Fulbright Selection Process for U.S. Citizens

Postgraduates - All applications are submitted online with the Institute for International Education (IIE) in New York. Applicants can apply through their US university, or “at large” for people who have graduated and are in employment – direct to IIE.

Applicants from universities are reviewed and interviewed, with a report and ranking from the university submitted with their application to IIE. Selection Panels convened by IIE then review all applications and send on a recommended short list to the Commission. On average around 100-120 postgraduates annually apply for Australia and we receive a short list of 30 – 40 applications for 12 – 14 postgraduate scholarships.

Senior Scholars – All applications are submitted to the Council for International Exchange (CIES) in Washington DC. Selection Panels convened by CIES then short list applicants they then recommend and send on to the Commission. On average around 35- 45 Senior Scholars annually apply for Australia and we receive a short list of 15 – 20 applications for 4-5 senior scholarships.

A National Selection Committee in Australia then review all the short listed U.S. applications (Postgraduate and Senior Scholar) in February and recommend their selections to the Board.

Note – U.S. applicants can chose from over 150 countries to apply for a Fulbright, but can only apply to one country in any one year, i.e they can not apply for multiple countries in order to ensure a best outcome. Because Australia is so competitive, it can therefore detract people from applying.