Editor’s note (June 26, 2019): Two University of Iowa students who initially were named alternates to the Fulbright U.S. Student Program were awarded grants in June, bringing the UI’s total number of awardees to 19. This story has been updated to reflect this news.
A record 19 University of Iowa students have been awarded Fulbright U.S. Student Program grants to conduct research, attend graduate school, undertake creative projects, or serve as English teaching assistants abroad in 2019–20, with an additional two students selected as alternates.
This year, Iowa had the largest-ever number of applicants, with a total of 47 students completing the rigorous application and interview process. A record number of 32 semifinalists were selected to compete in the second round of the competition.
For the fourth consecutive year, Iowa received the honor of being named a top producing institution of Fulbright students nationally for the 2018–19 competition, with 11 students receiving grants. Iowa’s previous Fulbright record was 16 students in 2017–18. In the past five years, 74 students from the UI have received awards to 35 countries, supported by faculty and staff mentors with world, region, and country expertise.
The Fulbright Program is the flagship international educational exchange program sponsored by the U.S. government. It is designed to increase understanding between the people of the U.S. and other countries by providing participants the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.
“The Fulbright awards provide life-changing opportunities for UI students, and this record-breaking year is a testament to the hard work of our talented students and the tremendous team of faculty and staff in International Programs that has prepared them compete successfully for these prestigious awards,” says Downing Thomas, associate provost and dean of International Programs, which oversees the university’s Fulbright programs.