Fulbright Specialist Program

Roster Summary

The Fulbright Specialist Program differs from the core Fulbright Scholar competition in that the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) builds a Roster of Specialists in a variety of disciplines through an open application process. Roster applicants recommended by specialist peer review committees and approved by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board become Roster candidates for Fulbright Specialist projects.

The Fulbright Specialist Roster, which was developed by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), a non-governmental organization, was specifically designed as a tool for the Fulbright Specialist Program. It is a directory of U.S. scholars and professionals who applied through an open competition, were selected by a panel of their peers, and were approved by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board as potential candidates for Fulbright Specialist awards.

Our goal is to enable a larger and more varied group of U.S. scholars and professionals to undertake a Fulbright award through the use of the Fulbright Specialist Roster. We are able to offer a high-quality Roster of well-qualified candidates in each discipline due to active recruitment and a rigorous review process.

Fulbright Commissions, U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Sections, and selected host institutions are to use the Roster for the purpose of selecting scholars or professionals specifically for Fulbright Specialist projects. The Roster is not available to the public and no other use is authorized.

If an appropriate candidate cannot be found on the Roster for a project, CIES will undertake a specific search, on behalf of the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy, for a qualified scholar or professional if given a reasonable amount of lead time.