Fulbright Scholarship Internal Application

To apply for MIT’s internal deadline, please submit this form by July 21st at 4:00pm ET. Book a Fulbright 30-Minute appointment on Handshake to meet with Julia Mongo for an initial discussion of your Fulbright plans.

By August 7th, prepare first drafts of your Statement of Grant Purpose and meet with Julia Mongo to discuss. 

By September 1st, prepare 2^nd/ 3^rd draft revisions and a draft of the three short responses and Abstract. Meet with Julia Mongo to discuss; she must approve your materials for the internal deadline. 

Complete your Fulbright application form on the Fulbright website. Enter all of your essays into the text boxes, making sure that they meet the character count limits.

On or before September 1st at 4pm ET, lock your application in the Fulbright portal (do NOT submit; use the “lock” function for Campus Review). Your recommender should upload their letter through the portal by September 1st. Your application will go to MIT Distinguished Fellowships, not Fulbright.

All internal deadline materials are due by September 1st, 2026 at 4:00pm ET. They include a completed Fulbright application form, polished drafts of all essays, an official transcript, and one of the three recommendations. Upload materials in your Fulbright Application portal and lock your application for Campus Review.

You must have met with Julia Mongo before the internal deadline for a review and discussion of your materials. All students who meet the internal deadline will meet with members of the Distinguished Fellowships Committee and have a Campus Committee Evaluation (CCE) form submitted to Fulbright in support of their application. 

Students/alumni may apply to Fulbright if they miss the internal deadline, but must meet with Julia Mongo by Friday September 4th, to discuss their plans and by Monday, September 14th to present their initial essay drafts.  They will not meet with committee members or receive a CCE form. They will receive limited assistance from the Distinguished Fellowships office and must be prepared to work independently on their application. We strongly encourage students to aim for the summer internal deadline, as they will receive more support.

If you cannot meet these deadlines, you are welcome to apply in a future cycle.

The Fulbright national deadline is Tuesday, October 6, 2026. Application with uploaded essays, three recommendations, official transcript(s), a host affiliation letter for research applicants, and a Foreign Language Evaluation (FLE) form if required must be submitted by 5pm ET. Fulbright results will be announced in Spring 2027.

Fulbright will notify you of your semi-finalist status by the end of January. Semi-finalists will receive notification of Finalist status in the spring. Each country reports on its own timeline. 

Any questions, contact Julia Mongo (jmongo@mit.edu) or book a Fulbright appointment in Handshake. Our team are here to help you prepare for the Fulbright and navigate the application process—we look forward to working with you!

Please note: Our office ONLY assists American citizen MIT students/alumni applying to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program for research, graduate study, or English Teaching Assistant opportunities abroad. More info: Julia Mongo, MIT Fulbright Program Advisor, jmongo@mit.edu

If you are not a student/alum affiliated with MIT or are a foreign national, consider one of these programs:

• Fulbright Scholar Program (US and international scholars with PhDs)
• Fulbright Foreign Student Program (look for your country’s website)
• MIT Distinguished Fellowships does not assist with applications for the Fulbright Scholar or Fulbright Foreign Student programs. Consult your country’s website and apply independently. 
• If you are a foreign national seeking a postdoctoral fellowship or position at MIT, this link may be helpful. You should identify and directly contact PIs and research groups of interest. Our office does not assist with postdoc placements.