Application Deadline: Varying by Country
The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program provides ten months of non-degree academic study and related professional experiences in the United States. Humphrey Fellows are selected based on their potential for leadership and their commitment to public service in either the public or the private sector. The Humphrey Program fosters a mutual exchange of knowledge and understanding about issues of common concern in the United States and the Fellows’ home countries.
The Program offers Fellows valuable opportunities for leadership development and professional engagement with Americans and their counterparts from many nations. More than 5,700 men and women have been honored as Humphrey Fellows since the program began in 1978. Approximately 150 Fellowships are awarded annually. Thirteen major universities in the United States host Humphrey Fellows. These host universities are chosen for their excellence in the Program’s designated fields of study and for the resources and support they offer Humphrey Fellows.
Eligibility Criteria
- An undergraduate (first university or Bachelor’s) degree
- A minimum of five years of full-time, professional experience
- Limited or no prior experience in the United States
- Demonstrated leadership qualities
- A record of public service in the community
- English language ability
Please contact the U.S. Embassy, Public Affairs Section or Binational Fulbright Commission in your country of residence to learn about possible specific program requirements.
Fellowship Worth
The Fellowship provides for:
- Payment of tuition and fees at the assigned host university;
- Pre-academic English language training, if required;
- A maintenance (living) allowance, including a one-time settling-in allowance;
- Accident and sickness coverage;
- A book allowance;
- A one-time computer subsidy;
- Air travel (international travel to and from the U.S. for the Program and domestic travel to required program events);
- A Professional Development allowance for professional activities, such as field trips, professional visits and conferences.
Fields
Fellows are selected based on their potential for national leadership and commitment to public service, in either the public or private sector in the following Humphrey fields:
- Agriculture & rural development;
- Communication/Journalism;
- Substance abuse education, treatment & prevention;
- Economic development;
- Finance & Banking;
- Educational administration, planning & policy;
- HIV/AIDS policy & prevention;
- Human resource management;
- Law & human rights;
- Natural resources, environment policy, & climate change;
- Public health policy management;
- Public policy analysis & public administration;
- Teaching of English as a foreign language;
- Technology policy & management;
- Trafficking in persons, policy & prevention; and
- Urban & regional planning.
The Program provides a basis for establishing long-lasting productive partnerships and relationships between citizens of the United States and their counterparts in other countries, fostering an exchange of knowledge and mutual understanding throughout the world.
Selection Process
Stage 1: National Screening
The Humphrey Program is facilitated overseas by Binational Fulbright Commissions/Foundations or the Public Affairs Sections of U.S. Embassies. Commissions and Embassies review applications submitted for the Humphrey Fellowship Program, invite selected applicants for interviews, and determine which applications are to be forwarded for further consideration to the Institute of International Education in Washington, D.C. Please contact the Embassy or Commission in your country to learn of its selection criteria.
Stage 2: Screening by the Institute of International Education
Embassies and Commissions must submit their nominations to the Institute of International Education (IIE) office in Washington, DC by October 1. The deadline for applicants to submit their applications to the Embassy or Commission varies by country. Please check with the Embassy or Fulbright Commission in your country to learn of its application deadline.
IIE reviews all submitted applications for basic eligibility and then convenes regional Candidate Review Committees (CRC) to evaluate the applications.
Stage 3: Candidate Review Committees
Candidate Review Committees convene in Washington, DC in December. Independent expert panelists with regional experience who work in academia, international organizations, or non-governmental organizations are recruited to review applications from a particular region of the world.
Stage 4: Approval by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
The J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB) was created by Congress to supervise the Fulbright Program and other Fulbright exchange activities, including the Humphrey Fellowship Program. The FSB sets policies and procedures for administration of the Humphrey Fellowship Program, has final authority for selection of all Fellows, and supervises the conduct of the Program both in the United States and abroad.
Stage 5: Placement of selected Humphrey Fellows
After receiving approval from the FSB, the Department of State will announce the final selection results to participating U.S. Embassies and Binational Fulbright Commissions, who will inform candidates of their status. The Institute of International Education places the approved candidates at U.S. universities that have been selected to host Humphrey Fellows. Placements are determined by candidates’ fields of study and the program plan statements expressed in their applications.
For More Information:
Visit the Official Webpage of the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program 2020/2021