U.S. Embassy Announces Open Application Season for the Fulbright Master’s and Ph.D. Programs

Investing in Afghanistan’s Future -  On January 12, U.S. Embassy Kabul’s Public Affairs Counselor Hilary Olsin-Windecker announced the open application season for the world-class Fulbright Master’s and PhD Programs. Fulbright is the U.S. Department of State’s flagship educational exchange program.  The program in Afghanistan, one of the largest in the world, seeks to place qualified Afghans in Master’s and Ph.D. degree programs at educational institutions across the United States.

Since 2003, Fulbright programs have provided over 450 Afghans the opportunity to pursue professional and graduate level study in the United States. Alumni have returned from the United States to become leaders across Afghanistan’s public and private sectors. Academic year 2016-17 builds on our commitment towards these programs and includes opportunities for at least 53 finalists and 10 alternates for the Master’s program, and up to three finalists for the Ph.D. program. This marks the third year in which the Fulbright Doctoral program will be offered for Afghanistan.

The rigorous selection process is transparent and entirely merit based.  This process is managed by American staff at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, and involves seven stages, beginning with a technical review for eligibility and ending with approval by the 12-person Presidentially-appointed Fulbright Scholarship Board located in Washington, D.C.

Embassy Kabul welcomes eligible candidates to apply to join the prestigious Fulbright family. Women are encouraged to apply.  Applications for the Master’s and Ph.D. programs must be submitted by email no later than March 20, 2015 for participation in the upcoming cycle, which is for the 2016-17 academic year. 

Several application procedures have been updated since last year; please refer to the Embassy’s website for details.

Program and application information can be found on the Embassy’s website: http://kabul.usembassy.gov/educational_exchange.html. 

Specific inquiries on the Fulbright Program for Afghanistan can be directed to: KabulPDExchanges@state.gov. 

More information about other Embassy activities can be found at:http://kabul.usembassy.gov