FULBRIGHT-HAYS DOCTORAL DISSERTATION AWARDS (updated 10/07)

Campus Deadline: NOVEMBER 4, 2007
Fulbright-Hays Application
Campus Pre-application

Index:
Award and Eligibility
Preliminary Steps Your Application
Application Instructions
Budget and Registration Requirements
Notification    

Award and Eligibility

The Department of Education Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Award, commonly known as the Department of Education Fulbright-Hayes Award, supports research abroad in modern foreign languages and area studies. It is an entirely separate grant from the Fulbright Grants administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in New York. The application process for the Fulbright-Hayes grant is much more detailed, and the strict Department of Education eligibility requirements limit the number of students who may apply for the award.

Among other requirements, an applicant must be advanced to Ph.D. candidacy prior to departure, and must be in "Non-Western Area Studies." While applicants may apply to a western European country, they must research non-western studies at an institute which specializes in such studies.

"AREA STUDIES" ... Clarification of the term The award is given for students in AREA STUDIES as defined by the Department of Education. As applicants for the Department of Education Fulbright-Hayes Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Award are not always familiar with this term, we include the following definition from the Department of Education: " ... In recent competitions we have received quite a few applications which were deemed ineligible because they did not satisfy the language and the area studies requirement that the scholar be a part of a 'program of comprehensive study of the aspect of society or societies, including the study of their geography, history, culture, economy, politics, international relations, and languages.' In other words, do the scholar's training and professional activities indicate a multi-disciplinary approach focused on a specific world area or country? ... " In some cases, the applicant had area studies training as an undergraduate or had spent time in the host country in a formal training environment which was not reflected in the application. Therefore, we urge each scholar to make certain that the completed application clearly demonstrates the individual applicant's language and area studies background. For this purpose, the curriculum vitae section may be expanded to include such items as explanations of transcripts, or additional materials (e.g., undergraduate transcripts) may be submitted. In preparing your application, we suggest that you keep in mind that it is the purpose of these programs to train and maintain specialists whose academic interests and career goals include teaching and research in modern foreign languages and area studies for all major world areas with the exception of Western Europe.

Preliminary Steps

The Overseas Resource Center and the Office of Graduate Financial Aid have primary responsibility for the administration of the Fulbright -Hayes Award. The Overseas Resource Center (ORC) processes all applications on behalf of Stanford students. Fulbright-Hayes funding is provided to those who win awards through Stanford’s Office of Government Financial Aid, NOT direct from DOE to the students. The following is a list of steps to take if you are interested in applying for the Fulbright-Hayes Award:

1) Fill out a Fulbright-Hayes Pre-application Form: In order to establish a file at the ORC, you MUST pick up and return a completed pre-application form. Forms are available at the ORC.

2) The Official on line Fulbright-Hayes Application will include: (1) application forms; (2) e-language reference form; (3) e-reference forms; and (4) detailed information and instructions for the program. After reading through the application thoroughly, consult your academic advisor, and other faculty members with whom you work closely. In order to understand the eligibility requirements and design a budget for research expenses, it is extremely important to read the instructions provided with the application very carefully.

3) AREA STUDIES: As you develop your application, ALWAYS keep in mind the information provided earlier concerning area studies.

4) Explore other sources of funding such as the IIE Fulbright

•     The scholarship period is June 1 through December 31. Your research must be completed within this time period. However, funds will not be available for disbursement until the beginning of fall quarter, so most fellows choose not to leave until that time.

•      READ CAREFULLY the information concerning the program's objective, eligibility requirements, especially those concerning "area studies", and evaluation criteria. Please note that people evaluating your application will be concerned with (1) your project; (2) your qualifications; and (3) the annual Department of Education Fulbright program priorities.

•     An explanation of this year's funding priorities should be available once you create an online account. Information on the total amount of funds available or distribution of grants by world area will also be included.

•     BE AWARE of "host country sensitivities and interests."

•     PHRASE your project description in such a way that it can be understood by well-educated people outside your field.

•     INQUIRE EARLY into obtaining a research/study visa for the appropriate country. Such visas can take time to issue, so it is advised that you check now concerning requirements.

•     INTERVIEW: There is no interview for the DOE Fulbright. If you apply for the IIE Fulbright, you will be interviewed here on campus, but the result of the interview will only affect your IIE Fulbright application.

- Letters of Recommendation/Language Report Letters of rec and language evaluation must be submitted online by the campus deadline. It is your responsibility to confirm that they have been submitted.

- Health Statement: Even though the application asks for a physians signatue, none is needed. Please make sure you have had a recent check up, as a signature will be required should you receive the grant.

- Curriculum Vitae: Be sure to list relevant course work, as it isn't always clearly described on a transcript. Also, be sure to emphasize any previous international experience, particularly in the prospective host country. Remember that people evaluating your application will be looking for evidence of your foreign language and area studies training and your ability to adapt well to the host country. The more prior training and experience you have, the better. The curriculum vitae is the place to emphasize this.

- Project Description: The project description should be 5 to 10 pages long, double spaced. If it exceeds 10 pages your application will be denied. In writing up your project description, again keep in mind the evaluation criteria set out on pages 1 to 2 and in the official application.

Budget and Registration Requirements

At the time of application, you will be required to submit a budget estimate of the expenses you will incur while conducting your research overseas. You will make this estimate according to the guidelines established by the Department of Education, which will be found in the application package. These budgets must be very carefully designed as it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to alter the amount of the award once it has been granted. It is also extremely important for applicants to read and understand the details of the scholarship should they be awarded one. There are obligations to provide final reports, to travel within the period of the grant, etc. It is the responsibility of the applicant to understand the obligations of the award. NOTE: For students holding federal loans, any period of non-registration is counted towards the grace period and may cause loans to fall due earlier.

- International Travel: To estimate the cost of your international travel, call your travel agent or a U.S. airline which serves the route you need. Be sure to request the round trip commercial high season rate, not the "cheapest possible rate."

- Baggage: You need also to make an estimate of expenses for excess baggage, in consultation with a travel agent or airline company. Make your best estimate of your needs and justify them, keeping in mind that in past years 50 lbs. of excess baggage has been considered standard by the Department of Education.

-Maintenance and Dependent's Allowance: Refer to the charts in the on-line application package for maintenance for yourself and your dependent(s).

- Project Allowance: Be sure to make a generous but reasonable estimate of your expenses in the categories indicated. You may not request additional funds once the application has been submitted

- Health and Accident Insurance: To estimate this, please consult with a representative of your student insurance plan (e.g., Work with the Stanford student health plan representative if you have Stanford's student insurance). Estimate health and accident insurance for the time you propose to be abroad PLUS one month.-

- Administrative Fee: The administrative fee goes directly to Stanford if you are granted an award. It is not relayed to you

Submitting A Complete Application for the Campus Deadline

•      Submit your e-Application on-line. This will release your application to Stanford. We will then be able to view all applications and complete our part of the collective application.

•      Print out one copy of the e-Application and submitt it to the ORC. We do not need a hard copy of your curriculum vitae, or project description, just your personal information and budget.

•      Submit one official Fulbrigt Hayes cover sheet, (available on the ORC website)

•      Have your official Graduate School Transcripts sent the the ORC by the Campus Deadline

•      Make sure your recommenders have submitted their part of your application by the Campus Deadline.

Notification

The Overseas Resource Center will forward your application along with the other completed Stanford applications to the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., where the selection takes place. You will be notified by the Overseas Resource Center some time in spring (usually April) of the result of the competition. There is no date by which we are guaranteed to have heard the result from the Department of Education. We can only counsel patience, although we understand how frustrating it can be to wait for news. Should you be awarded a grant, you will need to work closely with the ORC to coordinate your plans. At that time, you will receive detailed information on arranging payment. Normally, payments are made throught AXESS at the beginning of each quarter.

Some Final Advice

•     There is no exception to the campus deadline. The reason for this is that we have to submit the applications on behalf of Stanford University and this means we need to have completed certain Stanford paperwork before submitting all applications by the national deadline date.  The National Deadline Date is FINAL. We can only complete this campus procedure after all applications are submitted and complete. All applications are jeopardized if one is late at the campus level. So we need to ask you to adhere to the campus deadline.  Also--it is not possible at all to submit materials to the Fulbright-Hayes after the deadline so make sure all references etc are in on time to meet the campus deadline.  

•       The proposal is usually your dissertation abstract but you need to make sure that wherever possible in your application you can demonstrate that you have a broad interest in the country and/or region. In other words if you are a historian then you would need to demonstrate that your interest in the country goes beyond just history. Fulbright-Hayes is extremely concerned about the Area Studies aspect of the award. Unfortunately the only further clarification we have received is that quoted in our guide to the award. Please refer to our guide: many of the questions concerning the application are answered there.

•      It is very important to fill out the budget form accurately and seriously. It is almost impossible to alter proposed budgets after the application is submitted. Fulbright-Hayes will also not make changes to the budget request once the award is made to a student (e.g. asking for an increase in the project allowance or moving funds between categories)

Please call or stop by the ORC whenever necessary during working hours. Stanford has had a number of successful candidates for the Fulbright-Hayes Award in the past few years and we encourage you to apply. While the restrictions are greater for this award than the IIE Fulbright, and the administration of the grant can be less than straightforward, you will enjoy greater financial flexibility with this award, flexibility which will allow you to stay overseas longer and provide for the specific financial needs of your project. Best of luck!