Columbia University has once again been named a top-producing institution for the Fulbright U.S. Students Program, coming in fifth position with 29 awardees in 2019-2020. Columbia is one of several institutions that has been named on the top-producing list for the last ten years.
Columbia’s 29 awardees included 14 Columbia College affiliates – twelve students and two alumni – who last year received Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants to pursue postgraduate studies and English Teaching Assistantships, in locations ranging from Morocco to Uzebekistan to Taiwan.
“Our students truly embrace the spirit of the Fulbright: they are civically-minded, curious and eager to engage with the world beyond Columbia's gates,” said Ariella Lang, associate dean of Academic Affairs and director of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. “We are proud to have so many Columbia students selected as Fulbrighters.”
Established in 1946, The Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards approximately 2,200 grants annually for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant Programs. The Fulbright Program is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs whose goal is to improve intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of the United States and other countries through the exchange of persons, knowledge and skills. It is the most widely recognized and prestigious international exchange program in the world.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program operates in more than 160 countries worldwide and facilitates cultural exchange through direct interaction on an individual basis in the classroom, field, home and in daily life. Through engagement in the community, Fulbrighters interact with their hosts on a one-to-one basis in an atmosphere of openness, academic integrity and intellectual freedom, thereby promoting mutual understanding.The program is funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Columbia College students interested in learning more about applying for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program are encouraged to connect with Undergraduate Research and Fellowships.