The Fulbright U.S. Student Program application opened for Cornell students on March 31, commencing an uncertain application process amid federal funding slashes.
Through the Fulbright Program, which is administered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, grantees conduct research, teach and study in over 160 countries.
At Cornell, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is administered by the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, which provides application guidance through services such as essay reviews and counseling.
On Feb. 12, the State Department initiated a 15-day pause on grant funding as part of a broader review of its programs. The funding freeze was not officially lifted at the end of the 15 days and remained in effect for approximately two months. This meant that recipients of various State Department programs, including the Fulbright Program and the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, had their funding frozen.
Desai Wang ’24 is a U.S.-Singapore Fulbright Scholar whose pay was frozen in early March but who has since received the remainder of her funding.
“I'm deeply concerned that the recent funding disruption not only placed grantees in precarious financial situations abroad but also undermined the trust of host institutions and international partners,” Wang said. “Moving forward, I hope our government will prioritize consistent, reliable support for this vital soft-power initiative that has fostered international goodwill for decades.”
The Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies’ website currently reads, “Be aware that federal funding changes may affect future cycles of this opportunity. We are monitoring the situation closely and will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
Following the federal freeze initiated on Feb. 12, Fulbright initiated a “#StandforFulbright” campaign to advocate for Fulbright funding. As part of this, on March 12, over 100 Fulbright supporters lobbied in Washington, D.C. to advocate for Fulbright funding, meeting with 87 Congressional offices.
In late March, Alliance for International Education members, including the Fulbright and Gilman Programs, recovered over 85 percent of withheld State Department funds from the funding freeze.
The Alliance for International Education is an association of over 90 international education and intercultural exchange organizations.
In a March email newsletter, Jennifer Gennaro Oxley, interim executive director of the Fulbright Association, wrote that Fulbright’s “advocacy efforts are far from over. We are now focused on securing the remaining FY25 funds and looking ahead to FY26 funding.”
Oxley also announced that to support these efforts, Fulbright launched the Fulbright Program Status section of its website to provide official updates and resources on the program, including funding developments.
Oxley continued, “The critical period for this work is now through May 31, when the Congressional Foreign Relations Committees will finalize their FY26 budget mark-ups.”
In an email statement to The Sun, Cornell Media Relations addressed the situation, stating, “Cornell is closely monitoring the situation and impact across Fulbright programs. We are in close contact with current Cornell students affected by U.S. Student Program funding changes.”
