how to write a fulbright research proposal

The 2025-26 Competition is now open. Applications must be submitted by the national deadline of October 8, 2024 at 5pm ET.

Current U.S. Student

United States citizens who are currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs are eligible to apply.If you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a U.S. college or university, you will apply through that institution, even if you are not currently a resident there. Find the Fulbright Program Adviser on your campus.

U.S. Citizen but not a Student

If you are a U.S. citizen, will hold a bachelor’s degree by the award start date, and do not have a Ph.D. degree, then you are eligible to apply. Non-enrolled applicants should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Candidates with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program .

The Getting Started page will provide information on eligibility and next steps.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program welcomes applications in the creative and performing arts. Arts candidates for the U.S. Student Program should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Artists with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program .

Creative & Performing Arts projects fall under the Study/Research grant category and are available in all countries where Study/Research grants are offered.

U.S. Professor/Administrator

If you are a U.S. citizen and a professor or administrator at a U.S. institution and are interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholar Award, you will need to apply through fulbrightscholars.org .

To support your students in applying for a U.S. Student Program award, please connect with the Fulbright Program Adviser at your institution.

Non U.S. Citizens

If you are a non-U.S. citizen interested in applying for a Fulbright Award to the United States, you will need to apply through the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in your home country. Find out more information on the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program or Fulbright Foreign Student Program .

• Getting Started
• Study/Research Awards
• English Teaching Assistant Awards
• Fulbright-National Geographic Award
• Critical Language Enhancement Award
• Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowships in Public Health
• Search for a Fulbright Program Adviser
• Award Search

Study/Research: Academic

• Study/Research: Creative & Performing Arts
• Fulbright-National Geographic
• Information Sessions
• Fulbright Online Application

Application Components: Academic Fields

All applicants must complete and submit their applications via the  Fulbright Online Application.  This is where you enter data, upload documents, and register your recommenders and foreign language evaluator. The following items comprise the components of the Academic application:

Biographical Data

The Personal and Contact Information pages of the application ask for your basic personal information, such as your name, contact information, birth date, etc.

• Complete all required fields: You should take care to accurately complete all of the required fields in these sections.
• Use proper capitalization and punctuation: This is a formal grant application, and you are advised to follow the English language rules on capitalization and punctuation. Do not enter responses in all caps. Be sure to proofread your responses in the PDF proof prior to submitting your application.

Program Information

On the Program Information page, you must include a Project Title and an Abstract/Summary of Proposal. These sections are a quick reference for screening committees and other reviewers. They should be able to determine the basic who, what, when, where, why and how of your project by reading this abstract. The project title should be informative, as well.

• Field of Study:  Select from the drop-down the most closely-related field for the proposed project.
• Project Title (90-character limit): A succinct title that clearly introduces the proposed project. This title will be listed in the Grantee Directory, should you be awarded a grant. 
• Abstract/Summary of the Proposal (1750-character limit): A concise description of the what, where, and why of the proposed project. If you are proposing the pursuit of a graduate degree program, summarize the program and relevance to your career/education plans․
• Host Country Engagement (1750-character limit): At its core, the Fulbright program aims to promote mutual understanding and seeks individuals who can be cultural ambassadors while living abroad. This section should offer a description of the ways in which you will engage with the host country outside of your grant activities to fulfill this mission. How do you plan to share your culture and values in your host community? Specific ideas should be included.
• Plans Upon Return to the U.S. (850-character limit): A brief description of your future career and/or educational plans following completion of the Fulbright grant.

Statement of Grant Purpose

This 2-page document outlines the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of what you are proposing for your Fulbright grant. If you are pursuing a research project, developing a strong, feasible and compelling project is the most important aspect of a successful Fulbright application.

The first step is to thoroughly read the award description for your selected award and host country to understand the type of grant you are allowed to propose (Independent Study/Research or Graduate Degree Enrollment). Depending on the country and award parameters, applicants may have the option to propose completing a graduate degree program. Some countries have specific arrangements or named awards for graduate study. In this case, applicants should focus on demonstrating the reasons for pursuing the proposed graduate program at a particular institution in the host country.

Whether you are applying for a research project or a degree program, the proposal should indicate a clear commitment to the host country community and a description of how you will engage with it.

Develop an intellectually compelling and feasible project: This is the most important factor in presenting a successful application. Program design will vary by country and award, and while some countries encourage applicants to incorporate coursework into a project, others prefer independent research. You should ensure that your proposed project fits the program guidelines for the host country and award.

For applicants proposing independent study/research projects , address the following points:

• With whom do you propose to work?
• What do you propose to do?
• What is innovative about the research? What will this research contribute to the field/discipline?
• What are the specific research goals and methodologies?
• What is important or significant about the project?
• What contribution will the project make toward the Fulbright goal of promoting cultural exchange and mutual understanding?
• When will you carry out the project? Include a feasible timeline.
• Where do you propose to conduct your study or research? Why did you choose this location?
• Why do you want to undertake this project?
• What are your qualifications for carrying out this project?
• Why does the project have to be conducted in the country of application?
• How will your project help further your academic or professional development?
• How will you engage with the host country community? Give specific ideas that relate to your own personal or professional interests.

Design a feasible project: You must demonstrate that your research strategy is viable, including its content, methodology, and time frame. Address the following points:

• How will the culture and politics of the host country impact the work?
• Will the resources of the host country support the project?
• Have you developed a connection with a potential adviser in the host country who has knowledge of the research topic and access to other appropriate contacts in the field?
• Do you have the necessary academic/field-specific background to undertake the proposed research?
• You should consider that, even if a country indicates that English will be sufficient for carrying out the proposed project, for purposes of engaging with your host community, at least a basic level of language skill should be obtained prior to leaving the United States for the host country.
• What are your plans for improving your language skills, if they are not adequate at the time of application?
• Are there any possible sensitive topics or feasibility concerns that the project could provoke?

For applicants proposing to enroll in graduate degree programs , address the following points:

• Why do you want to pursue the proposed program in the country to which you are applying?
• What are your reasons for selecting this particular institution?
• Do you have the requisite academic/field-specific background to gain admission to and undertake the proposed graduate degree program?
• Why do you want to gain a better understanding of the peoples and cultures of your host country? Please demonstrate specific ideas on how you will integrate into the host country community that relate to your own personal or professional interests.
• Do you have sufficient language skills to successfully complete the program, especially if the program is not taught in English?
• Do you have the flexibility and dynamism necessary for active involvement in the host country?

Candidates applying through U.S. institutions are urged to consult professors in their field of study or faculty members with experience in the host country, as well as their Fulbright Program Advisers, about the feasibility of their proposed projects. At-Large applicants should consult similarly qualified persons in their fields.

Crafting your proposal:

• Be clear and concise. The individuals reading the proposal want applicants to get to the point about the 'who, what, when, where, why, and how' of the project. Avoid discipline-specific jargon and ensure your application can be clearly understood by a general audience.
• Organize the statement carefully.
• Don't make reviewers search for information. We urge you to have several people read and critique your Statement of Grant Purpose, including a faculty adviser, a faculty member outside your discipline, a fellow student, and/or a colleague.

Adhere to the proper format:

• Length is limited to a maximum of two single-spaced pages. The application system will not allow documents longer than two pages to be uploaded.
• Do not include any bibliographies, publications, citations, etc., except those that will fit in the two-page limit. Citations are not required for your Statement of Grant Purpose.
• Use 1-inch margins and Times New Roman 12-point font.
• On line 1: Statement of Grant Purpose
• On line 2: Your Name, Host Country, and Field of Study
• On line 3: Your Project Title as it appears in the Program Information page
• On the second page of the Statement, enter the same information or just Last Name, Grant Purpose, Page 2.
• Do not include information in headers, footers or margins.
• Do not include links to websites or external files/materials. Adding any URLs to external websites may affect the eligibility of your application.

Affiliation Letter

For Study/Research Applicants, affiliation with an educational institution or other sponsoring entity in the host country is required , even if the grant project is primarily research, an artistic activity, or does not require enrollment in regular classes. All applicants are required to list a proposed affiliation, with some awards requiring a letter of affiliation to be submitted at the time of the application deadline. Please refer to the award description for specific requirements on which institutions or organizations can serve as an affiliate.

Failure to submit a letter of affiliation for an award which requires one at the national deadline may result in an application being deemed ineligible.

The affiliation letter should come from the institution and/or individual in the host country with whom you are proposing to work. It should be written in or translated to English, printed on official letterhead, and should be signed by the author (electric signatures are permitted).

Understand the affiliation requirements for the country to which you are applying: Affiliation arrangements vary by country and may not be required at the time of application. Carefully review the affiliation information provided in the award summary for your host country. All academic grantees must have an affiliation in the host country listed in their application, even if a letter is not required at the deadline.

Countries differ in the kinds of host affiliations that are acceptable. Examples of affiliations include universities, laboratories, libraries, non-governmental organizations, and so on. Pay special attention to the requirements in some countries to attend classes and/or affiliate with academic institutions. Proposing an affiliate that does not meet the requirements for your chosen award may affect the eligibility of your application.

Identify an appropriate affiliation for your project: The affiliation is your proposed host in the country to which you are applying. Fulbrighters have used a number of methods to contact potential hosts and solicit support for their projects. One primary method is to use the contacts and advisers that you already have. Ask current or former professors to put you in contact with the appropriate people in the host country. If the proposal contains a strong research component, you must have host country contacts that can support the research, provide access to required resources, and/or advise you during the grant period. It is your responsibility to identify, contact, and secure an affiliation from a potential adviser.

Potential avenues to identify an appropriate affiliation/host country adviser include:

• Faculty at your home campus.
• International students.
• Visiting Fulbright Professors in the U.S. or U.S. Fulbright Scholars who had grants to your host country. Directories are available here .
• Internet searches of faculty at potential host institutions with your interests, or organizations in the host country that work with issues related to your topic.
• Other U.S. academics with expertise in the location/subject matter of the proposed project.
• Contacts from previous experience abroad.
• Educational Advising sections of Embassies or Consulates of your potential host country.

Start early: Obtaining an affiliation letter from overseas can be a time-consuming process, and sufficient time must be given to receive signed affiliation letters before the application deadline. Late affiliation letters will not be accepted after the application deadline.

Request the Affiliation Letter: After identifying the appropriate host institution and the individual at that institution best suited to serve as an adviser for the proposed project, contact the potential adviser to determine if they are willing to write an affiliation letter. Before requesting the letter, you should provide the author with a copy of the Statement of Grant Purpose. The affiliation letter should indicate the author’s willingness to work with you on the intended project and it should speak to the feasibility and validity of what is being proposed. The letter should also indicate any additional resources or contacts that the adviser can provide to support the work.

• Scanned versions of the original hard-copy letters with hand-written signatures should be uploaded into the application. Letter writers can either send the original hard-copy letters or electronic copies to the applicants.
• Since affiliation letters are not confidential, you will upload the letter yourself into the online application system. Affiliation letters written in a foreign language must be translated into English and both the original letters and the English-language translations must be uploaded into the application. An ‘official’ translation of the letter is not required.
• Instructions on uploading letters of affiliation are available in the Fulbright online application system.  IIE will not accept any affiliation letters via email, fax, or mail.
• The affiliation letter must be printed on an institutional letterhead and must be signed by the author.
• Copies of email correspondence will not be accepted.
• Do not upload any documents other than a letter of affiliation to this field of the application. Uploading extraneous materials to this field may result in your application being deemed ineligible.

Personal Statement

The statement should be a 1 page narrative that provides a picture of yourself as an individual․ It should detail your personal history, family background, influences on your intellectual development, the educational, professional, and cultural opportunities  that you have (or have not) accessed, and the ways in which these experiences have affected you and your personal growth․ Include your special interests and abilities, career plans, and life goals, etc․ It should not be a list of facts already listed on the application or an elaboration of your Statement of Grant Purpose․ Rather, it should be but specifically related to you and your aspirations   as they relate to the specific Fulbright Program award to which you have applied․

                                 Do not repeat information from other parts of the application.

• Length is limited to a maximum of one single-spaced pages. The application system will not allow statements longer than one page to be uploaded.
• On line 1: Personal Statement
• Do not include information in headers, footers, or margins.

Foreign Language Forms

Language requirements vary by country, so before starting the application you should review the specific language proficiency requirements of your selected award. You must possess the necessary language skills to successfully complete the project you are proposing.

For programs where language skills are required , you must complete the Language Self Evaluation form within the application, and register an individual to complete the Foreign Language Evaluation Form. The Foreign Language Evaluation Form is completed by a professional language teacher, preferably a university professor. 

Submission of both the Language Self-Evaluation portion of the application and Foreign Language Evaluation form is mandatory, even if you have advanced skills or are a native speaker of the language. The application system will not allow the submission of an application if a required Foreign Language Evaluation form is not registered.  Failure to submit the required language forms may affect your eligibility.

For programs where language skills are r ecommended or not required , if you possess some language skills relevant to the host country or proposed project, you should complete the Language Self Evaluation and submit a Foreign Language Evaluation Form. It will be beneficial to have your language ability documented, even if it is not required for the award. Remember, even if a country indicates that English will be sufficient for carrying out the proposed project, for purposes of engaging with your host community, at least a basic level of language skill should be obtained prior to leaving the United States for the host country.

For programs in countries where English is one of the national languages, you do not need to submit any foreign language forms unless a foreign language is required for your project.

If language proficiency is not required for the award and you have little or no knowledge of the language relevant to the host country but plan to acquire proficiency prior to the start of the grant, you may discuss your plans in the Language Self Evaluation. In this case, you should not obtain a Foreign Language Evaluation.

For Commonly-Taught Languages : The Foreign Language Evaluation should be completed by a professional language teacher, preferably a university professor. The language evaluator cannot be related to the applicant.

For Less-Commonly-Taught Languages : If a professional language teacher is not readily available, a college-educated native-speaker of the language can be used. The language evaluator cannot be related to the applicant.

Provide your language evaluator with the Instructions for Foreign Language Evaluators . You can print these out and discuss them with the person completing the form.

If you wish to have the same person complete both a recommendation and a Foreign Language Evaluation, you will need to register the person once for the recommendation and once for the Foreign Language Evaluation. Please check with your evaluator/recommender to ensure they receive the correct forms. If your evaluator/recommender is having issues accessing the forms, please instruct them to email [email protected] for assistance.

Recommendations

You must submit three recommendation letters as part of the application. The authors should be the three individuals who can best speak to your ability to carry out the project being proposed; they should discuss your intellectual and professional preparation, and your ability to represent the U.S. abroad. You should provide the recommender with a copy of your Statement of Grant Purpose before requesting the recommendation letter. The recommendation letter should NOT simply be a character reference, as this will be of no value in assessing your ability to complete the proposed project.

• Recommenders cannot be related to you. Do not submit recommendations from a parent, sibling, or other relative.
• Provide reference writers with copies of the Statement of Grant Purpose and the Personal Statement so that they can write well-informed recommendation letters.
• It is common courtesy to give recommenders at least 4-5 weeks to complete the recommendation letters.. Confirm with your recommenders that they can submit your recommendation letters within this timeframe, and ahead of the national deadline.
• You must register the recommenders in the online application system so that they can upload their recommendation letters directly into the application. When available, it is preferred you register your recommenders using their professional or institutional email address. Let your recommenders/evaluators know that they should be expecting an email message with the following information in the header:
• From:  Fulbright U․S․Student Program ([email protected])
• Subject:  Fulbright Recommendation for [Your Name]
• Recommendations must remain confidential. Applicants cannot upload recommendation letters on behalf of their recommenders, and recommenders should not share their recommendations with applicants.
• Recommendation letters should be on institutional letterhead, signed by the authors, and then uploaded into the online application system. Digital signatures are also acceptable.
• Provide your recommenders with the Instructions for Study/Research Recommendation Writers
• All recommendations must be written in English. If the original recommendation letter is written in a language other than English there must be an official English translation. Because the recommendation letter is confidential, the translation cannot be done by the applicant. Both the original recommendation letter and the English-language translation must be uploaded into the Fulbright application as a single document.
• After the recommendation is submitted, it cannot be edited. However, if there is a significant error and the recommender agrees to submit a revised recommendation, the following process must be followed:
• The deadline to request a letter be un-submitted is Friday, October 4, 2024 at 5:00pm Eastern Time.
• The recommender sends an email from the registered email account to [email protected] to request that the recommendation be un-submitted.
• The email to [email protected] must include the applicant’s full name and country of application.
• The recommender will need to allow at least 48 hours for the request to be implemented.
• Once the recommendation is un-submitted, the recommender can edit the recommendation and resubmit.
• All recommendations must be submitted by the application deadline, Tuesday October 8, 2024 . Late recommendation submissions are not accepted  under any circumstances.
• If a recommendation letter needs to be removed from the application after being submitted, the recommender must send an email from the registered email account to [email protected] to request that the recommendation be deleted from the application.

Note: Applicants and Fulbright Program Advisers cannot request that a recommendation be un-submitted.

Applicants can follow the status of the recommendation (In progress, Submitted) from the Applicant Status Page. Additional instructions and details on the submission of recommendations are available in the online application system.

Transcripts

The Fulbright Program requires a complete academic record of your higher education. You must provide transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions from which you received degrees. Transcripts must also be submitted from other institutions where you studied and received credit for coursework.

You may submit documentation of certificates (e.g.: non-degree programs) only if relevant to your Fulbright Grant Purpose․ However, do not submit extraneous documents as they will not enhance your application․

Failure to submit any required transcripts will result in your application being declared ineligible.

• You must upload one unofficial academic transcript from each post-secondary institution from which you received (or expect to receive) a degree. Additional transcripts should be uploaded for coursework and grades not reflected on degree-granting transcripts.
• If a degree is still in progress, you may upload a copy that shows the most recently completed semester.
• Make sure that the document that you submit clearly shows your name, the name of the institution , and appears as an academic record that is organized chronologically--with course dates, titles, credits, and grades. Screenshots of online academic portals (e.g. a course schedule) will not be accepted․
• Graduate-level students who do not include undergraduate transcripts will be considered ineligible.
• Consult the Transcript Upload Instructions page for more detailed information.

Ethical Requirements

Applicants proposing research involving human beings or animals as research subjects should have their projects vetted by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at their home institutions. Pending selection, grantees may also be required to obtain research clearance from the host country (where applicable). Strong letters of affiliation should include the host institution’s commitment to guiding the applicant through any in-country clearance processes.

At-Large applicants should conduct an individual ethics review ensuring that their proposed projects are consistent with ethical standards for research involving humans as research participants as outlined in the  National Guidelines for Human Subjects Research  (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Extramural Research, National Institutes of Health), and in the National Guidelines for Animal Welfare at the  National Institutes of Health’s Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare  or other applicable internationally recognized ethics guidance documents.

Human subjects research includes: 

• Clinical investigations (any experiment or study on one or more persons which involves a test product/article, whether a drug, treatment, procedure or device); 
• Social-behavioral studies which entail interaction with or observation of people, especially vulnerable populations (i.e., as minors, pregnant women, inmates, drug-users, the mentally impaired, displaced/refugee populations); and, 
• Basic scientific research to study the biology of animals, persons, or organs and specimens thereof. 

The most fundamental issues in studies involving human research subjects include: valid scientific questions and approaches; potential social value; favorable risk-benefit ratio; fair selection of study participants and an adequately administered informed consent process.

On the ‘Affiliation’ page of the application, applicants must note if their proposed project will involve activities that may require a license to practice and/or involve clinical training and/or patient care.

While IRB approval is not required at the time of application, individuals selected for grants must abide by all ethical requirements before commencing their research on human and/or animal subjects through a Fulbright award.

Study/Research Application Components Overview

Checklist For Academic Candidates

Download a PDF copy of the application checklist to use while you prepare your Fulbright application.

Starting The Application

• Contact the Fulbright Program Adviser at your school to discuss the campus application process and note any campus deadlines (pertains only to candidates applying through a U.S. institution).
• Carefully review the program summary for the country and award to which you are applying.
• Draft responses for the following required short answer questions: 1) Abstract/Summary of Proposal, 2) Host Country Engagement, 3) Plans Upon Return to the U.S.
• Draft a Statement of Grant Purpose that is feasible and culturally appropriate for the country of application.
• Identify a potential affiliation in the host country and make contact with an appropriate person there who might be able to serve as an adviser and who could write the Affiliation Letter for the Fulbright application. Provide the author of the affiliation letter with a copy of your Statement of Grant Purpose.
• If you are proposing a graduate degree program, review the admission requirements and application deadlines of the proposed host institution and program. Applicants proposing to pursue a graduate degree program must apply to the degree-granting program separate from their Fulbright application.
• Draft a Personal Statement that provides the screening committee members with a fuller picture of who you are and what has motivated you to pursue this Fulbright opportunity.
• Consult with professors and/or colleagues with background in the country to which you are applying or those who have expertise in the field of study of the proposed project.
• Solicit critiques on the draft Statement of Grant Purpose from professors, advisers, mentors, colleagues, etc., and make revisions as appropriate.
• Contact 3 individuals to write recommendations. These individuals should be those who can best speak to your ability to carry out the project being proposed. You should provide a copy of your Statement of Grant Purpose to each recommender. Allow enough time for the recommender to complete their recommendation before your institution’s campus deadline and/or national deadline.
• For candidates submitting Foreign Language Evaluations: Contact the professor or other professional foreign language instructor who will complete the Foreign Language Evaluation form for the application.
• Obtain transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended.

Before Submitting The Application

• Make any necessary revisions based on feedback from the Campus Interview Committee (pertains only to candidates applying through a U.S. institution).
• Check for typos—misspellings, capitalization errors, grammatical mistakes, etc.
• Make sure that all of the required fields on the Biographical Data pages have been filled in, including the Project Title and Abstract of Proposal sections.
• Check to make sure that the Statement of Grant Purpose, the Personal Statement, and the transcripts have been uploaded into the correct sections of the application.
• Confirm that recommenders and language evaluators are registered in the application system and have received the email link to complete the recommendation/evaluation. Applicants can submit their application before the recommendations/evaluations are submitted. After application submission and before the national deadline, applicants can log in to the application and resend email links.
• Preview the completed application in the Fulbright online application system by going to the Review page.
• Print a copy of the application for your records.

Fulbright Program

Global u | graduate school, main navigation.

• Statement of Grant Purpose Essay

Research Grant Guide

• Application Timeline and Deadlines
• Personal Statement
• Tips for Writing a Fulbright Personal Statement
• Tips for Writing a Fulbright Research Grant Proposal
• Short Answer Questions
• Letters of Recommendation
• Foreign Language Forms
• Transcripts and Supplementary Materials (Arts)
• Tips for a Better Interview
• Final Application Checklist
• Frequently Asked Questions

This 2-page, single space document outlines the Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How of what you are proposing for your Fulbright grant. If you are pursuing a research project, developing a strong, feasible and compelling project is the most important aspect of a successful Fulbright application. Design a feasible project: You must demonstrate that your research strategy is viable, including its content, methodology, and time frame.

Develop an intellectually compelling and feasible project: This is the most important factor in presenting a successful application. Program design varies from country to country and while some countries encourage applicants to incorporate coursework into a project, others prefer independent research. You should ensure that your Statement of Grant Purpose fits the program guidelines for the host country and award.

For applicants proposing independent research projects , address the following points:

• With whom do you propose to work?
• What do you propose to do?
• What is innovative about the research? What will this research contribute to the field/discipline?
• What are the specific research goals and methodologies?
• What is important or significant about the project?
• What contribution will the project make toward the Fulbright goal of promoting cultural exchange and mutual understanding?
• When will you carry out the project? Include a feasible timeline.
• Where do you propose to conduct your study or research? Why was this location(s) chosen?
• Why do you want to undertake this project?
• What are your qualifications for carrying out this project?
• Why does the project have to be conducted in the country of application?
• How will your project help further your academic or professional development?
• How will you engage with the host country community? Give specific ideas for civic engagement.

Design a feasible project: You must demonstrate that your research strategy is viable, including its content, methodology, and time frame.

Address the following points:

• How will the culture and politics of the host country impact the work?
• Will the resources of the host country support the project?
• Have you developed a connection with a potential adviser in the host country who has knowledge of the research topic and access to other appropriate contacts in the field?
• Do you have the requisite academic/field-specific background to undertake the proposed research?
• Do you have sufficient language skills for the project being proposed and to serve the basic purposes of the Fulbright Program? If not, how will you accomplish these goals? You should consider that, even if a country indicates that English will be sufficient for carrying out the proposed project, for purposes of Community Engagement, at least a basic level of language skill should be obtained prior to leaving the United States for the host country.
• What are your plans for improving your language skills, if they are not adequate at the time of application?
• Are there any possible sensitive topics or feasibility concerns that the project could provoke?

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• How to Write a Good Fulbright Proposal

Fulbright Grants: How to Write a Good Fulbright Proposal

All proposals,for scholarships, grants, or study programs,share a principal goal: persuading the readers that your project deserves their support. The best proposals anticipate the kinds of questions that a selection committee is likely to ask.

The Curriculum Vita. The c.v. for the Fulbright is really a personal statement. Think about the c.v. as an opportunity for the reader to get to know you as a person outside your paper record. Let them see who you are, how you came to be interested in the subjects you have pursued through school, and how you came to want to do the project you are proposing here. If you can, explain how you expect this work or creative project to help you prepare for the next few years of your life. This might include preparing you for graduate school, helping you learn or refine new skills (laboratory or creative), or giving you the opportunity to explore something you might want to pursue for a career or graduate program. See the advice elsewhere on this site for more information about writing personal statements.

The Project Proposal. Proposal formats vary, but they all need to be specific about your goals, methods, and preparation for the project. There are several important things to keep in mind as you structure your proposal: first and most important, your proposal is one of many that each reader will evaluate, so it must be clear, easy to read, and straightforward. If a reader cannot grasp pretty much right away what it is that you hope to do and how, your chances of funding are slim. The Fulbright proposal can go to about two pages typed and single-spaced, and you should use most of the space, but don't be so eager to cram in more information that you leave insufficient space between paragraphs or get creative with font size. Readers will resent being given eyestrain, and a proposal that is difficult to read may be harder to understand and therefore less likely to be recommended for funding.

Be careful to read the guidelines for proposals in case what you are planning will require particular information or supporting materials--arts applications, for example, may ask you to address specific questions in your application, as well as providing specific supplementary materials. Be very careful to inform your recommenders of any such peculiarities, as they may be expected to comment on certain things about you in writing your letters.

The basic components of the proposal are as follows:

A thesis paragraph summarizing your project. Include a sentence or so each on what you want to study and where, your sources and objectives, your methodology, and the broad significance of your work either to the field or to your own development. A well-written thesis paragraph will provide a snapshot of the entire project so that the reader can easily see what the important parts of the proposal are, and what they need to watch for in more detail as they continue reading.

A broad statement of your thesis topic. Before you get to the specifics of your project, you need to provide the reader with sufficient background on the subject to interest them in your project. You should discuss (briefly) other scholars' work on the subject, and cite statistics where useful, to indicate the magnitude of the problem and convince the reader that this is a subject worthy of further exploration. You will need to walk the dividing line between being academic enough to be convincing, and colloquial enough that an educated reader who is not familiar with your subject can understand why what you propose to do is worthwhile. This can be tricky and frustrating, and this is an area where outside readers can really help you (so try to get your application underway in plenty of time to show it to recommenders, peers, and the SAGA director).

Methodological statement. This is the core of your proposal, where you explain the specifics of how you will carry out your project. This is where you will need to convince readers that your project is well thought-out and feasible. What sources will you use, why, and how? What questions will you be asking of these sources? What is your timeline for carrying out the project? How adaptable are your method and your schedule in case things don't go as planned? How will you measure success? What will your final product be, if you have one? Please note that your product does not have to be something as concrete as a research paper: it can be a creative production, a series of popular articles, an object like a travel diary or a portfolio of sketches, or a greatly-increased knowledge base. It's up to you to be clear about what you will take away from this project, and how you will use it.

Defense of your project. Here is where you can respond in advance to the questions a critical reviewer might raise--don't give this section short shrift. The more effectively you can diffuse concerns as they arise, the more likely you are to be recommended to the host country for evaluation. Consider questions such as: do you have the appropriate (language or other) skills, and if not, are you in the process of acquiring them? Will you be able to gain access to the sources (human or other) you say you need? Is your project potentially sensitive or dangerous, and how are you prepared to respond to these challenges? Think hard about any other concerns that might be raised about your project by someone looking to exclude it--any weak spots--and address them here.

Student Academic Grants and Awards

Fulbright Scholar Proposal Specifics

• Components of a Fulbright Core application

Starting your Fulbright Scholar Proposal

Overview of the fulbright scholar program.

The Fulbright Scholar Program primarily provides opportunities for U.S. scholars to undertake teaching and research projects abroad for periods that range from a few weeks to twelve months. The program is sponsored by the United States Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by CIES (Council for International Exchange of Scholars), has opportunities for U.S. Scholars, Visiting Scholars, and U.S. Institutions.

The Fulbright Scholar program for U.S. Scholars has these awards

• U.S. Scholar Award 6-12 month stints to teach, conduct research, or do both in one host country.  This is the classic program that most people mean when they talk about “a Fulbright.”
• Fulbright Distinguished Scholar Awards Open to scholars who have more than seven years of experience in their discipline
• Postdoctoral Awards Similar to Core program, but oriented toward recently minted scholars (completed doctoral degree within previous five years) seeking to deepen expertise, acquire new skills, work with additional resources, and make connections with others in their fields.
• Global Scholar Award Stints ranging from 3 to 6 months of total time within one academic year or spread over two consecutive years to conduct advanced regional or trans-regional research and/or teaching in two or three countries in one or more regions.

Requirements and deadlines

Although the Fulbright Scholar Program is open to both academics and professionals, approximately 80 percent of available awards require a Ph.D. or terminal degree.

Applications to the flagship “Core” program are often due in early fall.

Applications to the 2023-2024 competition are due on Thursday, September 15, 2022.

Other programs have other deadlines.

Fulbright Specialist program

A few Carleton faculty and staff members have participated in the Fulbright Specialist Program , which makes short-term awards (ranging from 2 to 6 weeks) that promote linkages between U.S. scholars and professionals and their counterparts at host institutions in over 140 countries. Specialist applications are accepted at any time.

Finding the right Fulbright program and site

The Fulbright website’s Overview tab suggests that prospective applicants start by searching the Awards Catalog for interesting sites – countries, cities, and institutions. An “award,” in Fulbright parlance, is a single program in a specific country. Each “award” has at least one “grant” (i.e., a grant for a specific university or field), but many awards offer more than one grant (i.e., one grant at one university, another at a different university, a third at an NGO, et cetera). Fulbright’s “Our Awards” search page includes 410 “award” opportunities across more than 100 countries:

• Africa, Sub-Saharan: 35
• East Asia and the Pacific: 43
• Europe and Eurasia: 227
• Middle East and North Africa: 34
• South and Central Asia: 15
• Western Hemisphere: 58

Research in the award catalog can be supplementing with helpful online resources such as

• webinars – upcoming and past
• review criteria (click on left sidebar “Review process”; to learn more, view a short video about the Review and Selection Process )
• application steps and requirements
• application checklist (click on left sidebar “Application steps”)
• project statement samples

In addition, Charlotte Whited, Carleton’s Fulbright Liaison, can offer guidance with all aspects of the application process: [email protected], 507-222-5833.

Beginning a Proposal

All applicants must apply online. Refer to these application instructions .

The Grants Office staff can assist with selection of a Fulbright “award,” the formulation of an application, and the online submission of an application on the Fulbright Scholar Program Application Login page .

Components of a Scholar application

Teaching award components include.

• application form: refer to the application instructions
• project statement (3 to 5 pages, single-spaced, 12-point font size, 1-inch margins);  Project Statement – required for all applicants (for particulars, expand “Program Guidance for Project Statement”; can also view this Project Statement Guidance Video )
• CV/resume (up to 6 pages, single-spaced, 12-point font size, 1-inch margins) tailored to the award, including publications list; CV/Resume – required for all applicants (expand “CV/Resume” after clicking left sidebar “Application steps”)
• course syllabi (2 or 3 syllabi, up to 10 pages, single-spaced, 12-point font size, 1-inch margins)
• recommendation letters (2 required)
• possibly also a letter of invitation, language proficiency evaluation (click on left sidebar “Application steps” on the Scholar Program page ); and discipline-specific supplemental materials, such as a portfolio for applicants in the creative/performing arts

Research Award  applications require

• online application form: refer to the application instructions
• project statement (3 to 5 pages, single-spaced, 12-point font size, 1-inch margins); Project Statement – required for all applicants (for particulars, expand “Program Guidance for Project Statement”; can also view this Project Statement Guidance Video )
• bibliography (select, up to 3 pages, single-spaced, 12-point font size, 1-inch margins)
• possibly also a letter of invitation, language proficiency evaluation, and discipline-specific supplemental materials; refer to left sidebar “Application steps” on the Scholar Program page

Teaching/Research Award  applications include

• project statement (3 to 5 pages, single-spaced, 12-point font size, 1-inch margins);  Project Statement – required for all applicants  (for particulars, expand “Program Guidance for Project Statement”; can also view this Project Statement Guidance Video )
• CV/resume (up to 6 pages, single-spaced, 12-point font size, 1-inch; CV/Resume – required for all applicants (expand “CV/Resume” after clicking left sidebar “Application steps”)

Good resources are available, especially individuals with experience as Fulbrighters.

Carleton Fulbrighters

Larry Cooper , Political Science, Core Scholar in the Czech Republic, 2010 ( [email protected] , 507-222-4111)

Susan Jaret Mckinstry , English, Specialist in Communication in Russia, 2014 ( [email protected] , 507-222-4325)

Justin London , Music, Core Scholar in Finland, 2014, and the U.K. 2005-2006 ( [email protected] , 507-222-4397)

Tsegaye Nega , Environmental Studies, Teaching/Research Core Scholar in Ethiopia 2017-2018

David Tompkins, History, Lecturer/Researcher in Germany, 2009-2010 ( [email protected] , 507-222-4215)

Harry Williams , History, Core Scholar in China, 2011-2012 ( [email protected] , 507-222-5241)

What should I include in my project statement?

Address the following:

• What you propose to do
• How you propose to do it
• Why the project is important
• What benefits the project will produce for your host, your discipline, you, and your home institution (employer)

Above all, the project statement must answer the question, “Why Fulbright?” Explain the connection between your specific project (teaching, research, or teaching/research) and the Fulbright program, versus other sources of support for international study or travel. The Fulbright program is above all one that values international experience as a unique form of education and training. How does your project require such international experience, both generally (living and working outside the U.S.) and specifically (taking up a grant in a particular foreign site).

From whom should I obtain my letters of reference?

Fulbright staff recommend that the letters should be from those who know you and your work well (Refer to these instructions “For Recommenders”).

• One letter from a colleague or supervisor at your current place of employment. If your institution or employer recently changed, one of the letters should be from someone at your previous institution or employer.
• One letter from a colleague within your discipline. This can be can be someone outside of your current place of employment and can include colleagues with whom you have collaborated on research in the last several years in the U.S. or abroad.

If you have selected Teaching or Teaching/Research for your grant activity:

• One letter should be from an individual responsible for evaluating your teaching.

What is the best way to obtain a letter of invitation?

An applicant can obtain a letter of invitation to the host by any number of methods, from asking a colleague who works at the host site to “cold calling” an appropriate official there. The nature of the personal relationship is far less important than the impact of the Fulbright grant on both the American awardee and the host institution. The letter of invitation should above all speak to that impact! View Fulbright’s Letter of Invitation Guidance Video .

When and how will I be notified of an award?

Final notification, via letter and email, of an award occurs between January and June following the August submission, depending on the program. The review process is two-tiered: first by discipline then by country/region. Find a timeline tab on the Fulbright Scholar Program page .

I have more questions, where can I go for answers?

In addition to contacting Charlotte or the Carleton Fulbrighters (contact information above), look for the FAQ tab on this Fulbright Scholar Program page .

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Research proposal or statement of purpose.

Second only to the Personal Statement, is your Research/Project Proposal or Purpose Statement, which you can also expect to include in nearly every national scholarship or fellowship application.  And, you can certainly anticipate some variation of this particular kind of statement to be an expected part of your graduate school applications as well.  As with your Personal Statement, it needs to reflect something of you but with a much more specific focus on your academic plans and preparation.  A Purpose Statement will also be relatively short, at most two-pages in length, and is your opportunity to make a well-substantiated case for what you are proposing to do in the future. Most students will find the Purpose Statement, Research or Project Proposal surprisingly comfortable to write as opposed to the Personal Statement because it is expected that your Purpose Statement is written from a largely academic focus.  Your statement should include the following:

• A clear, early (as in the first sentence or two) introduction of what you intend to do and/or study;
• A well-substantiated (through your CV, transcripts, other essays, writing sample, and letters  of recommendation) case for your exceptional preparation for what you are proposing to pursue and/or study;
• A description of the institution, program, department, research group, faculty and resources that you are interested in being a part of and engaging with in your advanced studies.  Note: the more specific, the better.  It is appropriate, perhaps even expected, to name the individual faculty you would like to work with and make every effort to contact those individuals in advance of submitting your application.  Keep in mind that you are making a case for the following:
• Why you have to be at that particular location or institution;
• With whom you must study in order to be most successful in your efforts;
• What resources will support and sustain your efforts (research and lab facilities, archives, special collections, field-work opportunities, etc.

In short, try to convince your reader that what you are proposing to research or work on can only be done in that particular part of the world and that you, simply, must be there to be the most successful. 

As with your Personal Statement, the more time you devote to careful planning, thought, and writing, the stronger your Purpose Statement will be.  Make sure to ask your faculty mentors and advisors to review your Purpose Statement and/or Research Proposal as they will be able to best guide you in refining your subject and even providing you with further contacts and resources.  Give yourself time to revise, edit, and revise some more. 

NOTE: Some national scholarship and fellowship opportunities require an actual Research Essay ( Goldwater  and the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship ).  In this case, expect to submit a very detailed description of your undergraduate research efforts and how you expect to see the work continue in the coming years.  Successful Goldwater research essays often include graphs, charts, notes and bibliographies to give evidence not only to the quality of the research but also to the quality of the students’ ability to put it in writing. 

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program’s research- and study-grants also requires a similar effort in crafting a highly specific project-proposal based on what an applicant intends to pursue in a foreign country.  The proposal needs to be a specific and targeted articulation on research and project plans while still attending to the Fulbright’s ultimate concern of cultural exchange. 

Which program are you applying to?

Accepted Admissions Blog

Everything you need to know to get Accepted

October 2, 2022

Writing the Fulbright Statement of Grant Purpose as a Practical Document

During my time at the UCLA Scholarship Resource Center, I worked with several graduate students on the development of large grant proposals like the Fulbright. In that work, I noticed a tendency among humanities and social sciences students to overemphasize the intellectual value of their work in application materials. Repeatedly, I found myself making suggested edits to cut down on the “why does this matter?” sections, and requesting more information about “how you will accomplish your goals” in grant proposals.

In order to help my students I reflected on what I’d learned in the process of applying to Fulbright multiple times . One of the key realizations that I’d made is that the statement of purpose is primarily a practical document , rather than a theoretical one. When I clearly explained that the point of a statement of purpose is to explain how you plan to achieve your goals and develop answers to your research questions, my students gained new perspectives about how to describe their work.

How to write a practical document

The idea of crafting a practical document is often at odds with the way that scholarly writing is framed in graduate school, so teaching this aspect of grant writing has remained a sticky subject in my work.

Large grant organizations like Fulbright Foundation , the Social Science Research Council , and the U.S. Government, which offers Foreign Language Area Studies grants and Boren Awards , all provide doctoral funding that can support year-long international research projects. But, it’s very difficult for a student to justify spending so much time abroad with purely intellectual or theoretical reasons. Statements of purpose written for large grants are not the same as research proposals, prospectuses, or application materials for getting into graduate school. In most cases the reviewing committee members for such large grant applications are not likely to be experts in the field, so you do not need to provide an in-depth intellectual justification for your scholarship.

Instead, these kinds of committee members want you to convince them of the following:

• You are capable of justifying the overarching value of a yearlong international project to a variety of audiences.
• The project that you propose is feasible.
• You have the correct skillset to accomplish the goals you’ve set out for yourself during the project.
• You demonstrate the capacity to establish your own collaborative relationships and support networks while abroad.

My Fulbright story

Given how much I had to accomplish in a relatively short written text, the statement of purpose was the most intimidating document of the Fulbright application for me. This was especially the case because due to the timing of the Fulbright application cycle and the academic year in Brazil, which starts in January, every time I wrote my application materials I knew I would not be able to carry out my proposed project until a year-and-a-half after writing it. The winning proposal that I submitted to the Fulbright committee in October 2014 described a project that would not commence until February 2016. The mere element of time, let alone whether I’d even be granted the Fulbright, added an extra cloud of uncertainty to the project development and the writing process every time that I approached a new application cycle.

Fulbright statement of purpose lessons learned

By the third time that I put an application together, I embraced the uncertainties created by time, and learned some of the keys to mastering the grant writing process.

In my case, this document served multiple purposes as I composed it. At first, it was an incomplete project proposal that I sent to potential host institutions and future collaborators in Brazil. Through dialogues that I created by sending this initial draft to potential advisors, my statement of purpose evolved greatly.

In fact, many aspects of my project were still not pinned down when I started sharing my materials with individuals and institutions. Even though I wasn’t sure what my driving question was, or where I wanted to be primarily located, I put together a document that stated my expertise, experience, and desire to work in Brazilian archives of literatura de cordel , and that’s what I sent out.

Several people responded to my emails and initial drafts, and we set up Skype calls. As I engaged in additional correspondence, I quickly learned that multiple digitization initiatives had just received funding to process cordel at large institutions in Brazil. I had no prior knowledge of those initiatives until I began speaking with other archivists, and that’s when some of the most important aspects of my project, like “redistribution” and “accessibility” began to crystallize.

The evolution of the statement of purpose

Even with a flimsy first draft of the statement of purpose , my project developed in dialogue with the potential collaborators with whom I initiated contact, and the document grew stronger and more nuanced as a result of those dialogues. Once I had secured related letters of affiliation, I revisited the original statement of purpose and rewrote it as a practical document that reflected the resources and insights I accumulated through collaboration and dialogue. Basically, my application process began and ended with wildly different versions of the statement of purpose. Though there was a lot of uncertainty and transformation during the development of the project, I knew the Fulbright committee wanted to read a document that described the best possible outcomes of my proposed work.

It took more than six drafts for me to get to the final draft of my winning Fulbright statement of purpose, which is the version that I’ve shared and carefully analyzed in this post.

Statement of Grant Purpose

Rebecca Lippman, Brazil, Comparative Literature

Redistributing Popular Culture: Technology, Libraries and literatura de cordel

The oldest poems of the northeastern Brazilian tradition of literatura de cordel , or “literature on a string” (cordel) , were originally improvised as songs and performed by memory in public musical duels called cantoria de viola . But since the late 19th century, these poems have become most recognized as cheap, chapbook-like pamphlets printed with woodblock illustrations. In this printed form cordel has had an outsized impact on 20th century multimedia culture. Even today, contemporary artists, television shows, films and musicians often cite the characters, legends, melodies and visual iconography of the printed tradition. Several anthologies have also reproduced collections of the most popular narratives and illustrations associated with cordel . Despite this visibility, however, the majority of the world’s collections of original pamphlets have remained inaccessible to contemporary audiences. Steadily incorporated into international archival and library systems as objects of popular or folk culture in the second half of the 20th century, older pamphlets disappeared from public circulation just as new media like radio, television and film began to mass produce new iterations of the tradition. Several independent producers of cordel moved from the northeastern region of the country to the south and subsequently transformed what was once a more rural tradition into a recognizable national genre and an urban phenomenon. An essential consideration of literary archives, information science, public memory and cultural literacy, this project investigates the ways in which evolving technologies have had profound effects on the poetic narratives, graphic images and the cultural dissemination of cordel .

Much as technology has transformed notions of cordel throughout the 20th century, it has also allowed older pamphlets to be remembered, preserved and accessed. Currently, digitization initiatives are making selections of the older pamphlets fully available online, subsequently revealing complex relationships between authors, independent publishers, narratives, commercial advertisers and illustrators as they are embodied by the original texts. As a visiting scholar, I will conduct archival and information science research at the Universidade Estadual da Paraíba (UEPB), in Campina Grande. This work will contribute original research to my dissertation and subsequently enable me to digitize a selection of University of California at Los Angeles’ (UCLA) collection of cordel , thereby enhancing available resources and building critical dialogues between international library institutions about public access and digital initiatives.

As a fellow at the Center for Primary Research and Training at UCLA’s Special Collections (2012-13), I described and published an itemized Finding Aid for over 4,500 pamphlets of cordel . During that time, I became interested in the way that local radio stations and sound technology companies such as RCA Records and Phillips Sound impacted the visual, narrative and commercial content as well as the distribution of specific pamphlets. With that in mind, my research in the Brazilian archives will focus on identifying more examples of cordel that incorporate the presence of multimedia technologies between 1960-2000. Examples of such pamphlets include the liner notes for musician Ednardo’s 1973 album O Romance do Pavão Mysteriozo and a pamphlet entitled A verdadeira peleja do povão contra a inflação , which was composed in order to advertise Phillips home sound systems and Arapuã credit cards in 1984. Building a corpus of this type of pamphlet will allow me establish the relationship between poetic narratives of cordel and the instruments or technologies that redistribute them throughout the 20th century. By engaging in collaborative dialogues with the scholars who work in these archives, I will also be able to analyze the systems by which these previously hidden collections have been made more accessible to a variety of public audiences.

To complete this project, I will conduct archival research in three of the world’s largest and most diverse collections of cordel . Primarily based in the city of Campina Grande as a visiting scholar at UEPB during the academic year of 2016, I will work with the largest collection of cordel at the Átila Almeida Library under the supervision of Professor M. Professor M. has worked extensively with the digitization of cordel and her publications regarding the process of collecting and managing usable data about the items informed the initial stages of my work at UCLA. Through this collaboration I will both identify specific items of cordel and generate critical dialogues between the UEPB and UCLA collections. Also an expert in cordel and its incorporation into academic contexts through digital means, Professor I. has granted me access to 4000 items held at the Instituto de Estudos Brasileiros in São Paulo. For a period of a month I will learn about IEB’s new digital project for their cordel collection. Professor S., at the Fundação Casa Rui Barbosa (FCRB) in Rio de Janeiro has granted me access to 9000 items. FCRB has made the poetic content of over 2000 pamphlets available online. By spending six weeks spent in Rio de Janeiro, I will not only add to my corpus of sample pamphlets, but I will also learn from the librarians who manage FCRB’s associated online content.

By identifying and analyzing pamphlets that reflect upon transforming multimedia technologies I will create links between various areas of scholarship regarding Brazilian literary studies, literatura de cordel and Media studies. This critical work will serve as the crucial foundation for a dissertation that considers the literary, musical and multimedia reiterations of cordel in contemporary culture. Scholars such as Mark Curran and Candace Slater consider the historical content and the social practices that generate narratives of cordel . Later studies conducted by Rosilene Alves de Melo, Roberto Emmerson Câmara Benjamin and Alda Maria Siquieira Campos trace trajectories of cordel as individuals and institutions begin to use different production methods to target a variety of audiences. This project considers how graphic artists, authors and advertisers that participate in the composition of cordel actively incorporate the presence of technology in order to explore how this printed literary genre both influences and is influenced by changing methods of distributing popular culture in mass media during the second half of the 20th century. My work in the archives will foster collaborative relationships between international institutions and prepare me to digitize the only itemized collection of its size currently held in the US, thereby encouraging future scholarship regarding cordel and popular Brazilian culture.

Analysis of the argument – paragraph by paragraph

Paragraph 1.

Persuasive goal: Introduce the object of study (literatura de cordel) as a continuously transforming social, historical, technological, and literary phenomenon.

Evidence provided in paragraph:

• A brief description of cordel that includes only enough detail to make sure that a reader unfamiliar with my object of study has enough information to understand the value of my project and its contribution.
• Clear identification of the main historical problem surrounding cordel : inaccessibility of original documents to the public.
• Project goals: to investigate the ways in which evolving technologies have had profound effects on the narratives, images, and dissemination of cordel .

Paragraph 2

Persuasive goal: Explain the methods of investigation of the historical issue I’ve presented and for achieving my project goals during my time as a Fulbright Fellow.

• The consideration of ongoing digitization initiatives.
• Plans to conduct archival research in Campina Grande, Paraíba.
• Plans to digitize a portion of UCLA’s collection of cordel.
• Efforts to build critical dialogues between international library institutions.

Paragraph 3

Persuasive goal: Provide detailed evidence as to how my previous experiences have shaped my research questions equipped me with a skillset that will enable me to carry out my project.

a. Developed a Finding Aid for 4500+ items of cordel , thereby playing my part in making a hidden collection more accessible.

b. Built questions about radio stations, sound technologies, and companies that impacted the visual aspects of cordel .

c. Identified objects that I hope to find in other archives and incorporate in my research.

• Since I am both an expert in the object itself, and have worked carefully with systems through which previously hidden collections are made accessible to public audiences, I am able to engage in productive dialogues with other individuals who are working on the same issues and objects in Brazil.
• Though not referenced explicitly in this paragraph, three of my letters of recommendation speak directly to the accomplishments, experiences, and skillsets that I mention in this paragraph. I asked each recommender to focus closely on my contributions to one of the three major fields my project involves: library science, musicology, and Brazilian popular culture. There were, of course, plenty of other research experiences in my work history, but I only included those that were directly relevant to this project .

Paragraph 4

Persuasive goal: To clearly map out the specific locations and institutions that housed archives, resources, and collaborators I plan to engage with throughout my time in Brazil.

• Includes estimated timeline: majority of time based in Campina Grande, one month in São Paulo, and six weeks in Rio de Janeiro.
• This was the last paragraph that I finalized in the writing process of the proposal, and I built this paragraph in dialogue with my Brazilian affiliations.
• Every person or institution that I named in this paragraph wrote a Letter of Affiliation that is included in the application.
• Given its practical nature and clear support of the “feasibility” of the project, this is likely one of the most important paragraphs of the entire proposal.

Paragraph 5

Persuasive goal: To articulate the anticipated academic and non-academic impacts of the research I plan to conduct as a Fulbright Fellow.

a. Asking how cordel artists and poets responded to new technologies.

b. Questioning whether or not these same artists influenced how those technologies circulated within, were sold, and/or marketed to certain communities.

a. The digitization and accessibility of a U.S. collection of cordel .

b. Encouragement for students and scholars at United States institutions to study popular Brazilian culture.

Fulbright 2023-2024 Competition Deadline

Source: Fulbright website

Need help creating your clear, goal-oriented, practical document ? Need help navigating the grant writing or application writing process? Want to learn more about your graduate school or post-graduate research options? Learn how your Accepted advisor can help you achieve your educational and professional goals.

Student Affairs Advisor and scholarship expert, Rebecca has six years experience reviewing and editing large grant applications, research-based proposals, statements of purpose, personal statements and fellowship materials. Want Rebecca to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• How to Compose the Small Components of Large Grant Applications Like the Fulbright
• How to Write About Your Research Interests
• How to Write a Grant Proposal: 6 Tips for Winning the Big Bucks!

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Fulbright-Hays DDRA: How to write a successful proposal

Two information sessions are scheduled at UW–Madison for graduate students considering applying (or re-applying) for a dissertation research grant through the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA), administered through the U.S. Department of Education.

The sessions are Wednesday, November 7, and Thursday, November 15, from 4 to 5 p.m., in 336 Ingraham Hall.

General information about the program will be provided, but the focus of the sessions will be on the Technical Review and how to use it to write a successful proposal.

The U.S. Department of Education has introduced a competitive preference priority for students who have advanced training in one of 78 priority languages and are doing research in the fields of economics, engineering, international development, global education, mathematics, political science, public health, science, or technology.

All students in any field must have strong graduate course work in area studies relevant to their country of research. Students interested in applying for this grant are strongly encouraged to attend either session.

The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) program provides grants to colleges and universities to fund individual doctoral students who conduct research in other countries, in modern foreign languages and area studies for periods of six to 12 months. Projects that focus on Western Europe will not be considered.

To be eligible for this federally funded program, the applicant must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and and be enrolled in a PhD program at a U.S. institution.

Please review the information on the Department of Education website , ; and the Fellowships Office site, http://www.intl-institute.wisc.edu/fellow/ for details about the campus procedure.

A national application deadline has not yet been set; that information will first appear on http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister .

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How to Write a Research Proposal

How to write a research proposal for phd & masters | guidelines.

A research proposal is one of the core documents (writing samples) that you submit to the admission committee for a Master’s by research or PhD. Knowing how to write beautifully could be the deciding factor in your acceptance to your preferred university. This post will provide an overview of How to Write a Research Proposal for PhD & Masters Degree Program. You should follow the instructions below whether you are applying for a self-funded or studentship. However, it is critical to understand what a Research Proposal is.

Furthermore, a research proposal is a concise and coherent summary of the research you intend to conduct and It outlines the main issues or questions you intend to address. Also, It describes the general field of study in which your research falls, referring to current knowledge and any recent debates on the subject. It also shows the uniqueness of your proposed research.

The proposal, along with the Recommendation Letter and Motivation Letter, is the most important required document for the Scholarship that you submit as part of the application process. It allows you to demonstrate your aptitude for graduate-level research, for example, by demonstrating your ability to communicate complex ideas clearly, concisely, and critically. The proposal also assists us in matching your research interests with a suitable supervisor. You may also check: Personal Statement for Scholarship .

How long a Research Proposal should be?

A research proposal for PhD and Masters degree should be between 2,000 and 3,500 words (4 to 7 pages).

How to Write a Research Proposal?

Whether you are applying for an MPhil or a Ph.D. programme, your research proposal should typically include the following information:

• A short bibliography identifying the most relevant works for your topic should be included in the proposal.
• The proposal should typically be between 2,500 and 3500 words long. It is important to remember that different funding bodies may have different word limits.
• It should be 2,500-3,500 words long (4-7 pages).
• What should the research proposal include?
• Your proposal should include the following components given below.

Research Proposal Components(How to Write a Research Proposal)

The main components of a research proposal(How to Write a Research Proposal) are:

• Background.
• Proposed Method.
• Aims and Objectives.
• Research Significance.
• Research Questions.
• Bibliography.

Your title should clearly state your proposed research approach or key question.

2. Background

You should Include the following information:

• the background and issues of your proposed research.
• Determine your discipline.
• a brief review of the literature
• a synopsis of major debates and developments in the field

3. Proposed Method

Describe your proposed research method. Which may be closely related to your discipline and is where you will describe the style or format of your research, such as data, field research, composition, written work, social performance, and mixed media, among other things.

This is not required for scientific research, but your research supervisor can advise you on discipline-specific requirements.

4. Aims and Objectives

What are you hoping to accomplish with your research? What is the goal? This section should explain why you want to pursue a research degree. Are you filling a gap in current research? Do you want to investigate a theory further and put it to the test? Is there anything you want to prove or disprove? To help you clarify this, consider the possible outcome of your research if you were successful – that is your goal. Make sure this is a specific statement.

Also, your objectives will be a breakdown of your goal – the steps to achieving the desired outcome and they are the smaller proof points that will support the purpose of your research. Be logical in how you present these so that each succeeds the previous, i.e. if you need to achieve ‘a’ before ‘b’ before ‘c’, then order your objectives a, b, c.

5. Research Significance

The proposal should demonstrate the uniqueness of your proposed research. As a result, you should explain why your research is important (for example, by explaining how your research builds on and adds to the current state of knowledge in the field or by setting out reasons why it is timely to research your proposed topic).

6. Research Questions

Similarly, the proposal should outline the main goals and research questions that will guide your research. Take some time before writing your proposal to think about the key questions you want to answer. Many research proposals are too broad, so thinking about your key research questions is a good way to ensure that your project is narrow enough and feasible (i.e. one that is likely to be completed within the normal period for an MPhil or Ph.D. degree).

You should formulate these clearly, explaining what problems and issues will be investigated and why they are important.

7. Synopsis

A concise summary of your research topic. It outlines the key aspects of your investigation as well as the expected results. Also, It summarises the what, why, and how of your research and a good way to see if you’ve written an effective synopsis is to have someone read it without reading the rest of your research proposal. Would they be aware of the nature of your research?

8. Work plan

A work plan is an important part of your research proposal because it indicates the feasibility of completion within the timeframe and helps you achieve your goals throughout your degree.

So, consider the goals you want to accomplish at each stage of your research. A PhD or master’s degree in research can be completed in two to four years of full-time study. It might be useful to provide year one in detail and the subsequent years in broader terms. Finally, you must demonstrate that your research is likely to be both original and completed – and that you understand the time commitment.

9. Bibliography

You should include the following:

• a bibliography of key articles and texts discussed in your research proposal.
• a collection of sources relevant to the proposed research.

Conclusion (How to Write a Research Proposal)

Lastly, a research proposal should clearly and concisely present your idea or question, as well as the expected outcomes – the what. It should also explain why your question is important and what value it will add to your discipline – the why. What it should not do is answer the question; your research will do that.

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Home » How To Write A Research Proposal – Step-by-Step [Template]

How To Write A Research Proposal – Step-by-Step [Template]

Table of Contents

How To Write a Research Proposal

Writing a Research proposal involves several steps to ensure a well-structured and comprehensive document. Here is an explanation of each step:

1. Title and Abstract

• Choose a concise and descriptive title that reflects the essence of your research.
• Write an abstract summarizing your research question, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes. It should provide a brief overview of your proposal.

2. Introduction:

• Provide an introduction to your research topic, highlighting its significance and relevance.
• Clearly state the research problem or question you aim to address.
• Discuss the background and context of the study, including previous research in the field.

3. Research Objectives

• Outline the specific objectives or aims of your research. These objectives should be clear, achievable, and aligned with the research problem.

4. Literature Review:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of relevant literature and studies related to your research topic.
• Summarize key findings, identify gaps, and highlight how your research will contribute to the existing knowledge.

5. Methodology:

• Describe the research design and methodology you plan to employ to address your research objectives.
• Explain the data collection methods, instruments, and analysis techniques you will use.
• Justify why the chosen methods are appropriate and suitable for your research.

6. Timeline:

• Create a timeline or schedule that outlines the major milestones and activities of your research project.
• Break down the research process into smaller tasks and estimate the time required for each task.

7. Resources:

• Identify the resources needed for your research, such as access to specific databases, equipment, or funding.
• Explain how you will acquire or utilize these resources to carry out your research effectively.

8. Ethical Considerations:

• Discuss any ethical issues that may arise during your research and explain how you plan to address them.
• If your research involves human subjects, explain how you will ensure their informed consent and privacy.

9. Expected Outcomes and Significance:

• Clearly state the expected outcomes or results of your research.
• Highlight the potential impact and significance of your research in advancing knowledge or addressing practical issues.

10. References:

• Provide a list of all the references cited in your proposal, following a consistent citation style (e.g., APA, MLA).

11. Appendices:

• Include any additional supporting materials, such as survey questionnaires, interview guides, or data analysis plans.

Research Proposal Format

The format of a research proposal may vary depending on the specific requirements of the institution or funding agency. However, the following is a commonly used format for a research proposal:

1. Title Page:

• Include the title of your research proposal, your name, your affiliation or institution, and the date.

2. Abstract:

• Provide a brief summary of your research proposal, highlighting the research problem, objectives, methodology, and expected outcomes.

3. Introduction:

• Introduce the research topic and provide background information.
• State the research problem or question you aim to address.
• Explain the significance and relevance of the research.
• Review relevant literature and studies related to your research topic.
• Summarize key findings and identify gaps in the existing knowledge.
• Explain how your research will contribute to filling those gaps.

5. Research Objectives:

• Clearly state the specific objectives or aims of your research.
• Ensure that the objectives are clear, focused, and aligned with the research problem.

6. Methodology:

• Describe the research design and methodology you plan to use.
• Explain the data collection methods, instruments, and analysis techniques.
• Justify why the chosen methods are appropriate for your research.

7. Timeline:

8. Resources:

• Explain how you will acquire or utilize these resources effectively.

9. Ethical Considerations:

• If applicable, explain how you will ensure informed consent and protect the privacy of research participants.

10. Expected Outcomes and Significance:

11. References:

12. Appendices:

Research Proposal Template

Here’s a template for a research proposal:

1. Introduction:

2. Literature Review:

3. Research Objectives:

4. Methodology:

5. Timeline:

6. Resources:

7. Ethical Considerations:

8. Expected Outcomes and Significance:

9. References:

10. Appendices:

Research Proposal Sample

Title: The Impact of Online Education on Student Learning Outcomes: A Comparative Study

1. Introduction

Online education has gained significant prominence in recent years, especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This research proposal aims to investigate the impact of online education on student learning outcomes by comparing them with traditional face-to-face instruction. The study will explore various aspects of online education, such as instructional methods, student engagement, and academic performance, to provide insights into the effectiveness of online learning.

2. Objectives

The main objectives of this research are as follows:

• To compare student learning outcomes between online and traditional face-to-face education.
• To examine the factors influencing student engagement in online learning environments.
• To assess the effectiveness of different instructional methods employed in online education.
• To identify challenges and opportunities associated with online education and suggest recommendations for improvement.

3. Methodology

3.1 Study Design

This research will utilize a mixed-methods approach to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. The study will include the following components:

3.2 Participants

The research will involve undergraduate students from two universities, one offering online education and the other providing face-to-face instruction. A total of 500 students (250 from each university) will be selected randomly to participate in the study.

3.3 Data Collection

The research will employ the following data collection methods:

• Quantitative: Pre- and post-assessments will be conducted to measure students’ learning outcomes. Data on student demographics and academic performance will also be collected from university records.
• Qualitative: Focus group discussions and individual interviews will be conducted with students to gather their perceptions and experiences regarding online education.

3.4 Data Analysis

Quantitative data will be analyzed using statistical software, employing descriptive statistics, t-tests, and regression analysis. Qualitative data will be transcribed, coded, and analyzed thematically to identify recurring patterns and themes.

4. Ethical Considerations

The study will adhere to ethical guidelines, ensuring the privacy and confidentiality of participants. Informed consent will be obtained, and participants will have the right to withdraw from the study at any time.

5. Significance and Expected Outcomes

This research will contribute to the existing literature by providing empirical evidence on the impact of online education on student learning outcomes. The findings will help educational institutions and policymakers make informed decisions about incorporating online learning methods and improving the quality of online education. Moreover, the study will identify potential challenges and opportunities related to online education and offer recommendations for enhancing student engagement and overall learning outcomes.

6. Timeline

The proposed research will be conducted over a period of 12 months, including data collection, analysis, and report writing.

The estimated budget for this research includes expenses related to data collection, software licenses, participant compensation, and research assistance. A detailed budget breakdown will be provided in the final research plan.

8. Conclusion

This research proposal aims to investigate the impact of online education on student learning outcomes through a comparative study with traditional face-to-face instruction. By exploring various dimensions of online education, this research will provide valuable insights into the effectiveness and challenges associated with online learning. The findings will contribute to the ongoing discourse on educational practices and help shape future strategies for maximizing student learning outcomes in online education settings.

About the author

Muhammad Hassan

Researcher, Academic Writer, Web developer

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Fully Funded Scholarships 2024-2025

Research Proposal Writing

Research proposal writing in 2024 | format, elements & guidance.

One of the main documents (sample documents) that you submit to the admission committee for a research-oriented doctoral or master’s degree is the research proposal. Your ability to write elegantly could be the difference between getting into your dream school or not. An overview of how to write a research proposal for a PhD or master’s program and format of Research Proposal Writing in 2024 will be given in this article. You should follow the instructions provided below whether you are applying for a scholarship or applying on your own. But it’s important to know what the research proposal is.

A research proposal also identifies the main issues or topics you intend to research and provides a concise and coherent summary of the research you intend to undertake. It also describes the broad research area your research addresses, using recent discussions and cutting-edge information. Similarly, It also shows how unique the research you are proposing is. The proposal is the most important document you will submit during the scholarship application process, along with your cover letter and letters of recommendation. It allows you to demonstrate that you are capable of carrying out research at a higher level, for example by demonstrating your ability to communicate difficult concepts rigorously, concisely and effectively. This recommendation also helps us find a qualified supervisor who shares your research interests.

A strong research proposal is necessary to convince the reader of the project’s value. Also, demonstrate the candidate’s capacity to complete it. In order to meet the objectives, the proposal needs to have a clearly defined research approach. Further, the addition of unnecessary material confuses readers and could lead to rejection; the proposal needs to stay on topic; quality research proposals prioritize the selection of qualitative sources to support statements above and avoid including unnecessary material in order to increase word count [Ref 1, 2, 3]. You may also check: How to Write a Research Proposal ?

Sections and Format of a Research Proposal

The following guide aims to make clear how to construct a coherent research proposal by highlighting the essential elements that must be present. The following sections should include in a thorough study proposal. The document’s title, abstract, introduction, goals statement, literature review, research methodology, research plan, budget estimates, research team information, funding sources, acknowledgements for collaboration, funding sources, and references are all included. Each element plays a crucial role in providing a coherent and convincing case for the intended research.

A clear, brief title that communicates the substance of the subject matter is the primary step in composing a awesome research proposal. A exhaustive and total writing survey that clarifies the inquire about subject, destinations, and noteworthiness of the study should include within the presentation. The most issues ought to be secured in this segment, beside setting the scene for the expecting examination. In order for the peruser to assess the proposal’s esteem and practicality, it must cover all germane viewpoints of the consider issue.

To create beyond any doubt the proposal incorporates the foremost later logical information. Scholars ought to remain up to date on industry patterns and language. It is additionally essential to clearly state the ponder plan. This includes choosing in case the ponder will be informative, which points to get it cause-and-effect connections, or clear, which endeavors to precisely speak to the qualities of a wonder. To form beyond any doubt the methods and objectives are in line with the by and large inquire about arrange, the chosen consider plan ought to be duplicated all through the proposal. [5].

Research Proposal Writing in 2024-2025 for Scholarships

When preparing a research proposal, particularly for scholarships in 2024. It’s important to include six critical factors regardless of your study subject or methodology:

• Justification for Research : Explain why you believe your selected topic warrants examination.
• Findings Significance :Highlight the possible relevance or importance of your study findings.
• Research Methods: Outline the approaches you want to use in your investigation.
• Research Objectives: State clearly what your research wants to achieve.
• Anticipated Challenges: Determine what hurdles you may meet and how you intend to overcome them.
• Funding Needs: Specify the budgetary needs for carrying out your research.

Outline and Elements of Research Proposal

Research Proposal Writing for any type of project, such as academic studies in educational settings, grant funding applications, or persuading an organization to conduct a scientific study. Also, it is vital to begin with a clear understanding of the proposal’s main idea and purpose. This essential grasp shapes your proposal’s framework. The 13 components listed below provide the entire foundation for a wide research project. Some of these pieces may altere or eliminated in line with specific needs and requirements.

• Title: A short and informative title for the investigation.
• Abstract : The abstract includes an outline of the proposal’s major aims and methods.
• Keywords: Relevant adjectives that capture the study’s primary themes.
• Introduction:  An introduction should include a thorough summary of the study topic, its relevance, and background.
• Statement of Objectives: The statement of objectives clearly explains both the project’s aims and the research goals.
• Literature Analysis :: A literature review is a study of previous research pertinent to the subject that indicates how the concept is rooted in existing knowledge.
• Research Methodology: A thorough examination of the methodology and approaches to be employed during the research.
• Research Plan : A research plan is a thorough plan that outlines the methods and timeline for the research process.
• Budget: An estimated budget is a financial plan that includes all predicted expenses and resources.
• Research Team Details: Details about the study team members, including their roles and qualifications.
• Funding Source: assistance Identify existing sponsors or future sources of help.
• Coworker Acknowledgments: Recognising those who helped and contributed to the study.
• References: A complete list of all sources cited in the proposal, collected in accordance with the applicable academic requirements.

Finally, a Research Proposal Writing should express your theory or inquiry in a concise and unambiguous manner, as well as the expected findings. It should also justify the relevance of your research and the advantages it will provide to your field of study. It should not seek to propose a solution; this will come from your research.

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Fulbright U.S. Student Program information sessions for graduate students

Graduate students are invited to learn more about research funding available via the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. The program funds up to a year abroad to conduct research, engage in a program of study, or teach English. Graduate students from all disciplines and levels of study are encouraged to attend for an overview of the awards, eligibility, selection criteria and application process. 

For more information and to submit visit:

Fulbright U.S. Student Program

Deadlines for 2025-26

Interested applicants are required to submit all drafts by the listed deadlines. All deadlines are 5 p.m. Eastern Time.

• May 31 – Deadline to submit interest form
• June 11 – Outline of application essays - Statement of Grant Purpose, Personal Statement, and Program Information short essays (abstract, host country engagement, plans upon return to the U.S., and previous international experience) due to Laura Pearce
• July 9 – Full drafts of Statement of Grant Purpose, Personal Statement, and Program Information short essays (abstract, host country engagement, plans upon return to the U.S., and previous international experience) due to Laura Pearce
• July 25 – Second full drafts of Statement of Grant Purpose, Personal Statement, and Program Information short essays due to Laura Pearce
• August 13 – Campus Deadline. Update all application components in the  IIE Online Application portal and lock the application for review (lock only, do not submit )
• Early to Mid-September – Campus committee consultations
• September 25 – Revised drafts of all components due
• October 3 - Final campus deadline. Submit application in online portal
• October 8, 2024 – National deadline

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UC National Laboratory Fees Research Program 2025

The UC National Laboratory Fees Research Program announced two funding opportunities for 2025: Collaborative Research and Training Awards and UC-NL Graduate Fellowships. Apply now for this great opportunity!

The UC National Laboratory Fees Research Program (LFRP) sponsors innovative research, fosters new collaborations between UC faculty and national laboratory scientists, and provides unique training opportunities for UC graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.

UC Multicampus-National Lab Collaborative Research And Training Awards

The UC Multicampus-National Lab Collaborative Research and Training Award advances genuine engagement among faculty, laboratory scientists and students from multiple disciplines across UC campuses and Lawrence Livermore, Los Alamos and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories. Research partnerships support cutting edge and collaborative approaches that generate new knowledge and take advantage of the unique capacities and facilities available through the collaborating institutions; provide meaningful training and research engagement for UC students, and post-doctoral scholars; and enhance UC’s system-wide competitiveness for extramural support in research areas of strategic importance to UC and the national labs.

UC National Lab In-Residence Graduate Fellowships

The University of California, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have a close, long-standing and strategically important collaborative relationship that offers graduate students unique research, training, and career development opportunities. The UC National Laboratory Fees Research Program is leveraging that relationship by offering a competitive Fellowship award that provides up to three years of support for Ph.D. candidates who wish to conduct thesis research on-site at LANL or LLNL.

• Letters of Intent (LOI) due: Thursday, May 23, 2024 at 12:00pm (PST)
• Notification of LOI outcome decision: Thursday, June 6, 2024
• Full proposals due: Thursday, August 1, 2024 at 12:00pm  (PST)
• Notification of review outcome: Wednesday, December 4, 2024 (expected)
• Award start date: Saturday, March 1, 2025
• Letters of Intent (LOI) due: Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 12:00pm (PT)
• Notification of LOI outcome decision: Friday, June 14, 2024
• Full proposals due: Thursday, September 5, 2024 at 12:00pm (PT)
• Notification of review outcome: Friday, December 13, 2024 (expected)
• Graduate Fellowship start date: Tuesday, April 1, 2025

AWARD, ELIGIBILITY, & DETAILS

Varies per award. Visit UC National Laboratory Fees Research Program for more information.