Fulbright Outreach Program Fellowships will be awarded to those planning to
begin their Master's degree studies at American universities in the fall
semester of the 2025-2026 academic year.
This program is open to Arab citizens of Israel and to Israelis of Ethiopian
descent.
The program is open to students in all fields of study except those that
require clinical activities and hands-on contact with patients.
Candidates who have been accepted to the Fulbright Outreach Program can choose
between two placement tracks.
Track 1: Self Placement
In this track, the candidates will research their own degree program options
and independently submit, track, and follow-up on application status,
university cost-share, and final admission offers. No assistance will be
provided by IIE's University Placement division at any stage during the
process for candidates who have selected this track. The grant in this track
is limited by a cap that is derived from the average cost of studies in a U.S.
academic institute. In this track, the submission plan is not limited to a
specific number of institutions.
Track 2: IIE Placement
In this track, the candidates do not apply directly for admission to U.S.
universities. Instead, submission of their applications for admission is
carried out by the Institute for International Education (IIE). IIE
formulates a submission plan on the basis of the candidates' preferences, the
placement officer's evaluation of the candidates' qualifications relative to
university admission standards, financial consideration and geographical
diversity and considerations growing out of Fulbright program objectives.
Application submission, admission and placement at academic institutions which
are far from the top of popular ranking lists may occur especially in two-year
programs, and in disciplines where tuition cost sharing is less attainable and
tuition costs stay high even while going down the ranking list, such as
business administration, public health, architecture, practical art, practical
film making, and more. However, an academic and cultural experience which is
both enriching and empowering can be obtained even in U.S. institutions which
have lower brand recognition is Israel. In this track, the submission plan is
limited to four institutions.
Tuition and fees for a maximum of two years;
Monthly maintenance allowance, fixed according to IIE estimates, for a
maximum of two years for the grantee only;
Books and equipment allowance;
Round trip airfare from Israel to the U.S. academic institution for the
grantee only;
Basic health insurance for the grantee only for the duration of the grant;
J1/J2 visa administration;
Pre-departure orientation meeting in Israel;
A support agency in the U.S. that assists with visas, events and
networking.
Israeli citizens of Arab origin or of Ethiopian origin are eligible. Dual
American-Israeli citizens or permanent residents of the United States are
not eligible to apply.
Candidates will be considered without regard to race, religion, gender,
age, and/or physical impairment.
Candidates must be resident in Israel at the time of application and must
continue to be resident in Israel until the beginning of their studies in
the United States as Fulbright Outreach Fellows. Candidates working,
residing, or studying outside of Israel are not eligible to apply.
Students who have already begun their program of studies in the United
States or who are planning to begin study in the U.S. before the 2025 Fall
semester are not eligible to apply.
Those who have already been awarded Bachelor's degrees and students who
will complete their Bachelor's degree studies during the 2023/2024
academic year are eligible to apply. Selected candidates will be required
to provide proof that they have been awarded a Bachelor's degree by
December 31, 2024.
Students in medicine, dental medicine, veterinary medicine, nursing and
other programs which involve treatment of patients are not eligible for
Fulbright grants.
Candidates who have applied on two occasions in the past and whose
applications have not been accepted are not eligible to reapply.
Candidates invited for an interview must submit a recent Duolingo English
Test score of a minimum 115.
After the nomination process, selected candidates, including those who
have studied in English-speaking countries, must submit a recent TOEFL
score by November 20, 2024. ETS is offers a TOEFL iBT Special Home
Edition test. The test is identical in content, format and on-screen
experience to the TOEFL iBT test taken at a test center. Please be sure to
note that your score should be sent to USIEF (Fulbright Israel), code
5373, and to IIE, code 2326. Visit the TOEFL website for further
information.
After the nomination process, certain selected candidate will have to
submit a GRE/GMAT score. When registering for the test, be sure to note
that your score should be sent to USIEF (Fulbright Israel), code 5373,
and to IIE, code 2326. Visit the GRE website/GMAT website for further
information.
Prior to their departure, nominees must provide proof of financial
coverage for all expenses exceeding the grant, according to IIE's
guidelines.
Candidates must be in good health. All applicants selected for a Fulbright
grant are required to submit a Medical History and Examination Report
before their grants can be activated.
Prior conviction or current indictment for a felony may result in
disqualification.
Academic excellence.
Leadership qualities
Demonstrable, ambassadorial skills required to promote mutual
understanding between the United States and Israel. Fulbright fellows
serve as cultural ambassadors and should be prepared to speak about their
countries, cultures and research to academic and community groups.
Potential for gaining value from the program.
English language proficiency.
Since the aim of the Fulbright Program is to foster cultural understanding
between the U.S. and Israel, preference will be given to applicants who
have not had a substantial recent academic experience in the United States
or any other English-speaking country.
Funding is for a maximum of two years for the grantee only.
While applicants' personal academic and professional plans and university
preferences are taken into consideration, candidates should be aware that
the final decision as to which programs of study will be supported by
Fulbright Outreach Degree Fellowships is made by the United States
Department of State, taking into account all relevant considerations.
Prospective candidates who plan to earn a PhD at a later stage, at an
Israeli university, are strongly advised to check in advance whether and
to what extent credits earned in an American Master's degree program will
be recognized by the Israeli PhD programs in which they wish to enroll.
Grantees must travel on a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa sponsored by the
Fulbright program.
After completion of their Fulbright Outreach program, Fulbright grantees
are eligible to apply for a visa for up to 12 months of academic training
(provided the fellow has a concrete job offer).
It is a condition of the visa that after completion of their Fulbright
program, including any transfer of visa sponsorship, grantees must return
to Israel and reside in the country for two years before being eligible to
immigrate to the U.S., to take up permanent residence there, or to enter
the U.S. with a work permit. The purpose of the two-year home residency
requirement is to ensure that exchange visitors return home and fulfill
the exchange objectives of the Fulbright program.
Holders of J-1 student visas who have departed from the United States
after a stay of six or more months will be required to remain abroad for
up to twelve months before being allowed to re-enter the United States
with a J-1 professor/research scholar visa.
The above restrictions do not apply to re-entry to the United States as
the holder of a J visa in another category (short-term scholar,
specialist, international visitor), or as the holder of a student or
tourist visa.
Dependents of grantees will enter the U.S. as holders of J-2 visas. Many
conditions applying to the grantees as holders of J-1 visas, such as the
two-year home residency requirement and other restrictions, also apply to
the holders of J-2 visas.
Unless they have received a waiver of the two-year home residence
requirement, Fulbright Students holding J-1 visas are ineligible to change
their status from J-1 to J-2 while in the U.S. Similarly, accompanying
dependents, who possess J-2 visas, are ineligible to change their status
from J-2 to J-1 while in the U.S., unless they have received a waiver of
the home residence requirement.
Grantees must begin their studies in the United States no later than the
fall semester of the 2025/2026 academic year.
Awards cannot be deferred to the following academic year.
Fellows will be asked to act as Fulbright Israel Programs Ambassadors – to
share their experiences with others, to disseminate fellowship information
among colleagues and potential candidates and to participate in
information sessions for new candidates that may be held in their region.
Alumni will also be invited to attend Fulbright Israel's activities and
events and, from time to time, asked to assist in the reviewing process
for incoming candidates.
The highest-ranked candidates will be invited for an interview. All interviews
are held on the same day. In order to be considered for an award, applicants
must be available for interview in person on the date fixed by Fulbright
Israel (USIEF).
It should be noted that initial admission to the program does not guarantee
that a candidate will be awarded a fellowship. Various additional conditions
apply, mainly the requirement of admission to at least one academic program in
the U.S. whose overall cost is within the budget, and, for that matter even
receive cost sharing from the academic institute. The final decision whether
or not to award a scholarship will be made by the United States Department of
State. It should also be noted that if it is decided to offer a fellowship to
a candidate, for IIE-placed candidates, the Department of State retains sole
authority to select the institution at which the candidate's studies will be
supported. Candidate preferences will be taken into account when making such
decisions, but other considerations, such as cost, geographic distribution,
etc. will also be taken into account.
The Foundation reserves the exclusive right to determine, within the framework
of applicable law and regulations, the qualitative standards for the
evaluation of applications and the selection of the candidates to be referred
for placement. The Foundation is not under any obligation to provide the
reasons for its decisions regarding the allocation of Fellowships.
Earliest date for submission of applications March 18, 2024
Final deadline for submission of applications June 26, 2024
Academic referees review applications July/ August 2024
Interview day for finalists September 2024
Candidates notified of results September 2024
Placement process begins September-October 2024
J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board approves selection of
candidates October 2024
Nominees notified if accepted to studies by American universities February-
April 2025
Program Fellows begin studies in the United States August 2025, Fall
semester
Ameer Bashir
Digital Culture
Arizona State University, 2017
74 Rothschild Boulevard
P.O.B. 29441, Tel Aviv 6129302
Phone +972 (0)3 5213800
Fax +972 (0)3 5162016
Programs for Israelis - [email protected]
Programs for Americans - [email protected]