AMIDEAST Fulbright staff in Washington, DC, in coordination with ECA/A/E/NEA-SA and U.S. Embassies, will provide placement services to nominees. During the group orientation session or in individual appointments, the AMIDEAST advisers will work with nominees and assist them with dossier assembly and with research for initial university preferences. Complete dossiers include the FSB cover sheet, Fulbright application, essays, recommendation letters, test scores, official transcripts and diplomas, photos and a medical history form. A resume or C.V. is also helpful. In recent years, a small but important initiative by AMIDEAST was the addition of the nominee placement and suggestion form to the dossier. This simple form invests the nominees in the placement process and sets up realistic expectations by forcing them to research appropriate placement options and compare their own credentials with admission requirements. To a large extent this activity prevents nominees from blindly listing only the most famous American universities without regard to whether they would be appropriate placement choices.

As dossiers are completed, they are forwarded to AMIDEAST headquarters for placement. Throughout the placement process, AMIDEAST advisers will assist nominees to ensure that all university admissions requirements are met. The AMIDEAST advisers will also inform nominees about their placement status and inform AMIDEAST headquarters, the Embassy and the ECA about any relevant changes or developments that could affect nominee placement or country grants.

When files are received in Washington, DC, AMIDEAST headquarters staff will review dossiers for accuracy, neatness and consistency, and follow up with the AMIDEAST field office for any missing documents or test scores. For some fields of study, nominees must submit additional documentation, such as essays for MBA programs or portfolios for architecture or fine arts programs. As complete dossiers are collected and photocopied, AMIDEAST headquarters staff will create files for each new nominee and enter biographical information into the AMIDEAST Fulbright database. AMIDEAST will forward copies of the Fulbright application, statement of purpose and cover sheet for each nominee by country to the FSB for review and approval, and to IIE for placement in pre-academic programs.

Simultaneously, AMIDEAST staff will begin to research appropriate universities for each of the nominees using various placement resources such as on-line graduate school directories, university web sites, and professional association listings. Staff will also rely heavily on their previous experience in placing nominees with similar fields of study, as well as university contacts made through professional conferences, visits to headquarters by AMIDEAST institutional members, and staff visits to universities nationwide. As a result of our extensive contacts in the academic community and our access to graduate placement resources, AMIDEAST staff members possess expert knowledge of university capacities

AMIDEAST staff will consider a number of factors in order to determine each nominees placement submission list, including nominee preferences, strength of credentials, and research interests. Cost and the likelihood of receiving financial assistance, as well as the need to ensure geographic diversity, are also important factors in determining placement. As described above, the nominee placement suggestion form can be most helpful to headquarters staff if the nominee has selected schools whose offerings and requirements match up well with his or her academic and research interests, test scores, and work experience. In that case, AMIDEAST may make all of the submissions based on the nominee suggestion form if other factors such as tuition cost and geographic diversity are favorable. In almost all placements, AMIDEAST will attempt to take at least two of a nominees suggested institutions as long as he or she meets minimum entry requirements. AMIDEAST staff generally submit four applications on behalf of primary grantees using the following formula one application to a highly competitive program, two applications to programs that match most of the nominees academic qualifications, and one application to a program that matches all of the nominees qualifications. Low-ranked alternate candidates may have fewer submissions, while first-ranked or difficult to place nominees may have additional submissions to ensure the best placement.

In addition to reviewing the nominees placement suggestions, AMIDEAST headquarters staff will evaluate the various dossier components in order to confirm specific field of study and research interest for each nominee. The AMIDEAST staff member will pay particular attention to the statement of purpose and will evaluate the nominees academic background and work experience as they relate to the chosen field of study. The AMIDEAST staff member will then select placements that best match the nominees credentials (academic record, test scores, stated interests, work experience) with university admission requirements.

Because the cost of each nominees program directly impacts the funding available for every other nominee, AMIDEAST places great emphasis on maximizing program funds by selecting universities that offer, or are at least willing to consider, some kind of financial assistance to Fulbright nominees. An important element in obtaining financial assistance on behalf of nominees is the timely receipt of dossiers from the field as many universities have early financial aid deadlines.

As it is ultimately the American people who fund the Fulbright Program, AMIDEAST will seek placements at small and large, public and private, urban and rural colleges and universities across the country that reflect the diversity of American educational institutions. AMIDEAST placement staff also will make a concerted effort to submit nominees to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) when those schools program offerings and admission requirements match up with nominee credentials and field of study.

Once AMIDEAST staff have determined a list of submissions for each nominee, justification for selecting those schools will be provided to the AMIDEAST field office or Embassy. Throughout the submission process, AMIDEAST will remain in direct communication with ECA, the Embassy, and the AMIDEAST field office by means of electronic mail, courier, facsimile, and telephone.

AMIDEAST headquarters staff will track applications as they are submitted for each nominee and follow up with university admissions contacts as necessary. AMIDEAST will prepare comparative budget estimates for those schools where a nominee has been admitted and make recommendations as appropriate so that staff at ECA/A/E/NEA-SA may consult with U.S. Embassies to determine final placement for each nominee.