AMIDEAST recommends that the Embassy and/or AMIDEAST field office offer a comprehensive pre-departure orientation for new grantees, covering issues such as culture shock, U.S. health care, academic integrity, immigration issues, diversity, and the Fulbright experience. AMIDEAST also suggests inclusion of biographical material on the late Senator Fulbright as well as additional information on the funding and sponsorship of the Fulbright Program so that grantees will be well-informed ambassadors of the program.

 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.

Applicants should already have taken the TOEFL (or the ITP which is also a good indicator of English proficiency) at their own expense prior to applying. If not, the applicant's performance in the interview will at least give you a sense of their English language ability. It is up to the Embassy to decide whether a TOEFL, ITP or entrance exam (GRE or GMAT) score will be required at the time of application. AMIDEAST will provide paper vouchers for TOEFL and GRE and can supply voucher numbers for GMAT upon request but note that these are reserved for those applicants who have already advanced to nominee status. Once nominated, the Embassy can distribute the vouchers as necessary and the nominees can go about registering for the proper exams.

If you have an AMIDEAST field office in your country, they will provide information to Fulbright applicants about the standardized tests that are usually required for U.S. university graduate admission. AMIDEAST provides registration forms and conducts administrations of the most common standardized tests, including the TOEFL, GRE, GMAT, ITP, and many others. Most AMIDEAST offices serve as Test Centers, offering many tests in a computer-based format. Test candidates may register directly with the Regional Registration Center and in some cases, through their local AMIDEAST office.

The Embassy and/or AMIDEAST should notify applicants in writing of their status following the interviews, and invite nominees to the AMIDEAST office or Embassy for a group orientation covering the placement process and nominee responsibilities. The AMIDEAST or Embassy adviser distributes and reviews a welcome letter, a placement suggestion form, test information, policy regarding dependents, and a checklist of required forms. This initial group orientation for nominees is designed to cover policies and answer questions that may arise. It is a critical step toward ensuring that the nominees have realistic expectations about the likelihood of advancing to grantee status. In addition, their role in the placement process should be discussed, as well as the time frame for learning their final status. Most importantly, it is the first opportunity for them to come together as nominees and establish relationships that will give them support throughout the placement process.

 AMIDEAST recommends a multi-stage process in which applicants are first screened by Embassy staff to see that they meet minimum eligibility requirements such as:

• Citizenship (dual U.S. citizenship is a disqualifying factor)
• Bachelors degree
• Submission of complete application by deadline
• Minimum 550 on ITP or other EL test score if required in advance
• Other country-specific criteria

In the second stage, copies of applications with objective scoring criteria are distributed to each member of the panel for individual review and scoring. If the scoring is based on a 1 - 5 scale, 1 being poor or not recommended and 5 being superior, then only those applicants who attain at least a 3 or 4 average are invited to interview. If there is not a consensus among the panel, then two things might occur: 1) anyone attaining a 3 or 4 or higher is invited to interview, or 2) the panel averages the individual scores from each panelist and invites only those who came out with at least a 3 or 4. Objective review of applications by the panel should consider the following factors:

 You are encouraged to take advantage of all means of publicity at your disposal newspaper ads, the Embassy website, posters, fliers, outreach, and word of mouth. For example, the PAO in Lebanon once did a series of television and radio interviews in order to heighten the publics awareness of the program there. The Embassy websites in Lebanon and Syria post very helpful information on the scholarship.

Depending on your specific eligibility criteria, advertising should target undergraduate and graduate students, as well as young professionals who have strong English language skills. English language centers in country are a good source of potential applicants. You might also wish to hold a Fulbright scholarship kick-off reception early on, and invite leaders in academia, government and the private sector whose support would be beneficial and who could assist with your recruitment efforts.

Application Deadline

This can be flexible although it is important to submit completed dossiers to AMIDEAST by September 1. Setting an earlier application deadline will allow greater time to screen applicants, arrange interviews, select nominees, assemble their completed dossiers, and ensure that the nominees can register for fall test dates. Deadlines in the Middle East and North Africa are typically in May and June.

 Due to U.S. graduate school application deadlines and new SEVIS requirements, it is advisable to announce the competition well over a year in advance of when grantees would actually begin their programs. For grants beginning Fall 2010, nominee dossiers should reach AMIDEAST by September 1, 2009, to provide sufficient time for university and field of study research prior to beginning application submissions. University submission deadlines for Fall 2010 admissions begin as early as December 1, 2009. U.S. universities provide acceptance information in the Spring of 2010. Therefore, AMIDEAST advises Posts to announce the 2010 Fulbright competition by April 2009 and recommends the following timeline of activities:

Following are a list of resources for Fulbright Advisors to help answer questions and guide Fulbright grantees during their program:

General Information

• U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs Fulbright Program
• Fulbright Scholarship Board Overall Objectives
• Fulbright Scholarship Board Policies Re: Foreign Student Program

Program Process

Timeline