Embassy of the United States

Exchange Programs

Senator Fulbright, program founder

The Fulbright Program

The Fulbright Program is the largest U.S. international exchange program offering opportunities for students, scholars, and professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, and university teaching worldwide. The Fulbright Program is supported by the U.S. Department of State.

Established in 1946 by the U.S. Congress to "enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries," the Fulbright program annually awards approximately six thousand grants, at a cost of more than $250 million. The program funds both American and foreign students, teachers, professionals, and scholars to study, teach, lecture, and conduct research in more than 150 countries and the United States. The Fulbright Program in Russia offers a variety of opportunities for both Americans and Russians interested in graduate study, lecturing, academic research, and other activities.

The Fulbright Program Office in Moscow administers twelve different grant programs in Russia and receives all grant applications from Russians.  All of the programs are briefly described below.  Additional information is available from the Moscow Fulbright Office:

Fulbright Program in Russia
Institut Mezhdunarodnogo obrazovaniya
Programma Fulbright
ul. Tverskaya, 16/2, stroenie 3, ofis 1
Moscow 125009
Tel. (495) 935-83-53, fax (495) 937-54-18
E-mail: info@fulbright.ru
http://www.fulbright.ru

Applicants are able to access the online application at: https://apply.embark.com. A PDF version of the application can be downloaded from the Fulbright Program in Russia website (www.fulbright.ru).

The Fulbright Program in Russia

Annual Programs

Fields for the Fulbright Program in Russia:

The Fulbright Program

• The Fulbright Program for Russian Citizens
  • Fulbright Visiting Graduate Student Program
  • Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistantships (FLTA)
  • Fulbright Faculty Development Program (FFDP)
  • Russian International Education Administrators (RIEA) Program
  • Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program
  • Fulbright-Kennan Institute Research Scholarship Program
  • Fulbright New Century Scholars Program
  • Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence (SIR) Program
  • The International Fulbright Science and Technology (S&T) Award
  • Fulbright Interfaith Community Action Program
• The Fulbright Program for U.S. Citizens
  • Fulbright Student Program
  • Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships (ETA)
  • Fulbright Scholar Program
  • Fulbright Senior Specialist Program
  • Fulbright New Century Scholars Program

Grants for Russians

Fulbright Visiting Graduate Student Program

The Fulbright Visiting Student Program is open to Russian university graduates and to graduate (kandidatskaya) students in the arts, engineering, natural sciences, humanities and social sciences. This program supports either year of research to that assist in completion of a “kandidat nauk” degree in Russia or two years of study to complete a U.S. Master’s degree.

Applicants must be Russian citizens permanently residing in the Russian Federation who have a university diploma (“specialist”) or a bachelor’s degree. Applicants should be no older than 30 years of age by the application deadline.

The list of major academic disciplines for Fulbright awards can be found at http://www.fulbright.ru/en/russians/vgsdisciplinesengl

Application materials are available each year in March.

The annual deadline for submitting applications is May 15. For additional information please visit http://fulbright.ru/en/russians/vgs

Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistantships (FLTA)

The FLTA program is open to current English teachers or students in their final year in an institution of higher education studying to be an English teacher.

This program allows Russian teachers of English (or students studying to be teachers) to gain teaching experience by teaching on U.S. university campuses up to 20 hours per week while taking two courses per semester. Fellows are also expected to interact with their host community in conversation groups and involved in extracurricular activities and community outreach projects. Upon completion of the program, the Fellows return home and teach English at the secondary and university level.

Application deadline is June 1, 2009.

Additional information and application procedures can be found at http://fulbright.ru/en/russians/flta

Fulbright Faculty Development Program (FFDP)

FFDP grants are designed for younger Russian junior teaching faculty and scholars (no older than 39 years by the application deadline), who do not yet have a post-graduate academic degree ("kandidatskaya" or “doctorskaya”) or who have received their degree within the past five years.

The goal of the FFDP program is to provide fellows opportunities to work on curriculum design and development in the courses they teach.

Candidates must either be currently teaching at institutions of higher learning or be affiliated with academic or cultural institutions, including libraries and museums. Applicants should have a minimum of two years teaching or professional experience and intend to return to their home institution to implement the knowledge gained on this program.

Deadline for submitting applications for academic year 2010-2011 is June 15, 2009.

Additional information and application procedures can be found at http://fulbright.ru/en/russians/ffdp

Russian International Education Administrators (RIEA) Program

This program is open to Russian university administrators who work with international students at their universities.

The goal of this program is to enhance and improve professional skills of university administrators who work with incoming international students from around the world and especially from the USA. It helps Russian international education professionals gain critical knowledge surrounding the needs of these students in the areas of academic placement, insurance and medical requirements, safety, cross-cultural challenges, and language training.

The RIEA program consists of three components: 1) a seminar and discussion program developed by Teachers College, Columbia University, in New York City, 2) a best practices seminar program at IIE which will take place on a bi-weekly basis, and 3) a practicum in the international student office of a host university in the U.S.

Deadline for submitting applications for academic year 2010-2011 is July 1.

For details please visit http://fulbright.ru/en/russians/riea

Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program

The Fulbright Senior Scholar Program is open to Russian scholars who have established themselves in their fields and wish to take advantage of the opportunity to further their professional development through research or lecturing activity in the United States. The candidate must have a kandidatskaya degree (as a minimum requirement), a proven record of research activities and publications, and well-developed English skills.

Deadline for submitting applications for academic year 2010-2011 is July 15, 2009.

Additional information and application procedures can be found at:
http://fulbright.ru/en/russians/visiting

Fulbright-Kennan Institute Research Scholarship Program

The Fulbright-Kennan Institute Research Scholarships are available to researchers and lecturers from academic and higher educational institutions and research centers that are actively involved in academic and research work. Eligible candidates include scholars and researchers who have at least two years post-doctoral (post-Kandidat) academic and research experience.

This program for scholars in the humanities and social sciences offers six-month fellowships in residence at the Kennan Institute in Washington, D.C. Preference will be given to applicants whose research informs discussion of key public policy issues, enhances development of scholarship in the former Soviet Union, and fosters communication between the world of scholarship and the world of public affairs. Applicants should be able to demonstrate a particular need to be in Washington, D.C.

The Woodrow Wilson Center devotes significant attention to the exploration of broad thematic areas. Primary themes are: 1) governance, including such issues as the key features of the development of democratic institutions, democratic society, civil society, and citizen participation; 2) the U.S. role in the world and issues of partnership and leadership; and 3) key long-term future challenges confronting the U.S. and the world.

While conducting research, the Fulbright-Kennan scholars are expected to hold public lectures on their proposed research topics and actively participate in discussions within the public policy and academic communities, including meetings, conferences, and other activities organized by the Kennan Institute and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Deadline for submitting applications for academic year 2010-2011 is July15, 2009.

Additional information and application procedures can be found at http://fulbright.ru/en/russians/kennan

Fulbright New Century Scholars Program

This program is open to Russian university scholars who have at least a “kandidat nauk” degree. The Fulbright New Century Scholars Program (NCS) is a global competition that annually brings together 25-30 research scholars and professionals from the U.S. and participating countries around the world. Through a series of three, in-person seminars and a traditional Fulbright exchange visit, NCS Scholars engage in collaborative thinking and multi-disciplinary research on a theme of global significance. The first four years of the program addressed the topics of global health; sectarian, ethnic and cultural conflict within and across national borders; the global empowerment of women; and higher education in the 21st century,

Please see http://fulbright.ru/ru/russians/ncs for additional information.

Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence (SIR) Program

The SIR Program brings visiting scholars and professionals from Russia and other countries to lecture at U.S. colleges and universities for one semester or one academic year. In addition to teaching courses, scholars give campus-wide and community lectures, help initiate international programs and contribute to curriculum development. The SIR Program is especially appropriate for small liberal arts colleges, minority-serving institutions, and community colleges, many of which do not often have the opportunity to host Fulbright Visiting Scholars. U.S. institutions interested in hosting a Russian Scholar-In-Resident must submit a proposal to the Council for International exchange of Scholars (CIES) in Washington, D.C., in which they invite a Russian scholar to teach one or more courses and to be in residence for a semester or an academic year. Institutions may suggest suitable candidates or have CIES recruit scholars from a particular region.

For more information on SIR grants, see http://www.cies.org/sir/

The International Fulbright Science and Technology (S&T) Award

International Fulbright Science and Technology (S&T) Awards are for promising graduate students to undertake Ph.D. study at top US universities in fields of science, technology or engineering. Approximately 40 awards are offered each year to graduate students from around the world who demonstrate unique aptitude and innovation in scientific fields, leadership potential and the ability to be a cultural ambassador for their country.

Deadline for submitting applications is in April.

For additional information and application materials, please visit http://fulbright.ru/en/russians/science

Fulbright Interfaith Community Action Program

The Interfaith Community Action Program is open to religious leaders, scholars of religion, non-governmental organization (NGO) and/or community leaders from diverse religious backgrounds who are actively engaged in interfaith dialogue and cooperation programs in Russia.

The goal of this program is to promote the importance of interfaith cooperation and to facilitate community action among diverse religious groups worldwide, and to facilitate contacts with interfaith organizations in the U.S.

The program lasts three months and includes a two week program at a major U.S. university that provides an exchange of practices and ideas in an academic setting in addition to visits with interfaith leaders in the area. Fellows are then placed at host institutions throughout the United States for an additional ten weeks of lectures and/or work on an ongoing project.

Please check application deadlines with the Fulbright Office.

Additional information and application procedures can be found at:
http://www.fulbright.ru/ru/russians/interfaith

Grants for Americans

Fulbright Student Program

Grants for American college and university graduates fund ten months of study in Russia in the humanities, social sciences, pure and applied sciences, and the creative and performing arts. Russian language proficiency is required. Additional information and application procedures can be found at http://www.iie.org.

Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships (ETA)

ETA positions for American college and university graduates combine 18 hours per week of classroom teaching and up to 6 hours per week of advising/working with Russian teachers of English. An additional 6 hours per week will be reserved for an independent study/research project. Applicants should submit detailed descriptions of their study or career interests and also include well-thought-out and feasible proposals. This project should not conflict with assigned teaching and advising responsibilities. Grantees are placed mostly in regional cities outside of Moscow and St. Petersburg. Additional information and application procedures can be found at http://www.iie.org.

Fulbright Scholar Program

American scholars are funded for research and/or lecturing throughout Russia for three to ten months. Russian language proficiency is not required.

For additional information and application materials, see http://www.cies.org

Fulbright Senior Specialist Program

As a complement to the Fulbright Senior Scholar Program, the Senior Specialist Program funds American academic experts who wish to undertake two to six-week long projects in Russian academic institutions. Activities may include presenting lectures; leading seminars and workshops; conducting needs assessments, surveys, research; participating in academic programs, conferences, seminars; consulting with administrators and faculty; assess and develop academic curricula or educational material; conduct teacher training.

Russian universities interested in hosting Senior Specialists must be willing to provide in-country transportation, meals and lodging. The Fulbright Program funds international transportation and provides a stipend to the Senior Specialist. For additional information, see http://www.cies.org. Contact the Fulbright Program Office in Moscow for application forms and instructions. Ten Senior Specialist grants are awarded to Russia annually.

Fulbright New Century Scholars Program

The New Century Scholars Program (NCS) is a global competition that annually brings together 25-30 research scholars and professionals from the U.S. and participating countries around the world. Through a series of three, in-person seminars and a traditional Fulbright exchange visit, NCS Scholars engage in collaborative thinking and multi-disciplinary research on a theme of global significance. The first years of the program addressed the topics of global health; sectarian, ethnic and cultural conflict within and across national borders; the global empowerment of women; and higher education in the 21st century. Please see http://www.cies.org for additional information.