The U.S. Department of State funds this program, which IREX administers for eligible U.S. K–12 educators. Selected educators conduct a self-designed education research project at an overseas host institution, take university courses, and collaborate with local peers for three to six months.
Destinations span 13 countries and territories, and placement dates vary by destination. The U.K. route lists University College London among four partner universities; applicants may state a preference, but it does not affect selection or guarantee placement. The program is currently between cycles, with applications typically opening in December and closing in February.
Benefits & funding
- The exchange includes roundtrip airfare, visa support, accident and sickness medical coverage, accommodations, and meals connected with program travel.
- Participants receive a destination- and duration-dependent stipend that offsets travel costs but does not replace salary.
- Published monthly allowances include $4,200–$4,500 for the U.K., $3,700–$4,000 for Brazil and Colombia, and $2,500–$2,800 for Mexico, with final amounts subject to confirmation.
- Dependents may accompany participants; each of the reviewed U.K., Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico profiles lists a $2,000 allowance per eligible dependent.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens who either reside in the United States or a U.S. territory, or work on a Department of Defense Education Activity campus.
- Applicants must hold at least a bachelor’s degree and have at least three years of full-time instructional experience in a U.S. K–12 institution.
- Applicants must be employed full-time in a U.S. K–12 institution, with at least 50% of contracted hours in a student-facing role.
- Applicants must not have lived abroad for five or more consecutive years in the six years before applying; nine months or more abroad in a calendar year counts as residence abroad for that year.
- Applicants must not be enrolled in a PhD program during their proposed participation period.
- Stated preferences, not hard eligibility gates, include at least five years of K–12 experience, a U.S. master’s degree or National Board Certification, continued commitment to U.S. K–12 education, military service, and limited prior Fulbright or recent professional experience abroad.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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Eligible nationalities
USA
Education required
Bachelor · Master · PhD
Experience required
≥ 3 yrs
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Application process
- 1Review the destination profiles and shape a research topic connected to the applicant’s educational practice and potential collaboration in the host country.
- 2When applications reopen, use IREX’s Online Application System to enter professional, education, certification, and language information and complete the short essays and research project plan.
- 3Submit a résumé or CV, verification of the conferred bachelor’s degree, a professional reference, a school or district lead-administrator reference, and a signed Leave Approval Form.
- 4IREX screens technical eligibility, an independent expert committee makes nomination recommendations, and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board approves final nominations.
- 5Applicants normally receive decisions in the summer.
Program timeline
Applications typically open.
December
Applications typically close.
February
Summer
Applicants are normally notified of decisions.
Destination-specific dates
Three-to-six-month placements begin and end according to the host country’s calendar.