The Fulbright Student/Research Program

The Swedish Fulbright Commission issues grants to outstanding Swedish and American students and scholars who embody the mission of the Fulbright program. Grants are available for master’s and doctoral programs or non-degree doctoral-level research at universities in the United States for up to a full academic year. Swedish grantees receive a cash award from the Fulbright Commission and may be eligible for additional financial aid and/or cost-sharing from U.S. universities for the academic year. The Fulbright Commission cooperates closely with the Institute of International Education (IIE), under contract of the U.S. State Department, to assist in the placement of selected candidates at U.S. universities.

Students are chosen based on their academic merit and leadership potential. The Fulbright Program expects their grantees to demonstrate outstanding academic performance and actively contribute to the promotion of mutual understanding as unofficial “ambassadors" of their country. Many Fulbright grantees are early-career professionals who will return to Sweden or the U.S. to assume leadership positions, often working at universities or in government service.

In cooperation with IIE, the Fulbright Commission will assist grantees with applying for admission and for supplementary financial assistance at a selection of their preferred U.S. universities. Awards from institutions in the United States vary in amount, depending upon a grantee's qualifications and field of study, and there is no guarantee that every grantee will succeed in winning additional financial aid nor that all costs for the academic year will be covered.

ELIGIBILITY:
⚬ Swedish citizenship
⚬ Fluency in English
⚬ Excellent academic record
⚬ Swedish or EU/UK university degree completed prior to departure for the U.S. (not just the equivalent number of points)

In the following cases, applicants are NOT eligible to apply for a Swedish Fulbright graduate student grant:

⚬ No Swedish or EU university degree prior to departure to the U.S.
⚬ Dual citizenship with the U.S., a resident of the U.S., or in possession of a "green card”
⚬ Already enrolled in and have begun a graduate program in the U.S.
⚬ Currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program in a country outside of Sweden

Applications will be accepted in all fields, EXCEPT dentistry, veterinary medicine or general medicine. Applications in public health or medical research are accepted. The Fulbright program may not be appropriate for students or scholars wishing to pursue programs/projects that involve human or animal subjects. More information regarding this policy can be found here.

Preference will be given to candidates who have not recently studied for an extensive period of time (i.e. more than 9 months) at a university in the United States within the past 3-5 years.

For field-specific information, please see the attached General Admissions Guidelines. This document provides information regarding testing and required competitive scores, necessary work experience, and other important information.

NOTE: the Fulbright grant may not be used to pursue paid or unpaid internships in the United States. It is intended to fund graduate-level studies or research only.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS AND PROGRAM LENGTH:
All candidates must have completed or intend to complete at least a bachelor's degree or a master's degree (or equivalent) by the time of departure for the United States.

DEGREE-SEEKING STUDENTS AT THE MASTER’S LEVEL should expect to spend one to two academic years in the United States to complete their academic requirements. Master’s programs in law (LL.M.) are always for one academic year, while programs in other fields can vary in length, usually between one and two academic years. Programs longer than one academic year may include a summer session or internship in between the two academic years of the program.

VISITING STUDENT RESEARCHERS (NON-DEGREE) must be enrolled in a Ph.D. program IN SWEDEN and have a developed Ph.D. dissertation topic. They should intend to conduct research for between 4-12 months in the United States in an area related to their dissertation topic.

DEGREE-SEEKING STUDENTS AT THE PH.D. LEVEL: admission to Ph.D. programs is extremely competitive. Most doctoral programs are four or five years in length. Given the objectives of the Fulbright program, candidates are required to demonstrate their commitment to returning to Sweden upon completion of the program.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

ACADEMIC/PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
Please ensure that you provide transcripts for every academic institution you list in this section. Transcripts are required for all completed and ongoing study programs listed here, including study abroad or exchange programs, in addition to a degree certificate or diploma for each completed degree program. Further guidelines about transcripts can be found here.

The application form requires you to enter a GPA for each institution, but the Commission understands that most Swedish universities do not calculate GPA. You may enter “n/a” to proceed in the application; the screening committee will not consider the information in these fields. Your official grades, however, will be evaluated, so it is essential to include transcripts for all completed bachelor’s-level coursework and above.

CURRICULUM VITAE (CV) / RESUME
Many resources are available online and provide writing and organization tips for academic CVs. If possible, please limit the CV to two pages. The CV should be clearly worded with a clean, professional layout. Dates should be written in the American way: month, day, year (MM/DD/YYYY). The CV should be formatted to include proper headings, titles, bullets, and shortened descriptions of your professional and academic experiences. It is recommended to incorporate any published works, volunteer organizations, or professional organizations the applicant is involved with, and to add other extra-curricular activities or personal interests outside of your academic and professional experiences. Follow this link for additional tips.

APPLICATION ESSAYS (2)
The applicant will be asked to prepare two separate essays for the application, a Study/Research Objective essay and a Personal Statement. The essays are one of the most impactful and informative aspects of the application. Helpful hints for writing the essays can be found here. Please do not mention specific U.S. universities at which you would like to study in your essays unless you are already in possession of a letter of invitation or admission for the year you are seeking the grant for.

1) STUDY/RESEARCH OBJECTIVE ESSAY
You should take great care to write a clear and very detailed description of the program you want to pursue. Clearly identify the area(s) within your field of study in which you want to specialize or concentrate. If there is specific research that you want to accomplish, please describe. Treat this question as if you were competing for a job or research position against hundreds of applicants.

2) PERSONAL STATEMENT
This is a narrative statement, written in first person, in which you can include information about your education, practical experience, special interests, career plans, and your purpose in applying for study in the U.S. It should not be a mere listing of dates and facts and should be distinct from your study/research objective. It should be well organized, concise, and well-written. This exercise allows the selection committee to measure your writing skills and also provides you with an opportunity to share those personal, academic, and professional characteristics you feel important to emphasize in your application.

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
You must have three confidential letters of recommendation (reference) submitted on your behalf. All recommendations should be written by professors under whom you have studied or pursued research or by someone who has supervised you in work related to your proposed field of study. Letters of reference should not be written by individuals related to you either by blood or marriage, personal friends, or teachers from your gymnasium. Additional guidelines for requesting letters of recommendation can be found here. Letters must be submitted by your recommenders before the application deadline!

WRITING SAMPLE
A writing sample in English is a requirement for all Ph.D.-seeking applicants to the Fulbright program. For those pursuing master’s-level studies in the United States, submitting a writing sample is optional at this stage, though it may be required for university applications in certain fields. The Fulbright application form may in some cases prevent applications from being submitted if nothing is uploaded to the writing sample section; in this case, those pursuing a master’s degree may choose to upload an actual writing sample there or simply upload a blank PDF in its place.

FINANCES AND DEPENDENTS
Swedish applicants are not required to submit financial information at the time of application. However, please information about any dependents (legal spouse and/or children) who plan to travel with you to the U.S. if you are selected. PLEASE NOTE: "sambo" relationships are not recognized as dependents under U.S. law.

PASSPORT
Applicants are also asked to submit a scanned copy of the bio page in their passport, to verify Swedish citizenship. This can be uploaded to the application under “country-specific requirements” or “supplementary materials.”

CHECKLIST
Click HERE for a checklist to ensure your application is complete. Please make sure you submit the final application online.

NEXT STEPS:

TESTING
Finalists are generally required to take the TOEFL English proficiency test and potentially, depending on the field of study, the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) or the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test), for admission to graduate programs in the United States. Tests are not required to be taken by the time of application; however, high test scores may strengthen the candidate’s application to the Fulbright program. Higher test scores, whether taken before or after selection to the Fulbright program, can increase placement opportunities at a grantee’s preferred universities.

Grantees in law will be required take the TOEFL test only, while candidates in other fields may have additional testing requirements (generally, GRE for general fields and GMAT for business degrees). Costs for necessary tests will be covered by the Fulbright Commission for selected finalists.

INTERVIEW AND NOTIFICATION
Preliminary notification of awards will be made in May. An in-person interview and attendance at an orientation session in Stockholm is mandatory for the dates listed in the program information (May/June).

For questions regarding this program, please contact the Commission at fulbright@fulbright.se or +46 (0)8 525 07 500.