Last updated June 15, 2022
If you are a mid-career professional seeking to complete research in another country, you might consider applying for a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award. Presenting a huge array of opportunities for terminal degree holders and scholars, fellows can embark on a research project or teach at universities in over 140 countries. Fellows come from all disciplines and must be US citizens.
Fulbright awards can be highly competitive, with some countries having very small award rates. However, there is good news! There are many lesser-known and equally exciting international fellowships that also provide opportunities all over the world. If you’re applying for a Fulbright grant, you could re-purpose your application documents to apply for these unique and prestigious programs.
This list of Fulbright Scholar alternatives showcases 30 international fellowship opportunities for established scholars. If one of these programs sounds like a great fit for you, be sure to bookmark it to your ProFellow account!
ACMS Field Research Fellowship Program
The American Center for Mongolian Studies is inviting applications to conduct field research in humanities, sciences and social sciences, for at least 6 weeks in Mongolia. Fellows must be US citizens with at least a bachelor’s degree and currently enrolled or employed at a university or college. The projects will be conducted between May and October with a up to $4,000 award given with additional funding for travel. The goal of the fellowship is to assist as many researchers as possible to participate in a field research experience in Mongolia.
American Academy in Berlin Prize
The Academy welcomes applications from emerging and established scholars, writers, and professionals who wish to engage in independent study in Berlin. Approximately 24 Berlin Prizes are conferred annually. Past recipients have included historians, economists, poets and novelists, journalists, legal scholars, anthropologists, musicologists, and public policy experts, among others. Fellowships are typically awarded for an academic semester or, on occasion, for an entire academic year. Bosch Fellowships in Public Policy may be awarded for shorter stays of 6-8 weeks. Benefits include round-trip airfare, partial board, a $5,000 monthly stipend, and accommodations at the Academy’s lakeside Hans Arnhold Center in the Berlin-Wannsee district. Fellowships are restricted to individuals based permanently in the U.S.
ASF Fellowships for Americans in the Nordic Countries
The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) offers year-long fellowships of up to $23,000 and short-term (1-3 months) fellowships of up to $5,000 to graduate students (preferably conducting dissertation research) and academic professionals interested in pursuing research or creative-arts projects in the Nordic region (Denmark, Greenland, Faroe Islands, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sámpi, and Sweden). ASF’s award program for study and research abroad has been the Foundation’s most long-standing commitment to educational exchange. Awards are made in all fields.
American-Scandinavian Foundation Grants
The American-Scandinavian Foundation (ASF) offers grants (up to $5,000) to individuals to pursue research, study or creative arts projects in one or more Scandinavian countries for 1-3 months. Grants are considered especially suitable for post-graduate scholars, professionals, and candidates in the arts to carry out research or study visits. Applicants must be United States citizens or permanent residents. Candidates must have at least some ability in the language of the host country.
APS/British Academy Fellowship for Research in London
Since 1933, the American Philosophical Society (APS) has awarded small grants to scholars in order to support the cost of research leading to publication in all areas of knowledge. The APS offers an exchange postdoctoral fellowship for a minimum of 1-2 months’ research in the archives and libraries of London. This award includes travel expenses between the United States and the United Kingdom and a monthly subsistence paid by the APS. Applicants are expected to have a doctorate or to have published work of doctoral quality. Funding is offered up to a maximum of $6,000.
APS/Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities Fellowship for Research in Edinburgh
In collaboration with the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh, the APS offers a visiting fellowship of between 2-4 months for research in Edinburgh in any aspect of the humanities and social sciences. This award includes travel expenses between the United States and the United Kingdom, a private office, library and research facilities at the IASH, and a monthly subsistence paid by the APS. Travel expenses and the monthly subsistence amount will not exceed a maximum of $6,000.
ARIT Fellowships in Humanities and Social Sciences
The ARIT fellowships support research in Turkey for the academic year. Scholars and advanced graduate students engaged in research on ancient, medieval, or modern times in Turkey, in any field of the humanities and social sciences, are eligible to apply. Non-U.S. applicants who reside in the U.S. or Canada are expected to maintain an affiliation with an educational institution in the U.S. or Canada.
Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellowships
The Azrieli International Postdoctoral Fellowship supports the best and brightest minds in their postdoctoral research, connecting them with world-class academics and leading researchers. The fellowship provides generous funding for eligible international applicants to conduct research in any academic discipline at accredited institutions in Israel, a country long recognized for outstanding achievements in research and higher education. The fellowship is open to candidates who have received, or will receive, their PhD at a recognized university in the EU or EFTA states, UK and Canada.
BAEF Study and Research Fellowships in Belgium
The Belgian American Educational Foundation (B.A.E.F.) encourages applications for fellowships for advanced study or research during one academic year at a Belgian University or institution of higher learning. The B.A.E.F. will award up to ten fellowships as outright non-renewable grants carrying a stipend of $27,000 for Master’s or Ph.D. students and $32,000 for Post-doctoral Fellows. Applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Applicants must also either be registered in a graduate program towards a Ph.D. or equivalent degree in the U.S., plan to register in a graduate program (Master’s or Ph.D.) in Belgium, or currently hold a Master’s, Ph.D., or equivalent degree.
Bellagio Residency Program: Academic Writing
The Bellagio Residency program in Italy offers researchers in the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and other academic disciplines a serene setting conducive to focused, goal-oriented work. Residencies last between 2-4 weeks. The Center has a strong interest in proposals that align with the Foundation’s work to expand opportunities and to strengthen resilience for poor or vulnerable people, in particular projects relevant to the Foundation’s core issue areas: Advance Health, Revalue Ecosystems, Secure Livelihoods, and Transform Cities. Room and board are provided to all residents and their spouses/partners.
Berlin Program for Advanced German and European Studies Fellowships
The Program supports North American scholars in all social science and humanities disciplines, including historians working on modern and contemporary German and European history. Applicants must be U.S. or Canadian nationals or permanent residents who are either full-time graduate students who have completed all coursework required for a Ph.D. or have received their doctorates within the past two calendar years. Awards provide between 10 and 12 months of research support and a generous travel allowance for intra-European research.
European Commission: Individual Fellowships
The goal of the Individual Fellowships is to enhance the creative and innovative potential of experienced researchers, wishing to diversify their individual competence in terms of skill acquisition through advanced training, international and inter-sectoral mobility. There are options to research and contribute to innovation in a European context and reintegrate researchers that have worked in Europe before. Fellowships last 18-24 months and some require a mandatory return to a European host country of 12 months after research is conducted.
Fellowship Program for International Postdoctoral Researchers
The Council for Higher Education in Israel and the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities are seeking top young recent PhD graduates to take on a postdoctoral position with leading scientists and scholars in Israel on cutting-edge research in all fields of science, social science and humanities. The fellowship is open to international candidates who have received a PhD from a recognized higher education institution outside of Israel less than 4 years from the time of application. Fellows will be awarded for two years the amount of 160,000 NIS (~$47,000) per year.
Gandhi Research Foundation Fellowship
Applications are invited by the Gandhi Research Foundation (GRF), Jalgaon, Maharashtra, India, for a Residential Research Fellowship Program. This initiative is open to scholars, activists, social workers, and public figures for the purpose of conducting intensive applied research (for 3-6 months, extendable) to underscore the relevance of Gandhian solutions for tackling contemporary problems and crises. The fellows will focus on one, or at the most two, of the thrust areas, which are: rural regeneration, economic sustainability, skill development, employment creation and the promotion of health and nutrition, or alternatively, on a Gandhian topic of contemporary relevance. Free board & lodging are provided along with a monthly stipend (Rs. 15000 – 30000) depending on the candidate’s qualifications.
Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship
Outstanding scientists from outside TUM, who intend to explore innovative, high-risk topics in their scientific research areas together with a TUM Research Group are eligible for a TUM-IAS Hans Fischer Senior Fellowship. The TUM-IAS awards up to 5 Hans Fischer Senior Fellowships each year. The Fellowships last 3 years, of which Fellows are expected to stay at TUM in Munich, Germany for 9 months. Fellows receive an award of 60,000 EUR plus 50,000 EUR for travel, housing and research. Additional funding of up to 50,000 EUR is available on an as needed basis. In addition, Fellows receive support for one doctoral candidate at TUM for 3 years.
Jean Monnet Fellowship
The Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies in Florence, Italy offers fellowships to scholars who have obtained their doctorate at least 5 years before the start of the fellowship. During their stay at the RSCAS, fellows work on a research topic that fits well in the overall research profile of the RSCAS (Integration, Governance and Democracy; Regulating Markets and Governing Money; and 21st Century World Politics and Europe) and participate in the academic life of the Centre and of the EUI. Jean Monnet Fellowships have a duration of 1 year, renewable once.
MIF Research Fellowship Program
The Matsumae International Foundation’s Research Fellowship Program was created to deal with national egoism and help nations move toward world peace. The fellowship is particularly geared toward enhancing Japan’s foreign relations with other nations and ensuring the preservation of mankind. Fellowships are for 3-6 months of research in Japan with an institution of the fellow’s choosing. Fellows must hold a PhD, be over 49 years old and have an interest in solving major problems facing humanity. Fellows in the fields of science, engineering and medicine will be given first priority.
Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Fellowship
The ODI Fellowship Scheme is a two-year fellowship for high caliber postgraduate economists and statisticians to gain practical work experience in a developing country. The ODI Fellowship Scheme is open to candidates of all nationalities who have a master’s degree or PhD in economics, statistics or a related field. Fellows are selected and appointed by ODI, but they then become employees of the governments or public bodies for which they work. Fellows received a salary, travel expenses, a monthly supplement, emergency medical insurance and an end-of-fellowship bonus.
PhD Bridging Program
The Centre for Human Rights, Multiculturalism, and Migration (CHRM2) is offering facilities for current PhD candidates and early career researchers with a PhD degree who want to complete field research in Indonesia. Fellowships are between 2 weeks and 4 weeks long. Eligible candidates must be researchers in human rights, law, politics, education, gender, sociology, and anthropology. Each fellow will receive 4,000,000 IDR, free housing, and a private office.
RMIT Vice-Chancellor’s Research Fellowships
RMIT University in Australia is recruiting Senior Research Fellows, Research Fellows, Postdoctoral Fellows and Indigenous Research Fellows whose experience and expertise align with one of RMIT’s 8 Enabling Capability Platforms (ECPs): Advanced Manufacturing and Fabrication; Advanced Materials; Biomedical and Health Innovation; Design and Creative Practice; Global Business Innovation; Information and System Engineering; Social Change; and Urban Futures. Fellows will engage in high-quality, high impact research projects, which address local, national, regional and global challenges. To be eligible, you must hold a PhD/Doctorate qualification.
Smithsonian Mpala Postdoctoral Fellowship
This is a one-year fellowship in Africa for postdoctoral scholars to conduct research in biology, anthropology, geology, hydrology, material science, social science and soil science at the Smithsonian Mpala Research Center. The Mpala Center is a site of multidisciplinary research and training in Kenya and welcomes scholars from around the world to apply. Postdoctoral and senior investigators work in association with the professional Smithsonian research staff and utilize the resources of the institution in their projects. A stipend of $50,400 is provided for the year plus an additional research allowance of up to $4,000.
The Academic Research Institute in Iraq Fellowship – U.S. Citizens
The Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TARII) is inviting post-doctoral and advanced pre-doctoral researchers to conduct research focused on subjects in historical academic fields from ancient Mesopotamia to modern Iraq. Potential projects include: research in archives in Europe, Turkey, or India, interviews with Iraqis living abroad, remote sensing of ancient Iraqi landscapes, collaboration between a U.S. scholar and an Iraqi living in Iraq. Financial awards are up to $7,000 and based on merit by a review panel consisting of scholars from member universities.
The Prince of Wales Global Sustainability Fellowship Programme
The Prince of Wales Global Sustainability Fellowship Programme is a funded opportunity for academics to reside in Cambridge, UK as they do research into building a sustainable economy. The Programme aims to foster new transdisciplinary thinking on sustainability in a large variety of fields, leading to practical insights, tools and recommendations for decision-makers to carry into their organisations alongside important advances in fundamental knowledge. There are specific opportunities open in specialized fields listed on their website.
Title VIII Combined Research and Language Training (CRLT) Program
Funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Program for Research and Training on Eastern Europe and the Independent States of the Former Soviet Union (Title VIII), the CRLT Program serves graduate students and scholars who, in addition to support for research in the independent states of the former Soviet Union, require supplemental language instruction. Applicants must conduct research and language study for 3-9 months in the field. Participants must have at least an intermediate level of language proficiency. Fellowships range from $5K-$25K.
Title VIII Research Scholar Program
The program offers support for graduate students, faculty, Ph.D. candidates, post-doctorate, and independent scholars to conduct policy-relevant research for 3-9 months in Central Asia, Russia, the South Caucasus, Ukraine, Southeast Europe and Moldova. The total value of Title VIII Research Scholar fellowships ranges from $5K to $25K each. Typical awards include: international roundtrip airfare from the scholar’s home city to his/her host city overseas, academic affiliation at a leading local university, visa(s), opportunity for housing with a local host family and a living stipend. Scholars in the social sciences and humanities are eligible.
USA to Australia Fellowship Program
The Association awards Fellowships each year at the graduate (Masters, PhD or Postdoctoral) level of up to $40,000 USD for US scholars undertaking advanced research or study in Australia. Fellowships are available for Americans who will benefit from doing research or study in the fields of biophotonics, engineering, environmental and marine sciences, mathematics, medicine, sciences, sustainability and technology. Applicants must make their own arrangements for university affiliation and have a confirmed placement by the time the Fellowship is awarded. Applicants must be US citizens or US permanent residents doing research or study at the graduate level. Applicants may already be in Australia.
Visiting Erskine Fellows, University of Canterbury
Each year, some 70 distinguished, international academic visitors who are already advanced in the learning of any subject taught in the Faculties of Commerce, Engineering or Science are invited to the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand for durations of 1-3 months for the purpose of giving lectures in such subjects to students of the University. Each Visiting Erskine Fellow receives a grant-in-aid which takes account of up to two return air fares and a daily allowance towards living expenses. A visitor must be nominated by the Department concerned.
Zuckerman Postdoctoral STEM Scholars Program
The Mortimer B. Zuckerman Stem Leadership Program attracts high achieving postdoctoral scholars from premier universities in the United States to do research at one of seven Israeli universities. Once they complete their research, many Zuckerman postdocs are expected to accept faculty positions at top North American universities, weaving a network of academic collaboration and goodwill that will greatly benefit US Israeli scientific cooperation. Postdoctoral scholarships are for up to two years for $52,000 per academic year and applicants must hold a PhD degree from a premier university.
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