Program Description
The Humphrey Fellowship Program, which commenced in 1978 to honor the legacy of the late Senator and Vice-President Hubert H. Humphrey, selects fellows through a competitive process based on their leadership potential and dedication to public service in either the public or private sector. Since its inception, over 6,600 fellows from 163 countries have participated in the program.
This Fulbright exchange program, named after Hubert H. Humphrey, aims to cultivate leadership skills among international professionals who collaborate to tackle local and global challenges and drive positive change for the collective good. Through academic study and professional development alongside their American counterparts, this expanding global network exchanges best practices and cultivates expertise in crucial fields to bolster societal and institutional capacity, uphold human rights and freedoms, ensure sustainable environments, and foster prosperous communities.
Designed for mid-career professionals with a demonstrated history of leadership and a commitment to public service, the ten-month fellowship program offers participants the opportunity for independent non-degree study at a leading U.S. university. By exposing future leaders and policymakers to U.S. higher education, society, culture, and professional organizations, the program establishes a foundation for enduring and fruitful connections between Americans and their international professional counterparts.
Key Details
- Humphrey Fellowship Information Session: May 28, 2024
- Deadline for Application Submission: July 31, 2024
- Link for Application Submission can be found HERE
- Selected Candidates are Informed for Interview: August 2024
- Selected Candidates sit for TOEFL Test: September 2024
- ECA Reports Final Selection Results: February 2024
- Humphrey Fellowship Program Begins: August 2025
- End of Fellowship Year: June 2026
Eligibility
Candidates must hold leadership positions as policymakers, managers, or administrators, and demonstrate a dedication to public service within the public or private sectors, including non-governmental organizations. Fellowships are competitive and will be granted based on outstanding professional and personal qualifications, as well as potential for leadership.
All applicants must:
- Possess Nepali citizenship
- Be employed at a mid-career, policy level with progressively more responsible working experience in the government, NGO or private sector
- Have at least 5 years of progressively responsible professional experience in Nepal as of the application submission deadline. Volunteer jobs, internships, and work done as a requirement for an academic degree shall not be counted towards the required duration of work experience;
- The professional experience should be in the relevant field, after the completion of a university degree, i.e. a 4-year bachelor’s degree, or, if the bachelor’s degree is of 2-year/3-year duration, then a master’s degree is also required. Candidates who have two or more 2-year/3-year bachelor’s degrees in different fields, but who do not have a master’s degree, are not eligible to apply.
- Be proficient in speaking, reading and writing English
- Have a demonstrable commitment to public service and potential for national leadership
- Have a wish to develop problem-solving capacities, enhance capabilities to assume greater career responsibilities, and return to a significant public service role upon completion of the Humphrey Program
The Humphrey competition is not open to:
- Recent university graduates (even if they have significant positions)
- University teachers with no management or policy responsibilities, except for teachers of English as a foreign language, and specialists in substance abuse prevention and treatment
- Individuals who have spent substantial time in the U.S. (more than 3 years) and have not been back in Nepal and employed at a level of professional responsibility for at least four years since returning
- Individuals who have attended a graduate school in the U.S. for one academic year or more during the seven years prior to August 2025
- Individuals with more than six months of U.S. experience during the five years prior to August 2025
- Individuals who have participated in U.S. government- sponsored exchange programs within the last three years prior to August 2025
- Individuals with, or in the process of obtaining, dual U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent resident status are ineligible for a J visa
- Local employees of the U.S. Mission in Nepal who work for the Department of State or the U.S. Agency for International Development, including temporary employees and contractors, and their spouses and dependent children (they are not eligible for grants during the period of their employment and for one year following the termination of employment).
Visa Sponsorship
All selected Humphrey Fellows receive an exchange visitor (J-1) visa which requires that they return to Nepal upon completion of their fellowship. They are not eligible for an immigrant visa, for permanent residence, or for a non-immigrant visa as a temporary worker (“H” visa) or trainee, nor as an intra-company transferee (“L” visa), to re-enter the U.S. until they have accumulated two years’ residence in Nepal after returning from the U.S. on an exchange visitor visa. This does not preclude the individual from going to the U.S. on other visas during the two-year period.
Study Fields
These priority fields align with U.S. foreign policy and Mission goals and advance the development of a network of international leaders with experience in the U.S. who serve as key interlocutors for posts.
Human and Institutional Capacity
- Economic Development
- Finance & Banking
- Public Policy Analysis and Public Administration
- Technology Policy and Management
Rights and Freedoms
- Communications/ Journalism
- Law and Human Rights
Sustainable Lands
- Agricultural and Rural Development
- Natural Resources, Environmental Policy, and Climate Change
- Urban and Regional Planning
Thriving Communities
- Public Health Policy and Management
- Substance Abuse Education, Treatment and Prevention
- Educational Administration, Planning, and Policy
Host Universities
Selected candidates for fellowships are grouped according to their field of interest and assigned to clusters at U.S. universities chosen to accommodate a cohort of Humphrey Fellows. The Institute of International Education (IIE) cannot facilitate placements at particular universities requested by candidates, nor can it grant fellowships for candidates already admitted to a U.S. university. Therefore, candidates should refrain from applying directly to U.S. institutions.
- American University
- Arizona State University
- Boston University
- Cornell University
- Emory University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Michigan State University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Syracuse University
- University of California, Davis
- University of Minnesota
- Vanderbilt University
- Virginia Commonwealth University
Required Documents
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Application Section |
Documents required |
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Academic History |
Complete and attested academic documents (both transcripts and certificates) covering your entire period of study at universities or other postsecondary institutions, including advanced degrees (I.A., I.Com., I.Sc., 10+2, etc., and beyond). |
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English Language Testing |
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required of those selected to be Humphrey Fellows. This is not mandatory for the application process. If you already have a valid TOEFL score (less than two years old as of the deadline), upload a scan of your official score report. |
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Additional Information-Supplemental Materials |
1) Scan of Passport or Nepali citizenship or NID (no need for English translation or attestation) 2) Latest CV. 3) Complete and attested SLC certificate and mark sheet |
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Recommendations |
Two total recommendations should be submitted online by your recommenders, one of which must be from your immediate supervisor in your current position. The second must come from a professor, professional mentor, or other associate outside your current work setting. Personal friends or family members are NOT acceptable as referees. |