Fulbright-National Geographic Award Program

Benefits & funding

• Everything a Fulbright U.S. Student Study/Research grant carries: a stipend set broadly against the cost of living in the host country, Accident & Sickness Health Benefits, and a 24/7 support line.
• Round-trip transportation to the host country plus pre-departure and in-country orientation, in the countries run by U.S. Embassies and Posts.
• Book and research allowances, full or partial tuition, language study and mid-term enrichment activities on some awards; these vary by country and award.
• Up to US$20,000 in additional National Geographic Society grant funds, in an amount and for a use the applicant proposes, to expand the research or help bring the story to life.
• Membership of the National Geographic Society global community of Explorers, with trainings, events, mentorship and staff support.
• Twelve months of non-competitive eligibility for U.S. federal employment after the grant.

Eligibility

• Citizens or nationals of the United States at the application deadline; permanent residents are not eligible.
• A conferred bachelor’s degree or equivalent before the grant period starts; arts applicants may qualify instead through four years of professional training or experience.
• Holding or receiving a doctoral degree by the application deadline is disqualifying; doctoral students who have not yet been awarded the degree may apply.
• You must be a Fulbright U.S. Student Study/Research applicant and be selected as a Study/Research grantee in a country where this opportunity is offered.
• Candidates from all fields are encouraged; the project must sit in one of the Society’s six focus areas — Human Histories and Cultures, Land, Ocean, Planetary Health, Space, or Wildlife.
• Applicants not currently enrolled in a degree program are expected to have relatively limited professional experience, typically seven years or less.
• Language ability sufficient to complete the project, to the standard the chosen award sets.
• Anyone who has resided abroad for five or more years in the six years before the national deadline is ineligible, and some countries bar applicants already living there.
• Employees of the U.S. Department of State or USAID are ineligible until one year after that employment ends.

Application process

1. 1
   Choose a host country and design a study or research project, checking that country’s award description for its terms and language rules.
2. 2
   Build the Fulbright U.S. Student Study/Research application in the IIE portal at apply.iie.org/fulbrightusstudent, through a campus Fulbright Program Adviser if you are enrolled.
3. 3
   Answer “Yes” to the question asking whether you are interested in applying to the Fulbright-National Geographic Award Program.
4. 4
   Submit by the national deadline for the 2027-2028 competition: 6 October 2026, 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
5. 5
   If you are named a semi-finalist, file the additional materials in the invite-only National Geographic Society portal in late January or early February 2027.
6. 6
   Track two sets of results: Fulbright finalist decisions from March to June 2027, and the National Geographic award decision in late spring 2027.

Program timeline

1. 6 October 2026, 5 p.m. Eastern Time

   National deadline for the 2027-2028 competition.

2. Technical review of eligibility and completeness.

   October 2026

3. National Screening Committee review.

   November–December 2026

4. Semi-finalist status released.

   End of January 2027

5. Invitation to submit additional materials in the National Geographic Society portal.

   Late January–early February 2027

6. Host-country, Embassy and Department of State review.

   January–April 2027

7. Fulbright final selections released on a rolling basis.

   March–June 2027

8. Fulbright-National Geographic award decisions announced.

   Late spring 2027