updated Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program updated

Eligibility requirements for the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Programs are quite straightforward. Only those who fulfill these requirements given below will be considered for the program:

• Citizenship: National of any of the 131 participating countries including India, Peru, Bangladesh, Pakistan.
• Academic Qualification: Must hold an undergraduate degree from an accredited university.
• Professional Experience: Minimum 5 years of full-time work experience, preferably in a relevant field.
  • Part-time work experience is not considered.
• Language Proficiency: Must be proficient in the English language & attempt TOEFL/IELTS exams to demonstrate the same.
• Must have a public service record in the community and minimal to no prior experience in the USA.

Eligible Courses

Professionals from the following fields are eligible for participating in the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program:

NOTE: For any program-related inquiry, applicants must contact the U.S. Embassy, Public Affairs Section, or Binational Fulbright Commission in their respective country.

The Humphrey Fellowship program is overseen by a binational Fulbright Commission in 26 countries while in other countries, it is administered by the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Section. Application deadlines vary according to the applicant’s country. For Indian students, Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program application deadline is July 1. 

To apply for the fellowship, Indian applicants need to complete the documents:

• Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program Application
• Confidential Letter of Reference (2)
• Confidential Letter of Reference from Current Employer
• Employer’s Endorsement Form

All these documents must be completed and sent to humphrey@usief.org.in before the application deadline.

Note I: In case of central or state govt. employees, the signed copy of employer’s endorsement form must be forwarded via cadre controlling authority.
Note II: Recommendation letters must be sent to

Senior Program Officer,
Indian Program, USIEF,
Fulbright House, 12 Hailey Road,
New Delhi 110001

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program is administered either by the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Section or the Binational Fulbright Commission. While the selection criteria may differ according to the applicant’s country, the overall selection process of the Humphrey Fellowship Program application takes place in five stages:

1. National Screening: The commission reviews all applications and invites potential recipients for an interview session. Post that, applications of shortlisted candidates are forwarded to IIE in Washington for further evaluation.
2. Screening by the Institute of International Education: IIE reviews all applications, verify the eligibility, and then summons the regional Candidate Review Committees (CRC) for further evaluation of the applications.
3. Screening by CRC: The committee assembles in Washington, D.C., in December and evaluates applications from a specific region. It comprises of independent experts who hold regional professional experience in international organizations, academia, or NGOs.
4. Approval of J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB)*: This board sets procedures and policies for the supervision of the program and has the final authority over decisions regarding the selection of Fellows.
5. Placement of the Selected Candidates: After FSB has approved the candidates selected by CRCs, the Department of State informs the same to participating commissions and embassies which, in turn, will apprise the selected candidates.

Post that, IIE places the approved Fellows at the selected host universities in the USA. The placements are based on the Fellow’s field of education and the program plan statements included in their applications. Fellows don’t have any sway over the decision regarding the university they will attend.

*Congress established FSB to administer the Fulbright programs, which also include the Humphrey Fellowship programs.