Fulbright U.S. Specialist Program

Benefits & funding

• The U.S. Department of State provides round-trip economy-class airfare between the United States and the host country, a transit allowance, applicable visa fees, a daily honorarium, and enrollment in a limited health benefits program.
• The daily honorarium is US$200 per day.
• The Thai host institution provides lodging, meals and in-country transportation for the whole stay, through monetary or in-kind support.
• Approved applicants hold a place on the Fulbright Specialist Roster for a three-year tenure and can be matched to projects in Thailand or any other participating country.
• Thailand awards four Specialist grants annually, and each approved project hosts one Specialist.

Eligibility

• Applicants to the Fulbright Specialist Roster must be U.S. citizens; permanent residents are not eligible.
• Significant experience in the applicant’s field, shown through professional, academic or artistic achievement, is required. Five years of experience is recommended rather than required, and no specific degree is required.
• Applicants must be able to travel overseas for 14 to 42 days to carry out a project.
• Anyone who has lived outside the United States for five or more consecutive years within the preceding six years is ineligible.
• Employees of the U.S. Department of State and their immediate family members within the past 12 months are ineligible, as are employees of State Department contractor organizations.
• Religious workers, lay or ordained, are not eligible if the project involves pastoral, missionary or other professional religious activity.
• Former roster members must wait two years after their tenure expires before reapplying; other Fulbright grantees may apply at any time but receive lower preference.
• Eligible disciplines: Agriculture; American (U.S.) Studies; Anthropology; Archaeology; Biology Education; Business Administration; Chemistry Education; Communication and Journalism; Computer Science and Information Technology; Economics; Education; Engineering Education; Environmental Science; Law; Library Science; Math Education; Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies; Physics Education; Political Science; Public Administration; Public/Global Health; Social Work; Sociology; and Urban Planning. TESOL specialists apply through a separate program.
• Applicants must disclose any felonies, any misdemeanors other than minor traffic violations, and any disciplinary action or misconduct allegation.

Application process

1. 1
   Check the eligibility rules and confirm your field appears on the eligible discipline list.
2. 2
   Submit the roster application in the World Learning portal: a CV of up to 10 pages, two essays of up to 1,500 words each covering interest in service and international experience, one academic field or employment sector, and up to five specializations.
3. 3
   Give contact details for three professional references; the application is complete only once at least two of them have returned the reference form.
4. 4
   World Learning reviews the dossier for eligibility, then a peer review panel of three subject-matter experts evaluates it. Panels meet roughly every eight weeks and applications are accepted throughout the year.
5. 5
   Approved applicants join the Fulbright Specialist Roster for three years and use a personal portal to view projects and express interest in them.
6. 6
   Separately, a Thai host institution submits its project proposal through the host portal. Projects are then matched by Named Request, where the institution nominates a specific person, or by Open Request, where World Learning sends up to five roster candidates for the institution to choose from.

Program timeline

1. Thai host institution project proposal deadline for the current round

   February 28, 2026

2. Implementation period for that round

   July 2026 – September 2027

3. Year-round

   Specialist roster applications accepted, with peer review panels about every eight weeks