Information about the Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence (SIR) Award for Prospective Grantees
The Goal of the Fulbright Program is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries through educational and cultural exchange. The global Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Program complements other Fulbright Programs for students, teachers and researchers.
The Goal of the Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence (SIR) Program is to bring scholars and professionals from around the world to accredited colleges and universities in the U.S. to significantly internationalize their campuses and curricula.
- U.S. Institutions of higher education submit proposals to the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) to request scholars for three to ten months to teach and consult in area studies programs, interdisciplinary programs that focus on global issues or courses where participation of a foreign scholar can provide a cross- cultural or international perspective. In their proposals, institutions request scholars to perform a variety of activities, including teaching classes, giving guest lectures in other classes, as well as making public presentations at community organizations.
- Many institutions that participate in the SIR program infrequently host visiting scholars and/or serve student populations underrepresented in international exchange programs. These institutions often include small liberal arts colleges, community colleges and minority serving institutions.
- In their proposals, institutions either request a candidate by name or they request recruitment of a candidate through Fulbright agencies around the world. To be considered for an SIR award, candidates must either be named by an institution in the U.S. that is applying for an SIR award or recruited by a Fulbright agency overseas that is recruiting candidates for SIR awards.
All SIR candidates must meet the following requirements:
- Have fluency in English in order to teach classes and speak in public settings
- Have minimal or no prior experience living in the United States and
- Possess the credentials to perform the activities described in the institutional proposal.
Fulbright agencies forward recruited candidates’ applications to CIES, which sends them to the respective U.S. institutions for review and selection. Selected applications are then submitted to the U.S. Department of State for approval by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. When applications are approved by the Fulbright Scholarship Board, CIES begins to write scholars’ grant and visa documents.
Fulbright SIR grant benefits provided by the U.S. Department of State include:
- A stipend ranging from $2,500 to $2,900 per month (depending on the cost of living in the city where the institution is located)
- One-time allowances for settling-in expenses ($500) and professional development ($400 for grants of less than four months, $750 for longer grants) • Dependent allowance for qualifying dependents* ($200 per month for one dependent and $350 per month for two or more dependents who accompany the scholar for at least 80% of the time the scholar is in the U.S.)
- Accident and sickness medical benefit coverage for scholars (scholars must purchase supplemental insurance for dependents who accompany them to the U.S.; CIES provides a list of suggested supplemental insurance providers for this purpose)
- Round-trip travel for grantee (scholars on grants for 8 to 10 months also receive round-trip travel for one qualifying dependent* who accompanies them for at least 80% of the duration of the grant period)
- DS-2019 forms for scholars and qualifying dependents* for obtaining J visas,
- In addition, many host institutions offer cost-sharing benefits (a salary supplement and/or other accommodations, which vary widely according to the resources available to the institutions)
* Note: Qualifying dependents are spouses and/or children under the age of 21.
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