Application open to Fulbright Foreign Student Scholarship

The 2017 Fulbright Foreign Student Program

The 2017 competition for the Fulbright Foreign Student Program will start February 23, 2017. Those selected would begin their Master’s-level studies in the U.S. beginning August-September 2018.

The Fulbright Foreign Student Program provides all expenses (including travel) for a master’s degree program of up to two years at selected U.S. universities, in any field except medicine.

Those who completed their S.L.C. or its equivalent degree from rural areas, women, minorities and people from under-served populations are strongly encouraged to apply.

Application Forms & Deadlines:

The online application form and detailed information, instruction and eligibility regarding the competition will be made available after 4:00 pm Thursday, February 23, 2017. Interested persons are encouraged to complete the online application from the link provided below. If you have any questions, come to one of the Question & Answer sessions on Friday, March 3, at 4:00 p.m. or on Friday, March 10 at 2:00 p.m. at the USEF-Nepal office in Gyaneshwor. Applications must be submitted online no later than 4:00 pm Thursday, March 23, 2017. Incomplete applications or applications received after this deadline will not be considered.

General Requirements for Entering the Program

All applicants must:

1. Possess Nepali citizenship.
2. Demonstrate in post-intermediate degrees a minimum aggregate mark of: 54% for students in non-technical fields (humanities and social sciences), and 62% for students in science and technical fields. (The minimum requirements for students under the semester system are: 65% in non-technical fields; 75% in technical fields; or a Cumulative GPA of 3.50/4.00 in either field.)If the grading systems, fields of study or educational systems for the bachelor’s and master’s level are different (percentage and GPA grades, non-technical and science/technical fields, yearly and semester systems, etc.), the applicant needs to meet the minimum score requirements separately, not in the aggregate.
3. Have a high level of competence in speaking, reading and writing English. (Applicants who pass the first screening will be required to sit for an English test during the application process. The English language test requirement during the selection process may be waived for those who pass the initial screening and have either: 1) a valid CBT TOEFL score of 230 (or iBT TOEFL score of 88, or PBT TOEFL score of 570) or higher, or 2) have passed the English language test administered by USEF-Nepal in April 2016.
4. Be under 40 years of age as of the application submission deadline (March 23, 2017).
5. Possess either a four-year bachelor’s degree; or, if the bachelor’s degree was of fewer than four years duration, then a master’s degree is also required, such that the total number of years of formal education equals at least 16. Students with a three-year bachelor’s degree who have completed only the first year of a two-year master’s degree program, and master’s degree students who have cleared all exams but still need to fulfill other university-mandated degree requirements are ineligible to apply. Similarly, students who have two or more two-year/three-year bachelor’s degree but no master’s degree are ineligible to apply for the Fulbright program.
6. Work requirement: Applicants must have at least three years (for men) or one year (for women) of post-bachelor’s degree, full-time, professional work experience in an area directly relevant to the applicant’s chosen field of study as of the application filing deadline date (March 23, 2017). This experience must be documented by letters (or attested copies) from employer(s) that verify applicant’s position(s) and years of employment. Even if you worked at several organizations, you are eligible to apply as long as your work experience at those organizations adds up to the minimum work-duration requirement.
7. Be in excellent health, as evidenced by a letter from a medical doctor.
8. Be eligible for a non-immigrant J-1 U.S. visa, and not already in possession or in the process of obtaining a U.S. immigrant visa (“green card”).

Note: Individuals holding master’s degrees equivalent to a U.S. master’s degree are ineligible to apply for the Fulbright Student Scholarship. Individuals who have previously resided in the United States for six months or more during the preceding five years prior to the application submission deadline are ineligible to apply for the Fulbright Student Scholarship. In addition, this competition is not open to: individuals with, or in the process of obtaining, U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent resident status; employees of USEF-Nepal and local employees of U.S. Mission in Nepal who work for the U.S. Department of State, and their spouses and dependent children (who are ineligible for grants during the period of their employment and for one year following the termination of employment).

(All applicants must submit documentary evidence for items No. 1, 2, 5, 6 and 7)

The online application form will be accessible from 4 pm on Thursday, February 23, 2017.

General Instructions for Completing and Filing the Application Form (Instructions Tab)

• Read these instructions carefully. Complete the application carefully and correctly and submit within the deadline. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered. The application forms from previous years should not be used, nor the questions asked in the application, especially on the electronic version, deleted or altered.
• All responses, including dates, in the application must be in English. Double check for correct spelling and grammar. Write “Not Applicable” or “N/A” in places where the information requested is not applicable to you.
• For question no. , your proposed field of study must be a recognized discipline for advanced study, not a professional job specialty.
• Under “name of degree” clearly state I.A., I.Sc., I.Com., B.A., B.Com., etc., so we know exactly which degrees you have received. Give the name and location of the schools, colleges or universities from which you graduated. For major subject, give your major field. Do not list all the subjects you studied. The duration of the course is the number of years the course is supposed to run; not how many years it took you to complete the degree. Check an appropriate box next to the duration (or write the duration in the given box if it is different from the available options); and also mention in one of the columns whether the degree was completed under the semester system or yearly system. You should not convert your grades from GPA to percentage figures, if the normal grading system at your place of study is GPA/CGPA, and your GPA or percentage figures should not be rounded up.
• Give a complete description of your employment, including job title and your job duties.
• Your statement of purpose and autobiographical essay, must be well written for content, thoughtfulness, grammar and spelling. Many candidates are eliminated because of weak essays. Each essay should be no longer than the space provided. (Remember, longer is not necessarily better.) Any plagiarism detected in any part of the application will result in immediate ineligibility.
• This application must be completed and submitted online, accompanied by all the required documents that must be uploaded. You will receive a confirmation email stating that your application has been successfully submitted.
• The documents that need to be uploaded includes:

i) Photo

ii) Attested copies of diplomas/certificates (arranged in a chronological order; the oldest at the top and the most recent at the bottom; starting from SLC or equivalent degree). Certificates in languages other than English must be accompanied by complete English translations.

iii) Attested copies of marksheets/transcripts for all of the examinations (arranged in a chronological order; starting from SLC or equivalent degree). Transcripts in languages other than English must be accompanied by complete English translations.

iv) Attested copy/ies (or original) of the proof of the required years of employment (three years for men; one year for women; arranged in a chronological order).

v) Copy of Nepali citizenship (no need for English translation).

vi) Attested copy (or original) of physician’s letter attesting to your good health. The letter should be brief and written not more than 6 months before the application submission deadline, and should be on the physician’s letterhead or a hospital letterhead.

vii) Attested copy of valid TOEFL score report (only if the test has been taken within the last 2 years).

Attestation of photocopies of documents may be made by the issuing institution, USEF-Nepal, Government of Nepal, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu University or a government approved notary public. Please do not upload any extra documents (certificates etc.) other than those mentioned above.

The online applications must be submitted no later than 4:00 p.m., Thursday, March 23, 2017. Late applications will not be considered.

Application Form Tab:

• Visit the Commission or check its website after 4:00 pm on Friday, March 24 to see if your application was received at the Commission. The list of applications received at the Commission by the deadline will be posted on the bulletin board inside the gate at the Fulbright Commission (Gyaneshwor), and the Commission website www.fulbrightnepal.org.np.
• The list of those who pass the initial screening and their test dates will also be posted on the Commission notice board, and the Commission website. Visit the Commission or check its website on Wednesday, March 29 to find out (a) if your application passed the initial screening and (b) the date you have been assigned to for English Language testing. Those who pass the initial screening will be required to sit for an English language exam between April 4-6, 2017. The English language test requirement during the selection process may be waived for those who pass the initial screening and have either: 1) a valid CBT TOEFL score of 230 (or iBT TOEFL score of 88, or PBT TOEFL score of 570) or higher, and have attached copies of the score report with the application; or 2) have passed the English language test administered by USEF-Nepal in April 2016.
• Appear at the Fulbright Commission (Gyaneshwor) for English language testing on your scheduled date with a photo identification (e.g. passport, driver’s license, etc.). Those required to sit for the English language test but unable to do so will automatically become ineligible.
• The results of the English test will be posted at the Fulbright Commission and the website approximately 5-7 working days after the last test. Note, however, that passing the English test is not a guarantee that you will be interviewed.
• The Fulbright Commission will review completed applications and announce the list of applicants to be interviewed. The list of finalists and their interview date will be posted on the bulletin board inside the gate at the Fulbright Commission (Gyaneshwor) and on the Commission website www.fulbrightnepal.org.np during the first week of June 2017. Those who pass the English test (or who are waived from taking the test because of their qualifying scores in TOEFL or the English language test administered by USEF-Nepal as mentioned above) are requested to check the bulletin board (or the website) on that date. Interviews are tentatively scheduled to occur in or about last week of first week of June 2017. If you are a finalist, you must be available during these times.
• Visa sponsorship: All grantees receive an exchange visitor (J-1) visa which requires that the individuals return to Nepal upon completion of their academic project. Grantees are not eligible for an immigrant visa, for permanent residence, or for a non-immigrant visa as a temporary worker ("H" visa) or trainee, or as an intra-company transferee ("L" visa) to re-enter the United States until they have accumulated two years residence in Nepal after returning from the United States on an exchange visitor visa. This does not preclude the individual from going to the United States on other visas during the two-year period.
• PLEASE NOTE:

Depending upon budget availability, approximately four to six candidates will be nominated by the Fulbright Board in Nepal for the Fulbright Foreign Student Scholarship.

Please click here to visit application homepage.