The Fulbright Program announced that USC is a top-producing institution for U.S. Fulbright Students and Scholars for the 2023 through 2024 academic year on Feb. 6. This is the second year in a row that USC was listed as a top producer for Fulbright Students.
For the 2023-2024 cycle, 17 recent graduates and alumni from USC were selected as Fulbright Students, and 14 accepted their grants. USC also produced nine Fulbright Scholars, six of whom (five faculty members and one doctoral candidate) accepted their grant.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is dedicated to graduating students, recent graduates and others beginning their research careers. Recipients are provided grants to pursue graduate studies, conduct research and teach English abroad.
The Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program similarly provides grants, but is geared toward faculty members and researchers who are further into their careers. Grantees are provided opportunities to teach, conduct research and pursue professional projects abroad.
Artists and doctoral candidates can apply to either program.
The program, run by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, provides students and faculty with opportunities to participate in cross-cultural exchanges through research and education. Recipients can use their grants to go abroad to various countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia and the Americas.
“I think we have a super diverse set of students who are really passionate about what they do,” said Nayanika Kapoor, a USC alumnus and 2020 Fulbright grantee. “I’ve had pre-med friends do Fulbright, alongside music majors, alongside English majors, alongside political science students — and USC makes the Fulbright process accessible to people from all different departments.”
Part of USC’s success can be attributed to its Fulbright factory mentors who assist students and faculty through the application process.
“USC does so well because of the strong mentors along the way; [because] students choose to apply early to opt into the campus process which entails meeting faculty going over drafts, being in like a mock interview kind of setting — a feedback committee,” Katie Capra, manager, Academic Honors and Fellowships said.
The Fulbright process at USC starts with information sessions. In April, students have the opportunity to participate in writing workshops and Trojan Fulbright alumnus share their experiences with students.
“The kinds of opportunities that Fulbright gives people to be immersed in another culture and do it for a whole year — and they pay you — is so crazy. And that just sounded really cool to me,” Trinity Yang, a recent USC graduate and current Fulbright Student who teaches English to elementary schoolers in Taiwan, said. “And I hope that more people can do stuff like this too. And I think the USC fellowships office is super, super, super helpful. For anybody who’s interested.”
Capra said that students typically begin writing their application essays during their junior year, producing multiple drafts with the help of the writing workshops. In the fall of a student’s senior year, they meet with a faculty committee that provides feedback on their application.
“I kind of call it the Fulbright train. It’s always moving, and wherever a student is ready to hop on, they’re welcome to,” Capra said.
For Yang, Fulbright’s cross-cultural mission has provided an opportunity to reconnect with her roots in Asia.
“[Fulbright has] been especially amazing for me personally because Taiwan is where my mom grew up and, also, my dad is from China,” Yang said. “I feel very culturally close to where I am right now. And I’ve been really able to connect with the people around me, the culture, the food and other things have been really cool, too, like developing my own connection to Taiwan while learning about the world overall.”
While the 2024-2025 Fulbright cycle has closed, students interested in applying for the 2025-2026 cycle can register for a presentation session on March 26 to learn more about the different programs, the application process and more.
Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Fulbright named USC as a top-producing institution for students and scholars for a second year in a row, when it is the second year in a row only for Fulbright students. USC received this distinction for students and scholars only this year. These errors in the headline and body were on the part of the editors and this information was corrected on Feb. 14, 2024.