2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

The Fulbright program, managed by the Council for the International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), is an international exchange program. It advertises hundreds of awards, many of these awards offer the opportunity for teaching and research outside the United States for U.S. scholars, or to do research and teach in the United States for people from a non-U.S. institution. The Fulbright program offers over 800 awards in more than 135 countries for faculty from colleges and universities, as well as professionals from the industry. This award enables the Fulbright scholar to develop a deeper appreciation of other countries' working conditions and hardships and feel better prepared to work in a highly diverse environment, thus can be an exceptional experience that can be used as a ladder for professional development. These awards are very competitive, so the application process is typically very long and at times tiresome. Decisions on applications are made at several stages and it is important to note that even if one has passed the first stage, the application may not be selected at the second stage. It is important to state that Fulbright is a great opportunity for professionals to share their expertise and learn from the faculty in a foreign country with a different culture. This paper focuses on the Fulbright Scholar award only. In 2015 I was awarded Fulbright Scholar Award and was placed in XXXXX to teach and conduct research in Computer Science at XXX University. I spent 10 months in XXXX and consider this as a most rewarding experience. This paper describes the process of applying for the Fulbright Scholar Grant, provides information about the application process, and explores what it means to be admitted to and participate in the program. Most importantly, experience-based tips are offered for applying for the grant, country choice, the level of details provided in the application, and preparing for work abroad if selected. The author hopes that readers of this paper will be inspired to apply for Fulbright Scholar award since it provides an excellent opportunity for collaboration with faculty and improvement of curriculum and research in academic institutes of other member countries.