Fulbright New Zealand Scholar Awards

You are eligible to apply for this award if you:

• are a New Zealand citizen;
• and are not a permanent resident or citizen of the US;
• and are not currently living in the US.

Preference for Fulbright scholar awards is given to candidates who have not previously received a Fulbright scholar award, or had extensive recent experience in the US (ie. have not studied, taught, researched or worked in the US for a period aggregating more than nine months/one academic year during the past five years).

Candidates may not pursue research activities that involve direct clinical patient contact. This can extend to the fields of Medical Sciences, Veterinary Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Psychological Counseling or any other field that requires direct clinical patient contact and/or prescribing or administering medication.

• Stipend of US$6,000 per month (for 3 – 5 months)
• International travel of US$3,000 for the grantee and a single allotment of US$2,000 to be used towards dependent(s)† travel (if applicable);
• A family allowance of US$500 per month for one or more dependents†;
• The opportunity to participate in various programmes and activities available to Fulbright scholars in the US, and to apply for supplementary awards where applicable such as the Outreach Lecturing Fund and Enrichment Programs ;
• A basic health benefit plan covering a maximum of US$100,000 per sickness or injury.

†”Dependent” is defined as a legal spouse or child who will be with grantee in the US for 80% or more of the grant period. Grantees can bring multiple dependents but please note that Fulbright NZ dependent allowances are a total amount, not per dependent. For any questions, please contact the Programme Manager, Lauren Summersell ([email protected]).

• Your award must be approved by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in Washington, DC;
• You will be required to provide Fulbright New Zealand with evidence of financial support (or not) from your home institution before the value of your award can be confirmed;
• The period of your award is three to five months;
• Your award must be taken in the 12 months commencing on 1 July of the year following application for the award. Note that you will be eligible to arrive and depart from the US 30 days either side of your award dates;
• You will be required to undertake a full medical examination before applying for your visa;
• You must travel on a New Zealand passport, and US immigration documentation must be completed from within New Zealand. Grantees must use the DS-2020 form provided by Fulbright New Zealand to obtain an Exchange Visitor (J) non-immigrant visa to enter the United States. You will be required to attend a visa interview at the US Consulate in Auckland in order to obtain your visa;
• International travel will only be funded between New Zealand and the US, and must be on either an American or New Zealand carrier;
• You may be required to fulfil some Fulbright New Zealand media requirements before your departure for the US, during your exchange and/or on return to New Zealand;
• You must provide Fulbright New Zealand with copies of any articles, research papers or theses resulting from your award. A final report must also be completed before you depart from the US;
• Fulbright grantees must travel to the US on an Exchange Visitor (J) non-immigrant visa. A requirement of this visa is that you must return to your home country for a cumulative total of two years at the end of your exchange visitor programme before becoming eligible to apply to live in the US. This home-country foreign residency requirement is in keeping with the philosophy of the Fulbright exchange programme, that you return to New Zealand to share your experiences. Note that you will not be prohibited from travelling to the US for short-term visits on the visa waiver program or a non-immigrant visa.

Fulbright mission

It was Senator J William Fulbright’s mission to build peace through the mutual understanding of cultures. Fulbright applicants and grantees are expected to understand and support this mission and be effective ambassadors for New Zealand. In addition to the monetary, educational and cultural exchange benefits made possible by the award, Fulbright grantees carry the prestige of the Fulbright programme along with them throughout their careers. Alumni are expected to succeed and be ‘thought leaders’ in their respective fields/careers, and to support and remain engaged with the Fulbright programme for the rest of their lives.

• You must complete and submit an online application by the application deadline*, 1 October 2024;
• You must also submit all required support documents to us by the application deadline;
• Interviews will be held in Wellington in November. Fulbright New Zealand will pay the costs of travel to Wellington only for applicants residing in New Zealand. Applicants outside New Zealand who are unable to attend an interview in person may be disadvantaged;
• We will advise you of the outcome of your application by late November.

* Note that if the application deadline falls on a weekend or public holiday, the deadline is extended to 5:00pm on the next business day.

For further information, contact our Fulbright NZ Scholars Programme Manager for this award – [email protected] / +64 4 494 1506

Fulbright New Zealand has Campus Advisers stationed on all major New Zealand campuses. Our Advisers are all Fulbright alumni who are available to discuss their exchange experiences with students and staff, as well as to give basic information about our awards.

Applicants must complete the official online application for the Fulbright Visiting Scholars Program and upload all required supporting documents by the deadline of 1 October 2024.

Applicants must download and refer to the NZ-Scholar-Application-Instructions 2025 which provides detailed guidance on how to complete your application and what is required specifically for New Zealand scholar applicants.

Applicants must also upload a completed  NZ-Scholar-Supplementary-Form to their application. Details on where to upload this can be found in the application instructions.

To apply for this award, click the link below and create a login account to begin. You can save and return to your application as many times as required.

Fulbright Scholar Award Online Application