What the funding covers
- A monthly stipend for housing and living costs, and health insurance.
- Travel to and from the United States.
- Tuition: many host universities give full or partial tuition waivers to Fulbright students; what your grant covers depends on your country's programme.
- About 4,000 foreign students receive Fulbright grants each year.
What you will still pay
| Cost | Who pays |
|---|---|
| Monthly living stipend and health insurance | The grant |
| Travel to and from the United States | The grant |
| Tuition | Often waived in full or in part by the host university; your country's call explains what the grant covers |
| US J-1 visa application fee and SEVIS fee | Not charged: US-government-sponsored exchange visitors (programme codes G-1, G-2, G-3 or G-7) are exempt |
Who can apply
- Citizens of a participating country, applying through that country's Fulbright Commission/Foundation or US Embassy.
- Usually a completed bachelor's degree and strong English; many countries also want work or leadership experience.
- Each country sets its own eligible fields, levels (master's, PhD, research) and requirements.
Which nationalities can apply
Citizens of 167 countries can apply. The countries in the Fulbright Foreign Student Program's country finder. Official list, as of Oct 10, 2026.
See all 167
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, Chile, Colombia, Comoros, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Eswatini, Fiji, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Republic of the Congo, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, South Sudan, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Documents you will need
- The online application for your country's call; Ghana's 2027–28 call used apply.iie.org/ffsp2027
- A Study Objective and a Personal Statement (in Ghana, one to two pages each). Plagiarism disqualifies you: cite any source you use
- Your transcripts, degree certificates and reference letters, as your country's call specifies
- TOEFL and GRE or GMAT scores if your country requires them; in Ghana, shortlisted candidates must take both, and a TOEFL of 90+ is competitive
How to apply
- Find the Fulbright page for your country (through the Commission or the US Embassy website).
- Read that country's call: deadline, documents, tests and fields.
- Submit the application, usually 15 to 18 months before you would start in the US.
- Shortlisted candidates are interviewed; the Fulbright system then places you at, or confirms, a US university.
Before you apply: things to know
- There is no single global deadline; each country sets its own, so check your country's Fulbright commission or US embassy page.
- Many countries require you to return home after the grant (the J-1 two-year home residency rule applies to most Fulbrighters).
- Fulbright never charges an application fee through agents; apply only through the official Commission or Embassy.
Common questions
Who can apply from Ghana?
For 2027–28: Ghanaian citizens living in Ghana and employed at a tertiary, research or government institution, with a 4-year bachelor's (for a master's) or a master's (for a PhD) and a 3.5 GPA. National Service personnel are not eligible, and priority fields included AI, cyber security, STEM, public health, supply chains and trade.
When does the Ghana call open?
The 2027–28 call closed on 5 June 2026, and only shortlisted applicants were contacted, by 6 July 2026. Watch the US Embassy in Ghana's Fulbright page for the next call; expect a similar mid-year deadline.
Do Fulbright students pay US visa fees?
No. Fulbright grantees travel on J-1 visas under US-government-sponsored programmes, which are exempt from the visa application fee and the SEVIS fee.