The Center for Life Beyond Reed

Fulbright Internal Application Instructions for 2024-25 Competition

The purpose of applying to the Fulbright through Reed (rather than applying At-Large) is to take part in the campus committee evaluation process and to earn an institutional endorsement from Reed to be included in your external Fulbright application. Additionally, the internal process is designed to facilitate the development and strength of your application.

To earn this endorsement, students must submit materials internally on August 2nd, 2023 and September 6th, 2023. Both internal deadline submissions are required to receive an institutional endorsement. If you miss either internal deadline, you will be ineligible for an institutional endorsement for the remainder of the application process.

After submitting the required materials on each of the deadlines, each submitted applicant will then have an individual feedback session (in-person or virtual) with two members of Reed’s Fulbright Campus Committee (composed of faculty and staff). The committee will then prepare a campus evaluation for you that will be submitted with your external application.

Even if you have missed the internal deadlines, we still encourage you to choose to apply through Reed (as opposed to applying At-Large). CLBR can still help you with your application, but you won't be included in the campus committee evaluation process or receive an institutional endorsement. Doing this allows Reed's Fulbright Program Advisors to see the progress on your application, and makes it easier for CLBR advisors to help you with your materials. Note also that the Fulbright administrators have told us that applications without an endorsement are not disadvantaged in their selection process.

Important: Read the country award page carefully for any awards which you're considering, as each award will have its own additional rules, and affiliation letters, when required, may have associated deadlines as early as August 1st (or earlier).

Application Deadlines and Dates

August 2nd, 2023 at 12:00 PM noon Pacific Time

Internal deadline: First draft of application essays due.

September 6th, 2023 at 12:00 PM noon Pacific Time

Internal deadline: Application must be complete and submitted in portal (recommendations and language evaluations are not due at this time).

Campus Feedback Sessions: September 11th – 22nd, 2023

Campus Feedback Sessions are required and will happen on a weekday during these two weeks. Applications can be edited after the feedback session.

October 10th, 2023 at 2:00 PM Pacific Time

National deadline: Final applications (including recommendations and language evaluations, if needed) must be submitted online by this time.

Overview of Internal Application Process

In order to participate in the internal application process, applicants must be registered in Fulbright’s online application system. Create an online Fulbright Application: Applicants > Fulbright Online Application.

By the August 2nd, 2023 deadline, you must complete the following within your online application:
  1. Designate Reed College as your selected school in the Country and Award Selection section
  2. Identify your country of choice and award type in the Country and Award Selection section
  3. Upload a draft of your Statement of Grant Purpose
  4. Upload a draft of your Personal Statement
  5. You are not required to upload a transcript
  6. Do not click submit
By the September 6th, 2023 deadline, you must complete the following:
  1. Complete all steps identified above by the August 2nd deadline
  2. Complete one appointment with a CLBR advisor to have application materials reviewed (scheduled via Handshake)
  3. Complete the entire online application, including attaching a current transcript and registering your Recommenders and (if applicable) Language Evaluator in the system.
    • Recommendations and foreign language evaluations are not due until the national deadline in October.
    • Letters of Affiliation (if applicable) are not required by this deadline, unless your award had an early deadline.
  4. Click submit by September 6th at 12 PM Pacific Time.
    • Note: you will be able to make edits after your campus feedback session. This will not be your final submission to the program.
  5. Complete the waiver form on the Reed website (Reed login required).

Details for Sept 6th Deadline: Study/Research Awards

  • The Application Components page for your award type has answers for many applications questions.
  • Find three people who will write letters of recommendation for you and register them in the online system. They should be the three individuals who can best speak to your ability to carry out the project being proposed; they should be able to discuss your intellectual and professional preparation, and your ability to represent the U.S. abroad.
    • Read CLBR's advice to applicants on requesting letters of recommendation.
    • Give your recommenders the link to advice for study/research recommenders on the Fulbright website.
    • You will register your recommenders in the online system by the September 6th deadline, which will send them a link to use in uploading the letter, which will not be due until the national deadline in October. You should provide a draft of your Statement of Grant Purpose and Personal Statement so recommenders are able to see what you propose to do.
    • It is imperative that your recommenders know as much about your proposed project as possible in order to write the strongest letter.
  • When preparing a research proposal, carefully read the section on the Fulbright website in your award's country summary on "Affiliation." You will need to seek out a contact at a university in the country in which you plan to study and request a letter from them. For assistance in finding contacts abroad, you may want to speak to professors in your major department or with the Director of International Programs.
    • See advice on securing an affiliation from the Study/Research portion of the Application Components page.
    • The affiliation letter is helpful for the internal deadline, but is only due by the national application deadline, unless your award notes an earlier deadline for the affiliation letter.
  • Request a foreign language evaluation, if needed, through the online application system. The evaluation will not be due until the national deadline in October.
  • Request a transcript from Reed. If you studied abroad, ask the registrar to include a certified copy of your study abroad transcript, or obtain the transcript from that school. Transcripts from other institutions you attended may be required; see the application components page for your award type for more details.

Details for Sept 6th Deadline: English Teaching Assistant Awards (ETAs)

  • The Application Components page for the ETA has answers for many applications questions.
  • Find and register in the online system three individuals who can best speak to your ability to teach English in a classroom abroad based on your intellectual and professional preparation. At least one of these should be able to speak to your skills outside of academia. The ETA recommendation form consists of a series of short answer questions instead of a letter.
    • Read CLBR's advice to applicants on requesting recommendations.
    • Give your recommenders the link to advice for ETA recommenders on the Fulbright website.
    • You will register your recommenders in the online system by the September 6th deadline, which will send them a link to use in filling out an online form. The form is not due until the national deadline in October.
    • You should provide a draft of your Statement of Grant Purpose and Personal Statement so recommenders are able to see what you propose to do.
    • It is imperative that your recommenders know as much about your proposed project as possible in order to write the strongest letter.
  • Request a foreign language evaluation, if needed, through the online application system. The evaluation will not be due until the national deadline in October.
  • Request a transcript from Reed. If you studied abroad, ask the registrar to include a certified copy of your study abroad transcript, or obtain the transcript from that school. Transcripts from other institutions you attended may be required; see the application components page for your award type for more details.

Fulbright Resource Page from CLBR

Read through our Fulbright Resources page for additional guidance. We've compiled the advice we typically give in a first advising appointment about Fulbright on this page.

Internal Application Video Overview

CLBR advisor Shania Siron recorded this video overview which goes over Reed College's internal application process for the Fulbright. It covers the information we have published on our website, as well as lot of the information CLBR advisors cover in advising appointments and info sessions.

Important: our internal application process has changed slightly since this video was made. As explained on this website, recommendations and foreign language evaluations are only due by the national deadline. In previous years, they were due by the September internal deadline. 

Next Steps

After the September 6th deadline, each applicant who has completed all steps for both the August and September internal deadlines will have a feedback session (also referred to as the campus interview) in the following two weeks with two members of Reed's Fulbright Campus Committee. You will hear from CLBR via clbrfellowships@reed.edu before the internal September deadline, and immediately afterward, requesting your availability for the session in those two weeks. Once your session is scheduled, it is very important that you do not miss it, as it may not be possible to reschedule it, and it is a required part of your internal application.

After your session your application will be unsubmitted and you'll be able to make edits and resubmit the final draft of your Fulbright application by the national deadline. Members of the Campus Committee will also submit a confidential Campus Committee Evaluation form with your application. This evaluation form is meant to support your application.

After the national deadline in October, The Fulbright National Screening Committee (NSC) will review applications over winter, and initial notifications will be made via email toward the end of January. If the NSC recommends your application, you will be notified and become a semi-finalist and your materials will be sent to that country's Fulbright committee for final consideration. Some countries do require an interview at that point; the country page on the Fulbright website will say if an interview is required. They are typically done virtually.

Final selection notifications begin in February and continue through June, depending on the country. It is also possible that you will be selected as an alternate, and then may not receive more information until June, or later.

If you have any questions, please contact clbrfellowships@reed.edu

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