The 2025-2026 Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program
The Romanian-U.S. Fulbright Commission announces the annual Fulbright Visiting Scholar Award competition for Romanian professors, researchers and professionals who have a doctoral degree or equivalent (certified). Grants are available for conducting research and/or lecturing in the U.S. universities.
The Fulbright Visiting Scholar award for the academic year 2025-2026 (U.S.) provides international travel, a monthly stipend covering accommodation and living expenses, settling-in allowance, and ASPE (Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges) health benefits plan.
Eligible Fields: any field, except clinical medicine and other clinical disciplines.
Grant duration: minimum 3 months – maximum 6 months
Applicants must meet the following criteria:
- hold Romanian citizenship; green card holders and persons with dual (Romanian and U.S.) citizenship are ineligible;
- hold or expect to receive a PhD degree or equivalent (certified) in a relevant area before the departure to the U.S.;
- show a proficiency in English corresponding to the proposed research or teaching project; English language proficiency results and/or TOEFL scores are not required; interviews will be conducted in English.
Note
Candidates already in the United States at the time of application and those who have resided in the U.S. for five or more years in the six-year period preceding the date of application are ineligible to apply. Preference will be given to those who have not had extensive recent research/teaching experience in the U.S. for more than one academic year (9 months) during the past five years. The preference for candidates without extensive previous experience in the U.S. applies at each stage of competition.
Each applicant will be required to submit:
- an online application form: https://apply.iie.org/fvsp2025
- a detailed statement of proposed activity for research and/or lecturing at a U.S. university, uploaded to the online application;
- three letters of reference*, directly uploaded to the online application by recommenders or mailed as signed official paper copies (by October 28, 2024, postmarked); the letters of recommendation are also accepted via email (office@fulbright.ro) if they are sent directly by the recommenders, as scanned signed documents, no later than October 28, 2024.
- a photocopy of the PhD diploma e-mailed to office@fulbright.ro;
*It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure recommenders submit on time to avoid an incomplete application.
Please refer to the complete online application
instructions here.
Important:
- applicants are strongly encouraged to attach invitation letter(s) from potential U.S. host institution(s); if arrangements for an appointment or affiliation have not been confirmed, the applicant should list his/her preferences in priority order;
- the letter of invitation from the U.S. host institution needs to be provided by mid-December 2024 and should consider the U.S. 2025-2026 academic year; please see the key components of the letter of invitation here; multiple affiliations are not recommended;
- the sections allotted to alternate funding or financial support are not compulsory; applicants do not need to upload supporting documents to these sections;
- a letter of support from home institution is not required;
- applications or supporting materials, including references, received after the deadline will be deemed ineligible;
- only online applications will be accepted; documents will not be returned.
AWARD BENEFITS
Monthly stipend covering accommodation and living expenses
Settling-in allowance
Funding for professional activities depending on available funds
ASPE (Accident and Sickness Program for Exchanges) Health Benefits Plan
