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Fulbright Scholar Awards for UK professionals

We offer a number of scholarships known as ‘Fulbright Awards’ for mid-late career professionals that are partnered with professional or charitable bodies, as well as Awards in specific disciplines.

Most of these Awards fall under our Scholar Awards with grant periods lasting from 3 to 12 months, please scroll down the page to see more about what's included, the awards available and how to apply.

As well as Scholar Awards, we also offer the Distinguished Awards in Teaching programme, which brings British teachers and/or education professionals to the United States for a semester to pursue individual or group projects, audit courses for professional development at a host university, and observe and share their expertise with teachers and students. Please visit this page to find out more about this programme.

If you're a professional and looking to pursue a master's or PhD in the USA, you might want to consider our Fulbright Postgraduate Awards.

Depending on the Award, our grants can generally offer:

  • Generous monthly stipends
  • Sickness and accident coverage
  • J-1 visa sponsorship and pre-departure support & orientation
  • Cultural enrichment programmes and events
  • Support in the USA from the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars (CIES)
  • Access to a global alumni network of collaborative engagement and cultural diplomacy, with over 300,000 academically and professionally accomplished members

Stipends vary from year to year. Please visit the individual Award pages for details.

Applications are currently open for the academic year 2024-25. Scroll down to see more information about the timeline and how to apply.

You can also sign up to our mailing list here, and follow us on social media to stay updated with news and announcements.

To be eligible, applicants must:

1. Be a UK citizen. We also welcome candidates from British Overseas Territories.

2. Hold a PhD in a subject relevant to the award to which they are applying or have equivalent relevant professional degrees (e.g. medicine or law), or experience in the field

Dual US-UK citizens, US Green Card holders, or individuals who are resident in the US at the time of application are ineligible to apply.

Non-UK citizens who reside in the UK should contact the Commission to ascertain their eligibility for the UK programme. Some Fulbright Awards are open to any non-US citizen currently residing and committed to a career in the UK. Such exceptions, if any, will only be found on the individual award pages of this website.

Non-UK citizens are required to apply through the Commission/Post in their country of citizenship. Applications from non-UK citizens based in the UK and committed to a life and career in the UK may also be considered if the applicant is not able to apply for a Fulbright award through their country of citizenship. Applicants in this category should contact their country of citizenship Commission in the first instance. If they are ineligible to apply through that Commission, they should contact the US-UK Fulbright Commission (programmes@fulbright.org.uk) before making an application.

The US-UK Fulbright programme aims to foster cultural understanding between our two countries. Preference may therefore be given to applicants who do not have extensive experience (six months or longer) in the USA.

Applicants with extensive US experience should explain in detail how further experience in the USA will fulfil the Fulbright mission in ways that their prior visits did not.

Scholar Awards for professionals

Stephen Lawrence Award

3-month research project on law enforcement & race

Royal College of Surgeons of England

Research into a number of surgical areas.

How to apply

Scholar Award application instructions

What we're looking for

The Fulbright Scholar programme looks for applicants who can engage with the USA in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding.

We assess more than the intellectual merit of proposals. The best applications are from well-rounded applicants who can demonstrate:

  • Strong academic proposals and/or research projects
  • Ambassadorial skills and intercultural sensitivity 
  • Genuine desire to learn more about the USA and to share aspects of British culture
  • Extracurricular activities
  • Community involvement
  • Leadership potential
  • Plans to further the Fulbright mission and give back to the UK upon returning

Choosing an Award

There are several Scholar Awards available each year. We recommend applying for an Award that best fits your experience and research/teaching interests.

Selection committees and interview panels will be looking for clear reasons for selecting your US university preference. We expect candidates to conduct a thorough university search and to identify institutions that are a strong fit for their academic, personal and professional goals.

Application instructions

1. Review the UK specific application information:

The online application is used by Fulbright programmes around the world, and Awards differ greatly from country to country. There are many fields and instructions which do not apply to UK applicants. 

Therefore, you must read the UK specific application information listed above before you apply to ensure you submit a complete application in the correct way.

  1. Complete an online application. The online application includes:
  • Biographical information
  • Academic, professional and extracurricular accomplishments
  • Fulbright project plans
  • Details of the US institution(s) to which you will be affiliated
  • Three referee nominations

The online application requires you to upload the following documents:

  • Scanned passport photo page
  • CV
  • Letter of invitation from your prospective US institution (this must be sought independently by you from the institution/department)
  • Creative writing or artwork sample (if applicable)

3. Complete the separate online US-UK Fulbright Commission Supplemental Form.

This is a required part of the application, and your application will be considered incomplete without it. Please follow the link above to access the form.

Application process

You must make separate arrangements with your chosen US host institution(s), the timeline and for which will vary from the Fulbright application. You do not need to have a host firmly in place before submitting your Fulbright application, but you must have a confirmed host affiliation in order to receive your Fulbright grant, if successful.

Interviews

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a panel interview in January or February. Scholar Award interviews are in person and cannot be rescheduled.

Notification

All applicants will be informed of their status by March.

UK Scholars Application Timeline

In general, the Fulbright Scholar Awards competition for British citizens follows the below timeline each year. Candidates must make their own independent applications to US institutions. Applications for academic year 2024-25 are open.

For academic year 2024-25

Early August 2023

Applications open

November 6th 2023

Applications close

End of January 2024

Shortlisted candidates invited to interview

February 2024

All candidates notified of their status

April 2023

Fulbright Finalist Workshop

June/July 2024

Pre-Departure Orientation

August onwards 2024

Independent departures to the USA

Webinars

Catch up on our webinars below to learn more about our Fulbright Partner Awards, and completing your a Scholar Award application.

You can also stay informed by signing up to our UK Awards mailing list.

This session provides a brief overview of the different partner awards available this year and some guidance on our online application.

This webinar includes a presentation and Q&A about what we look for when reviewing applications.