Fulbright Foreign Students
Fulbright Foreign Student Application Process
The Fulbright placement officer submits an application to the School of Graduate Studies on behalf of the Fulbright Foreign Student grantee (applicant). The Fulbright placement officer then provides a Request for Admission (RFA) and dossier to USU with the application documents e.g., transcripts, proof of English proficiency, etc.
- USU considers the documents provided by the Fulbright program to be official after Global Engagement reviews the dossier and confirms with the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) the documents were provided by a legitimate Fulbright administration agency.
The Fulbright placement officer lists an email address in the application which goes to them, NOT the student. All communications are to be with the Fulbright placement officer. USU programs are welcome to coordinate with the Fulbright placement officer if contact needs to be made with the student e.g. scheduling an interview.
Note: The Fulbright program applies to multiple institutions/universities on behalf of the grantee. The Fulbright program determines where to place the student based on cost share, student’s preference, etc.
Admission Decision
Department admission and funding dDecision must be made with funding decisions no later than March 31st as the Fulbright program makes placement decisions by April 15th
The Graduate Program Coordinator is to notify Global Engagement at exchangevisitors@usu.edu of the admission decision on an application before submitting the decision in Recruit.
- If intend to deny:
- Global Engagement notifies the Fulbright placement officer of intent to deny.
- Department submits decision to deny in Recruit.
- If intend to admit:
- Notify Global Engagement of the intended funding package.
- Global Engagement will work with the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies to provide an institutional funding letter to the Fulbright placement officer.
o Submit decision to admit in Recruit.
- Global Engagement will work with the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies to provide an institutional funding letter to the Fulbright placement officer.
- Notify Global Engagement of the intended funding package.
Fulbright Foreign Student Program Funding
The Fulbright funding varies by each country’s Fulbright commission agreement. Global Engagement will reach out to the Fulbright placement officer for details of the Fulbright funding offered to each student, if not stated in the RFA.
The Fulbright award includes a monthly maintenance rate (MMR). The MMR is a living expense estimate for a specific region of the US. Fulbright grantees at USU currently receive an MMR in the amount of $1,385/ month. The Fulbright program may reduce the MMR if the USU program provides the full stipend for the assistantship.
- For example the USU program provides an assistantship with a stipend of $1,164/month, which is what all graduate assistants in the program receive. The MMR the grantee receives will be <$1,385. The Fulbright program determines the exact adjustment to the MMR.
USU Funding
The Non-resident (NR) tuition waiver is granted for Ph.D. and M.S. Plan A students if the stipend from USU meets the USU minimum stipend requirement (currently ≥ $675/month) and the department will hire the applicant in a P03 position.
- SGS considers the Fulbright award as a scholarship to the student, not as part of the stipend for an assistantship to count towards the minimum needed for the NR waiver.
USU programs work with the department/ college to determine if they will provide an in-state tuition waiver.
USU programs decide if they will provide a stipend, and if such is tied to an assistantship position. The stipend/ assistantship from the program can be flexible.
- Often times, the department will supplement the MMR provided by the Fulbright program to make the total stipend equal to that of other assistantships in the program. This is called a “Topping Off Award”. Topping Off Awards are usually given when graduate assistant stipend rate exceeds those provided by the MMR.
- For example, Fulbright provides MMR of $1,385/ month and department assistantships are typically $2,100/ month. The department offers a Topping Off Award of $715/ month ($2,100 - $1,385) for the duration of the Fulbright grant, and then provides the normal assistantship stipend of $2,100/ month for the remaining years of the program of study. The $715/month exceeds the minimum requirement of $675/month for a .5 FTE, thus the student receives the NR waiver and the subsidized insurance.
The USU department is required to offer the subsidized insurance if the student is on a 0.5 FTE assistantship.
- The applicant can waive the USU health insurance requirement based on the ASPE insurance provided by the Fulbright program. However, some Fulbright commissions require students to also enroll in the school’s insurance.
Fulbright Program Placement
The U.S. Department of State makes the placement decision. The Fulbright placement officer notifies USU if they will place the student at USU, or if they refuse the offer and place the student elsewhere.
Program Verification Forms
Global Engagement should be the institutional authority to complete any required Fulbright forms, and coordinates signing by the appropriate institutional representative.
Terms of Appointment
The Fulbright program will provide the student with a document detailing the Fulbright award and conditions (usually titled Terms of Appointment or Terms of Condition). The student is responsible to submit this to The Bursar’s Office, who will bill the Fulbright program for tuition and fees not covered by institutional funding.
Arrival on Campus
We encourage Fulbright Foreign Student grantees to reach out to Global Engagement to ask questions about their Fulbright award and to connect with the international student community.
The student will need to report their arrival on campus to the Fulbright administration agency, completing several processes in the Fulbright portal such as:
- Set up a bank account to receive a deposit for any funds from the Fulbright program (e.g. MMR)
- Provide proof of enrollment (student should obtain letter from the Registrar’s Office)
- Submit documents and information to enable the Fulbright program to validate the student’s non-immigrant SEVIS record
- Apply for the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) if they do not have on-campus employment
Fulbright Foreign Students may be able to attend the trip to the Social Security Administration Office sponsored by Global Engagement. In order to do so they need to:
- Complete the arrival documentation in the Fulbright portal for the Fulbright program administrator to activate the SEVIS record before applying for the Social Security Number (SSN); and
- Obtain the Work Authorization letter from the Fulbright program. Students should refer to the Terms of Appointment for the instructions they receive on this matter.
Grant Renewal Application
Some Fulbright awards are granted for an initial period, and may be renewed if the student is making satisfactory progress in their program of study. The student is responsible to complete the renewal application in the Fulbright portal. They may need assistance with the required documents e.g. an updated program verification form regarding the support provided by USU for the extended time period.
Global Engagement should be the institutional authority to complete any required Fulbright forms for this purpose, and coordinates signing by the appropriate institutional representative.