Penn named one of the 'Top Producing Institutions' of Fulbright Students

Penn has been named one of the “Top Producing Institutions” of United States students for the Fulbright Program. 

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program, sponsored by the U.S. government, is an international exchange program that funds up to 12 months of graduate study, research, or teaching abroad. The Department of State included Penn on this year’s list of institutions with the highest number of accepted Fulbright applicants. 

Penn has been named a top-producing institution each year for the past decade. The recipients represent a diverse range of academic fields, from medicine to economics to international relations.

Penn’s output of Fulbright recipients has generally seen an upward trajectory in the last decade. In 2010-2011, 13 Penn students were awarded scholarships, and the University did not qualify as a top producer due to four students declining their grants. In 2021-2022, 20 Penn students received Fulbright scholarships.

For the 2022-2023 academic year, 27 Penn students and alumni received Fulbright grants, including 18 members of the class of 2022. The recipients will pursue graduate study, conduct research, and teach English in Colombia, France, Germany, Greece, India, Jordan, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Timor-Leste, and the United Kingdom.

Since its establishment in 1946, the Fulbright Program has funded more than 400,000 participants in over 160 countries. Applicants either design their own project or receive placement in a host country as English teaching assistants. In order to be eligible, students must have graduated with at least a Bachelor’s degree. 

“The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is an exceptional opportunity to foster mutual understanding between the U.S. and other countries through educational exchange,” Jane Coyle Morris, executive director for the Center for Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, said in a news release. “Penn’s Fulbright U.S. Student Program recipients … serve as wonderful ambassadors of both the United States and Penn. I am thrilled for them to have this experience and for Penn to be represented so well in the world.”