Fulbright Scholarship Program for Citizens of Afghanistan into Master degree for 2021-2022

The U.S. Embassy is pleased to announce the 2021-2022 Fulbright Graduate Fellowship Program for citizens of Afghanistan to pursue a fully-funded Master’s degree in the United States.  The Fulbright Graduate Fellowship pays for up to two years of graduate study in the United States to earn an MA, MS, MBA/MPA, LLM or similar graduate degree.

Deadline: 28 February 2020

Course level

• Master degree

Benefits of scholarship

• Tuition fee
• Monthly stipend to cover living expenses at their host institution
•  roundtrip transportation
• health benefits

Eligibility

• Applicants must be Afghan citizens with a permanent residence in Afghanistan.
• Applicants must have a four-year bachelor’s degree (first university) by Spring 2020 and a strong academic background as demonstrated by their academic transcripts and references
• Applicants must score a minimum of 79 on the Internet-based TOEFL exam or a minimum of 6.5 IELTS and submit their score with their Fulbright application
• Applicants must submit two application essays: 1) a Personal Statement and 2) a Statement about Study Research Objectives. Both statements should contain clear goals, well-reasoned statements describing why they selected the academic field of study, and how their academic plans contribute to their long-term professional goals
• Applicants must present three letters of recommendation, usually two academic and one from an employer

Note: Please note that if you have a three-year bachelor’s degree from any country with three-year degrees, for example, from some universities of India, you must either have a four-year Indian bachelor’s degree or completed an Indian master’s degree, if the bachelor’s degree is of less than four years’ duration. Applicants graduating in fall 2019 or earlier who make it to the interview stage will be required to bring attested transcripts and diplomas to the interview; applicants graduating in spring 2020 will be required to bring transcripts and a letter from their Registrar confirming that they are expected to graduate by May 2020

Ineligibility

• Persons who will not have graduated in Spring 2020
• Persons with a dual U.S./Afghan nationality or those having a spouse, parent, fiancé or child over 18 years of age who is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
• Employees of U.S. government agencies such as the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Agency for International Development.
• Persons who have a pending application for immigration to any country (this includes Special Immigrant Visas).

Application Requirements

Interested applicants must submit a complete application by February 28, 2020 the complete application package must be attached in one single e-mail message

• One editable PDF version of the application.
• Three academic or professional letters of recommendation; two academic and one from an employer is recommended.
• Two application essays
•  Personal Statement and
•  Study Research Objectives
• One Adobe Acrobat PDF file that includes the entire application and the aforementioned supporting documents.

Eligibility Review

• Completed a four-year Bachelor’s Degree, or if an applicant holds a three-year degrees, for example, from some universities of India, must either have a four-year Indian bachelor’s degree or completed an Indian master’s degree, if the bachelor’s degree is of less than four years’ duration by spring 2020.
• Has an official TOEFL iBT test score of at least 79 or 6.5 in IELTS.
• Holds Afghan citizenship.
• Does not hold U.S. citizenship or lawful permanent residency in another country.
• Maintains a permanent residence in Afghanistan.
• Does not have a pending application to immigrate to any country.
• The following persons are ineligible for grants during and for a period ending one year following the termination of such employment, association, or service.

 Application Review and Interview Selection

The application materials of any applicant who is found technically eligible will then be thoroughly reviewed by a review panel from the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.  The panel will evaluate and rank applicants on the following areas:

• Quality of academic proposal and relevance of proposed study to achieving professional goals
• Demonstrated leadership qualities and leadership potential
• Volunteer experience and/or community involvement
• Work experience
• Educational experience
• Writing ability and content
• Commitment to helping Afghanistan
• TOEFL iBT or IELTS Score

What asking in interview day

During the interview, applicants will be asked detailed questions about their proposed course of academic study, motivations for study in the United States, experience and qualifications, and will be evaluated on their English speaking and comprehension, as well as their ability to speak clearly, broadly, and intelligently on the following main topics:

• The applicant’s goals (professional, academic, and personal).
• How the Fulbright experience will support the applicant’s goals.
• How the applicant’s Fulbright experience will help Afghanistan.
• How the applicant’s prior experience has prepared him or her for Fulbright.

All applicants will be ranked by the total scores they received during the Application Review, Interview, and Essay stages.  The highest ranked applicants for the Master’s program will be nominated by the U.S. Embassy as finalist candidates.

How to apply

Submit the application.  You must submit the completed application package and supporting documents by the deadline; late applications will not be accepted.  There are no exceptions

Download application form:  Application (PDF 3MB)

Submit Your Application Package to: [email protected]

For more information please visit the U.S Embassy: https://af.usembassy.gov/