The Fulbright Commission in Nepal is excited to announce that applications are open for the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program for the Academic Year 2027-2028.
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.
Program Objectives
The Humphrey Fellowship Program aims to:
- Foster enduring and productive partnerships between U.S. citizens and professionals from around the world;
- Cultivate leaders whose knowledge and skills are enriched through exposure to U.S. models, values, and institutions leaders who will have a multiplier effect in their communities;
- Broaden and strengthen the impact of international exchange and training programs; and
- Enhance U.S. understanding of international perspectives, cultures, and global challenges.
Key Details
- Admission Open: June 5, 2026
- Deadline for Application Submission: July 31, 2026, till 11: 59 PM
- The link for Application Submission can be found HERE
- Screening and Interview Candidates will be Notified in August
- Interviews and Nomination Notification will be in September
- Final Selection Notification will be in April
- English Language training will be in June
- Humphrey Fellowship will start in August
- End of the fellowship: June of the following year
- Duration: 10 – 12 months
Candidates must be policymakers, managers, or administrators in leadership positions with commitment to public service from the public or private sectors including non-governmental organizations. Fellowships are competitive and will be awarded based on excellence in professional and personal qualifications as well as leadership potential.
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 2026
- 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 2026
- 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 U.S. experience who serve as key interlocutors for posts.
Communications and Journalism
- Strengthen information integrity and U.S. influence.
- Work in journalism, broadcasting, digital media, and public relations.
- Uphold individual freedoms and manage strategic communications.
- Promote free expression and transparent media.
- Support open public debate.
Law and Governance
- Advance rules-based systems and U.S. security interests.
- Work as attorneys, judges, law enforcement, policymakers, and civil leaders.
- Advance the rule of law and strengthen security frameworks.
- Support fair and accountable justice systems.
- Combat transnational crime, trafficking, and corruption.
- Ensure accountability for freedom violations.
- Promote transparent and effective governance.
Natural Resources Policy
- Drive policies for energy independence, resource security, and economic resilience.
- Work in critical minerals, energy systems, water, and agriculture.
- Ensure reliable supply chains and strengthen food security.
- Reduce vulnerabilities exploitable by strategic competitors.
- Support U.S. economic strength and global stability.
Public and Economic Policy
- Address critical policy challenges at local, regional, and national levels.
- Drive economic growth, workforce development, and market expansion.
- Align work with U.S. interests.
- Work in trade, investment, education, fiscal policy, and public management.
- Design and implement evidence-informed policies.
- Promote economic growth and security while strengthening institutions.
- Support effective domestic and foreign policy decision-making.
Public Health Policy and Management
- Develop self-reliant and resilient local health systems.
- Address public health challenges, including infectious disease outbreaks.
- Utilize policy development, service delivery, surveillance, and institutional preparedness.
- Serve as health policymakers, physicians, managers, educators, and practitioners.
- Shape policies to manage public health risks.
- Protect American lives and economic stability.
Technology Policy and Management
- Develop and implement strategies and policies for technology impacts.
- Manage societal, economic, and security effects of emerging and established technologies.
- Ensure U.S. and partner leadership in the technology sector.
- Protect against misuse by adversaries.
- Work on cybersecurity, AI, data governance, and digital infrastructure.
- Cover telecommunications, biotechnology, and health technologies.
- Address technology’s role in urban planning, transportation, and workforce transformation.
Required Documents
- For Identification
Scan of Passport or Nepali citizenship or NID (no need for English translation or attestation). - Academic History
Complete and attested academic documents (both transcripts and certificates) starting from 10th grade/SEE - Professional Information
- CV – No more than 6 pages
- Letter of Leave from home institution – upload a letter of support/leave from your home institution, confirming your ability to participate in a Fulbright award (this is only needed if shortlisted)
- English Language
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. - Recommendations
Two recommendations should be submitted by your recommenders by the application deadline. Personal friends or family members are NOT acceptable as referees.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism in any part of the application will result in disqualification from participating in the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program.
Plagiarism will be understood to include any of the following:
Presenting wording, statistics, or concepts as your own that should be attributed to someone else or to publications (online or offline). This includes, but is not limited to:
- Copying the exact wording of a written source
- Presenting material with alterations in wording
- Paraphrasing the content of a source without citation
It is expected that the application will be the applicant's own work and writing, clearly citing secondary sources when describing the academic work and writing of others (including one’s own previously published work). Any sources used in the construction of the applicant's responses must be clearly cited in the project statement and bibliography.
