MIT Homepage
Scholarships Advice Resources
Home

Fulbright-Hays
Introduction

The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Fellowship program is administered by the U.S. Department of Education and is designed to contribute to the development and improvement of the study of modern foreign languages and area studies in the United States by providing opportunities for scholars to conduct research in countries outside of Western Europe. Applicants’ academic interests and career goals typically include teaching and research in modern foreign languages and area studies.

Under the program, the Secretary awards the fellowships to doctoral candidates who propose to conduct dissertation research abroad for periods of 6 to 12 months. Recipients shall remain students in good standing at their institution during the period of the award. Proposals focusing on Western Europe are not eligible.

All applications must be processed and endorsed by the MIT Distinguised Fellowships Office, 12-189. You should review this site and the official Fulbright-Hays Program web site, and then consult with the MIT Foreign Scholarships Committee for more information.

[ top ]

Quick Facts
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship
Field of Study Modern foreign languages and area studies (not Western European)
Type Doctoral
Place of Study Any country with which the U.S. has diplomatic representation (outside Western Europe )
Award amount Average fellowship amount is $32,356
MIT Deadline September 11
National Deadline November 5

[ top ]

Eligibility

To be eligible you must:

  • U.S. citizen, national or permanent resident.
  • Graduate student in good standing.
  • Planning a teaching career in the U.S. upon graduation.
  • Possess adequate language skills necessary for proposal.

[ top ]

Selection Criteria

Applicants are chosen on the basis of:

  • Dissertation proposal
  • Letters of support/recommendation from three professors
  • Academic transcript
  • Letter of affiliation from host country

[ top ]

Application (see official site for details and forms)

Applications should be submitted online at http://e-grants.ed.gov. Complete applications include the following material:

  • Application form
  • 10-page narrative
  • 3 references from your graduate school faculty
  • 1 language reference for each language of research
  • Graduate school transcripts
  • Institutional endorsement (provided by MIT)

[ top ]

Timeline
MIT Process
Spring
  • Meet with a foreign scholarship advisor. Appointments can be made by sending mail to scholarships@mit.edu or by visiting the Distinguished Fellowships Office in 12-189.
  • Send mail to scholarships@mit.edu to be added to the mailing list and to receive information about upcoming workshops, fellowship deadlines, etc
  • Attend a workshop on foreign scholarships.
  • Fill out pre-application form and submit to Distinguished Fellowships Office, 12-189. On receipt of this form, the office will open a file for you.
  • Develop your research or study plan.
  • Line up faculty to write your recommendations and language reference.
Summer
  • Research your choice of countries and intended programs.
  • Draft your research or study proposal.
  • Provide your referees with all the information they need to supply a letter of recommendation by September.
  • Register on the e-application site.
September
  • Sign up for a campus interview by emailing scholarships@mit.edu.
  • Schedule language certificate test with member of faculty.
  • Seek the advice of faculty, staff and fellow students to increase the strength of your application. Staff in the Distinguished Fellowships Office are available to critique your essays.
September 11
  • Copy of application due to MIT, 12-189; required so that MIT may write you an institutional endorsement.
 
National Process
November 5
Fall-Winter
  • Selection committee chooses and notifies recipients.

[ top ]

Winners

Not available currently.

[ top ]

Contact Information
MIT Representative General Information

Professor Linn Hobbs
Chairman, Foreign Scholarships Committee
MIT Room 13-4054
Tel: 617-253-6835

Kimberly L Benard
Program Advisor for Distinguished Fellowships
MIT Room 12-189
Tel: 617-253-4378

Office of Post-Secondary Education
U.S. Department of Education
International Education Programs Service
1990 K Street, NW , 6th Floor
Washington , DC 20006-8500
Tel: 202- 502-7632 / 7688

Email: ddra@ed.gov
Official site: www.ed.gov/programs/iegpsddrap/
Application: http://e-grants.ed.gov

[ top ]