields: clinical programmes such as medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and clinical nursing are excluded; public health and nursing administration are allowed.

Eligibility edge cases

• Doctors and pharmacists: you can apply, but for a non-clinical degree such as an MPH, health policy or a research PhD, not for residency or clinical training.
• Living abroad: the residence rule means you normally apply from the country that nominates you. If you are studying or working elsewhere, ask your home commission before the deadline. The UK makes a narrow exception for non-UK citizens committed to a UK career, with confirmation from their home commission; student visa holders are excluded.
• Final-year students: you can usually apply before graduating, as long as you hold the degree by the start date.
• Three-year degrees: some commissions accept a three-year bachelor’s as equivalent, others do not. Check your country page.
• Weaker English: Lebanon lists recommended minimums (TOEFL iBT 80, Duolingo 120) and says candidates may be offered a long-term English programme before enrolment. Not every country offers this.

Whether you need the GRE depends on your country and your field, so read your call. Pakistan’s USEFP, for example, sets its own GRE rules on its eligibility page, and those rules do not carry over to other countries.

How to apply for the Fulbright scholarship

Most countries now use IIE’s online application at apply.iie.org, opened from the link on your country’s call. The steps below follow the Lebanon and Indonesia calls, which list the parts most countries share.

1. Find your country call: use the Foreign Fulbright apply page and open the Commission or Embassy page for your country. Note the deadline, time zone and any country-only rules.
2. Create your account: register on the online application and choose the right cycle (for autumn 2028 starts, the 2028-2029 cycle).
3. Request references early: enter three referees’ emails; the system sends them the forms. Lebanon advises asking at least a month before the deadline. At least one should be academic.
4. Write the essays: usually a personal statement and a study or research objectives statement. Lebanon caps the personal statement at 600 words; check your call for limits.
5. Upload transcripts and degree certificates: scanned copies, with certified English translations where needed.
6. Add test scores: TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo or GRE, as your country requires. Indonesia asks for a TOEFL ITP or equivalent less than two years old.
7. Upload your CV and passport copy: a plain academic CV is fine.
8. Submit before the deadline: commissions do not accept late applications. There is no application fee.

How to write the Fulbright personal statement and study objectives

Fulbright is an exchange programme, so panels read for more than grades. They want a US study plan that is specific and realistic, and a reason to believe you will use it at home; Pakistan’s call says outright that successful candidates plan to return.

• Study objectives: name the degree, two or three kinds of US programmes that fit (with the courses or labs that matter to you), and the problem at home you want to work on.
• Personal statement: tell the story of how you came to this field through one or two real experiences, then show how you have already acted on it at home.
• Return plan: say what job or role you will take after the degree and who will benefit. I would cut any vague line about “giving back” and replace it with a named role.
• Cultural exchange: mention one way you will share your country’s culture while in the US. For an exchange programme, this part counts.

A sample opening for a public health applicant: “In 2024 I spent four months tracing measles contacts in two districts where half the children had missed their second dose. The data we collected was good. What we lacked was anyone trained to turn it into a vaccination plan, and that is the skill I want to bring back.” It names a real gap and ties it to the degree.

What happens after you apply

The UK commission publishes the clearest timeline, and other countries follow a similar order with different months.

Under IIE Placement, a nominee still needs a US university to admit them, so your start depends on how placement goes. UK candidates who are not shortlisted are told by email by the end of August. Elsewhere, ask your commission how and when it tells unsuccessful candidates.

The two-year home residency rule and other costs

Fulbright is US government funding, so J-1 grantees fall under section 212(e) of US immigration law: you must spend two years in your home country after the grant before you can get an H-1B work visa, an L visa or a green card. University international offices such as the University of Vermont’s state this plainly. If you hope to stay and work in the US straight after your degree, Fulbright is the wrong scholarship.

Budget for costs the grant usually does not pay:

• Test fees (TOEFL, IELTS, GRE) and sending score reports.
• University application fees under Self-Placement.
• Certified translations, transcript fees and medical checks.
• Dependants’ travel, visas and health insurance.
• The gap between the stipend and real rent in expensive US cities, and in Germany’s case the part of tuition the partial grant leaves uncovered.

Common mistakes Fulbright applicants make

• Using another country’s deadline: blog posts quote one date; your country’s call is the only one that counts.
• Applying for a clinical degree: applications for medical residency or clinical nursing are rejected.
• Leaving references to the last week: the application cannot be complete until referees submit.
• Writing the same essay twice: the personal statement and study objectives should cover different ground.
• Ignoring the return requirement: a plan that depends on staying in the US contradicts the programme’s purpose and the J-1 rule.
• Paying an agent: Fulbright has no application fee and no agents. Apply only through your commission or embassy.

Fulbright compared with similar scholarships

Who should apply and who should not

Apply if you have a good degree, a clear reason to study a specific subject in the US, and a plan to use it at home within a few years. Fulbright suits early-career professionals in particular: teachers, civil servants, researchers and NGO staff whose employers will feel the benefit when they return.

I would look elsewhere if you want clinical training, plan to settle in the US, or currently live outside your home country with no plan to go back before the deadline. If you need US funding without the return rule, a fully funded PhD offer from a US university, applied for directly, is the usual alternative; our guide to studying in the USA without IELTS covers the English test side.

FAQ on the Fulbright scholarship

When is the Fulbright scholarship deadline for 2028?

It depends on your country. Indonesia’s AMINEF lists 15 February 2027, Pakistan’s USEFP 1 April 2027 and the UK 5 May 2027, while Germany is 1 September 2027. Check your own Commission or US Embassy page.

Is the Fulbright scholarship fully funded for international students?

In most countries yes: the calls list tuition, a monthly stipend, airfare and health cover. Some countries, such as Germany, give partial grants, and dependants are usually not funded.

Can I apply for Fulbright without IELTS or TOEFL?

Some countries let you apply before you have a score; Lebanon’s call asks for test results only if available. Most nominees still need a TOEFL, IELTS or Duolingo score before US placement; IIE’s general guide is TOEFL iBT 79 to 80 or IELTS 6.5.

Can I stay in the US after a Fulbright scholarship?

Not straight away in most cases. Fulbright grantees on J-1 visas must spend two years in their home country before they qualify for an H-1B, L visa or green card.

Sources and updates

Eligibility rules, the placement routes and the country list come from the Foreign Fulbright apply page run by IIE; the 4,000 students and 160 countries figures come from its About page. Country deadlines and benefits come from the US-UK Fulbright Commission’s postgraduate page, AMINEF’s scholarship page, USEFP’s newsletter, the AMIDEAST call as republished by Antonine University, the Philippine call on CHED MIMAROPA, the South African call on UNISA’s site, the US Embassy calls as republished by American Councils Kosovo, the University of Tirana and the University of Banja Luka, and Fulbright Germany’s call via TU Braunschweig. The board resignation was reported by NPR and Reuters in June 2025, and the J-1 home residency rule is explained by the University of Vermont’s Office of International Education. Checked on 25 October 2026; this post will be updated as countries publish their 2028-2029 calls.

Jude Chinecherem

I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.