Notification Timeline

In conducting the peer review of applications for Fulbright Scholar awards, CIES conforms with the policies of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, the Presidentially appointed body that has statutory authority over Fulbright programs. The policy on selection and nonselection stipulates, "It is the policy of the Board not to give to individual applicants, to others inquiring on their behalf, or to the public generally, the specific reasons for selection or nonselection of applicants for awards under the program." (From the "Policy Statements of the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board," Sec. 145.

Recommended candidates will be notified of the final outcome in a letter from the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Notification is based on the deadline schedule, as detailed below.

DEADLINE: August 1

August 1st
CIES program staff review applications for technical completeness. Applicants will be notified if any required component  is missing from the application or if page limits are exceeded, and asked to provide additional documentation as needed. Only complete applications will be forwarded to the reviewers.

August - September
Discipline Peer Review Committees read applications and make comments from a discipline-specific perspective, which are then provided to the Regional Peer Review Committees for consideration along with the applications.

October - November
Regional Peer Review Committees meet in Washington, D.C., review applications, and make recommendations.

November - December
CIES notifies applicants whether or not their application has been recommended for further consideration in the host country; this notification is emailed. Please let your CIES Program Officer know if your email address changed since you submitted your application.

December - May
Public Affairs Sections of U.S. Embassies (Posts) or binational Fulbright Commissions overseas review recommended applications and nominate candidates for selection.

January - June
All recommended candidates are forwarded to the J.W. Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board for approval.
CIES notifies applicants whether they have been selected to receive a Fulbright award. This notification is also emailed. Please let your CIES Program Officer know if your email address changed since you submitted your application.

June - Onward
Grant details are finalized and grants may begin per start dates listed in the Catalog of Awards. For some countries, an orientation may be scheduled for applicants selected for grants.