Office of Fellowships Research Application Steps

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Applying for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is a lengthy but rewarding process involving many stages of review. Nearly a whole year will pass between the time you submit your application and the time your grant (if you win) begins. Even before you submit the application to Fulbright, you'll typically spend about 3-6 months planning for and preparing it. The Office of Fellowships advising staff are here to help you navigate this process. Follow the steps below and you'll be sure to produce an application that represents you authentically and favorably by the deadline.

DEADLINES: As an Amherst College Fulbright Research applicant,
Your deadline for completing your application in time for internal review is September 16, 2024 at NOON.
Your deadline for submitting your application to the Fulbright program is October 7, 2024 at NOON. 

Your ideal timeline for completing the steps below is:
~ April/May:     Steps 1, 2, & 3: Explore Fulbright, meet with us, open an application
~ June/July:     Steps 4, 5, 6 & 7: Reach out to recommenders & language evaluators;
                             reach out to potential affiliates; draft and revise your essays
~ August:          Steps 7, 8 & 9: Write your short paragraphs; gather supporting documents
~ September:  Steps 10 & 11: Lock application for campus review/interview (do not submit it)
~ October:        Step 12: Revise, proofread, then submit

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Applying for a research grant takes gumption, creativity, and persistence, but the rewards are many. You'll learn how to design a project, reach out to potential partners, and situate your research within scholarship in your field. Your research project may emerge from your senior thesis (planned or accomplished) or an independent capstone project. It may even be something you haven't explored before at all. However, you'll be most competitive proposing a project that draws on the knowledge you've gained and research methods you've acquired in your major discipline. You'll need to think not only about what you'd like to research, but where abroad you want to do it. You can get at this in two ways - start with a project idea and look for a country to do it in, or start with a country and look for researchers in your field who are doing interesting things there. The first step is to explore.

Explore a project idea with faculty in your field. You'll need the advice of a faculty member who knows about scholarship in your field. Start the conversation in the spring/early summer before you apply. A faculty member who knows your research experience and interests may be able to suggest a project idea or even a country where interesting research is happening in your field. 

Explore the Fulbright award search database to identify countries that offer grants for independent research to applicants with a BA (as opposed to master's or PhD-level applicants). Some countries only offer graduate degrees, not independent research. Read the country pages carefully to make sure you and your project are eligible.

Explore research and faculty profile pages at universities in a few potential countries. You'll need an ally in your work (known as an affiliate) to win the grant. More on this under affiliations below.

Explore information that may factor into your country choice on the State Department website and the Fulbright grant pages for countries you are considering. (Some country pages state research areas that THEY are most interested in.)

Explore the Fulbright Grantee Directory,  filtering for your field of study and other features, to see what other people have done in that country.  This may give you a lead on finding affiliations to target. 

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Talk with us about what you've learned through your explorations. We can help you think through your top choices to decide which country to apply to. You can only apply for one Fulbright at a time. If you have never met with anyone in the Office of Fellowships, Request an appointment.  If you have already met with us, email us saying what you'd like to discuss and when you are currently available to meet.  We'll send an invite.

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The Fulbright online application is where you'll tell Fulbright everything they need to know about you (biographical details, extracurricular activities, awards, travel history, work experience), upload your essays, and trigger recommendation and language evaluation requests. You can enter data, revise, and save and return as you go along. Remember to enter work and other activities you have done or will do up to October 2024 when they will read the application. Open the application as soon as you've decided to apply, and begin to fill things in.  Be sure to select the option that you are applying through Amherst College. Read the detailed "Instructions - Completing the Online Application" advice on the first page you come to. It will save you from making errors.  Work on the application throughout the summer so you don't have to do it all at once at the end. 

Reach out to three potential recommendation writers to explain your intentions and ask if they'd be willing to write on your behalf. You can do this in person, over email, or on the phone. Ask early - at the end of the spring semester or beginning of the summer, if possible. They don't have to write the letter immediately, but knowing they've already agreed will reduce your stress.

For the research grant, at least two (and sometimes, all three) of your writers should be faculty who have taught you as a mature student or supervised your research. They may have taught you at AC or study away. If you've done/are doing a senior thesis, your advisor is a good choice. Lean toward faculty whose expertise is in the field in which you plan to do your research. They can comment on your academic strengths, on whether the research is feasible for a young scholar, and on why it is important in the field. In some cases, the third letter can be from a staff person, coach, or work supervisor who can speak in detail to your potential as a cultural ambassador.  Ask your recommenders to read our Fulbright Overview page so they understand the Fulbright and what the reviewers hope to learn about you in the letter. Point out to them the instructions For Recommenders at the bottom of that page.

Reach out to one language evaluator, if needed or desired. If the country has recommended or required language competency, show them what you've got! The application will invite you to complete a Language Self-Evaluation. Do it, even if not required, if you have any skill in the language. It can only help you! If language skill is required, you will have to enter the contact information for a language evaluator. Ask someone who has taught you the language most recently. Send them the link to Instructions for Foreign Language Evaluators. 

After your recommenders or language evaluators have said "yes,"  enter their names and contact info in the Fulbright online application. Trigger the recommendation request through the portal about four weeks before the internal deadline (or sooner, if they wish it). Recommenders often like to see your essays before they write, so send your best draft at that time. While recommendation letters are due by the internal deadline, it's okay if the language evaluations come in afterward (before the final deadline). 

The Statement of Grant Purpose (SOGP) is one of two essays you'll write for the application. You should write this one first. But before you start writing, you need to do some thinking. As a way to think through your research aims, methods, and context, use this Research SOGP Questionnaire. Once you submit it, we'll read it and tell you if there is anything more you need to consider before drafting the essay.

Write the statement of grant purpose: include the context for your interest in this field; describe the aims of your research, methodology, timeline, role of the affiliate, ways you are prepared to undertake the research, relevance to the host country and the Fulbright mission, and your intended career or educational steps after the year. Note that auditing courses, or even enrolling in a master's program (where you don't attend classes but just do your research) is advised or required for some countries. Check your country page carefully and address anything advised.

Send it to us as either a Google or Word doc for feedback.  In your first draft, you'll likely still be playing with ideas as to what to include. It's okay if this draft flows over the one page limit, or if it doesn't quite fill a page. As you gain clarity through subsequent drafts on what you want to say, work toward putting your essay into the required format. The version you upload to the application should follow the format below. Before you write, it may help you to read a few essays from former AC Fulbright grad study winners here. 

Format: 1-inch margins, 1.0 spacing, Times New Roman, 12-point font. Do not use the Header tool. Rather, put the lines below within the 1" margin.  At the top of page 1, type: 
Line 1: STATEMENT OF GRANT PURPOSE 
Line 2: Your Name, Country of Application, and Field of Study from Program Info page 
Line 3: Your Project Title as it appears in the Program Information page of application 
On page two, enter the above or only Last Name, Grant Purpose, Page 2. 
Convert to a pdf before uploading.

The second essay you will write is your Personal Statement. It is best tackled once you've got the SOGP in good shape to avoid repetition. This essay is your chance to show the reviewers how you will represent the U.S. as a cultural ambassador from your own experience as a citizen, a student, a person. Draw from your personal history, family background, intellectual influences, educational, professional, and cultural opportunities (or lack of them), and how these experiences have affected you in order to introduce yourself and what you value to your readers․ Include your specific interests, career plans, and life goals, as they relate to the Fulbright opportunity․ To see how others have done this, go back to the sample essays.

There is no pre-draft form for this one!  Write the Personal Statement draft  after you've tackled the SOGP and send it to us as a  Google or Word doc for feedback.  From the start, use the required format  below so you know how much room you have to play with. Do not use the Header tool. 

Format: 1 page, single spaced, 1-inch margins, Times New Roman, 12-point font. At the top, type: 
Line 1: PERSONAL STATEMENT 
Line 2: Your Name, Country of Application, and Field of Study from Program Info page 
Convert to a pdf before uploading. 

In addition to the essays, Fulbright asks you to compose three short paragraphs in answer to specific questions or prompts. Unlike the essays, we cannot offer you feedback on these before the internal deadline. Do your best by using the advice and resources below. We'll give you feedback on them after the internal deadline. Here they are:

Abstract/Summary of Proposal 
1. Why do you wish to be a Fulbright grantee and pursue this research? Why is this country appealing to you? You will also summarize your project here. (1750 characters)  (1750 characters)

Host Country Engagement 
2. How will you get involved with your community outside the workplace and share your culture and values in the host community? Think of this as explaining what you will do in your free, non-work time that will help you get to know  people in the host country. (1750 characters)

Plans Upon Return to the U.S. 
3. What do you intend to do upon your return to the U.S. (career or educational plans) after the Fulbright? (850 characters). 

The reviewers will likely read these paragraphs first to get oriented to who you are. They are an important part of the story you will tell about yourself.  Aim to be as specific and detailed as possible. Yes, it is okay to pull from your SOGP for your abstract. But rephrase rather than pasting and copying. Reading these portions of previous applications will help you get the idea. This narrated PowerPoint slide show will also help you think through these questions: Pulling it Together with Purpose: the Fulbright Application .

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Send recommendation and language evaluation requests. Hopefully, you've already asked people to write these. Now is the time to trigger the requests in the online application portal if you have not already done so, and reminder your recommenders of our internal deadline, which is different from the Fulbright deadline they will see on the Fulbright program's own website. 

Request your official AC transcript and study abroad or transfer college transcripts now so you can upload them in the portal by the internal deadline. While Fulbright says they allow unofficial transcripts, because the name of the college must appear on it, AC students must use an official version. To aid you in this process, complete an “Electronic Transcript Request” and when you receive it, convert it to a readable (not secured) pdf. See Fulbright's instructions on requirements and how to upload. The GPA you enter in the application should be the one listed on your transcript. 

For transfer or study abroad transcripts, follow instructions at the relevant institution for requesting an electronic version and convert and upload it as above.

Upload your letter of affiliation. (If it comes in after the internal deadline, upload it as soon as you can afterward.)

• Proofread everything you've written for the application - short entries, small paragraphs, essays, language self-evaluations for typos. We suggest you print the app and read it out loud to yourself, word for word. (You won't catch errors if you review the app on your phone.) Upload your essays as pdfs in the format required. Make sure there are no extraneous second or third pages. 
• Check to see if your recs and language evals are in. If not, send gentle, polite reminders. (If they're really late, send howlers.) If you're waiting for a transcript, upload a placeholder doc with the name of the intended transcript on it so that you can lock the application for campus review. Same for the language evaluations.
• Check to make sure your transcript is UN-secured.
• LOCK the application by your internal deadline! Do NOT submit it. That's for after the campus interview. We will pull the version you've locked for the campus committee to review. Please do not make changes after we lock it until you've received committee feedback. 

All Amherst College students will be endorsed to move forward to the Fulbright national competition. However, Fulbright asks us to conduct a campus interview and to write an evaluation of you as a candidate based on the interview and your written materials. We love this part! We get to talk to you in person (or over Zoom if you're an alum)! 

After you submit your app, we'll send an invitation to schedule your 20-minute interview with the campus faculty Committee on Student Fellowships. Sign up for your interview slot and prepare to receive feedback and talk further about your interest in the Fulbright program, the country, and your intended research.

What do we mean by prepare? Review your own application, and think about what more you can tell us, both about your graduate study goals and your desire to immerse yourself in the culture of the country. 

After your campus interview, we'll un-lock your application in the portal and send you final suggestions for improvement. For this round of feedback, we'll address the essays again if needed, but mostly focus on those short paragraphs. If we have noticed them, we'll alert you to any typos. However, as this application represents YOU, well, then YOU should make sure your app is error-free! Revise and proofread one more time, then submit the application by October 7th at NOON. This will give us time to attach your campus committee evaluation by OUR deadline.

The Fulbright process takes so long that we joke that people sometimes find out they won and forgot they even applied! After submitting, you wait, but wait actively! That is, be alert to the stages of selection and any emails you may receive from Fulbright. From here, they'll contact you directly about how you are faring in the competition. Tell us what you hear from them, as soon as you here it, so we can continue to support you.

Have questions? Please contact us.

Physical address: 100 Boltwood Avenue, Amherst, MA 01002

Mailing Address: AC #2214, PO Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002