U.S. Embassy & Consulate
in Iraq

Program Information

The Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program for Iraq brings junior Iraqi scholars to U.S. institutions for faculty development, mentoring, and cultural exchange activities.  Discipline-based cohorts will spend 10 weeks at selected U.S. host institutions, where they will be introduced to new teaching and research methods, observe classes, attend seminars, and develop linkages with American faculty through weekly mentoring sessions.  Ongoing community engagement with university-identified host families, volunteers, or others in the broader local community will facilitate the scholars’ participation in outreach activities, including visits to historical sites and attendance at cultural events.  While introduction to new research methods in the scholars’ disciplines is one component of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program for Iraq, the program is not intended to provide a venue for individual research projects.

Objectives

• Build higher education capacity in Iraq through faculty development and mentoring for junior scholars.
• Foster long-term collaboration and institutional linkages between Iraqi scholars and U.S. academics.
• Promote mutual understanding between Iraqis and Americans by facilitating the scholars’ engagement with the broader host campus community.

Policies of the Iraq Fulbright Program

While there are overarching policies to which all Fulbright scholarship recipients from around the world must adhere to, there are also policies which are country-specific:

• Two-year home residency requirement: The J-1 visa is an exchange visa which requires all Fulbright scholarship recipients to return to their home country for at least two years upon successful completion of the program.
• Intention to return to Iraq: Your eligibility for a Fulbright scholarship is based, in part, on your intention to return to Iraq immediately following your program.  If you show intent other than to remain in the United States for a temporary, specific, limited period (such as applying for an immigrant visa to the U.S., asylum in the U.S., or residency in a country other than Iraq) you will be ineligible to receive the Fulbright scholarship. Please carefully review the J visa policies  for further information.
• No-dependents: J visa sponsorship is offered only to the Iraq Fulbright scholarship award recipient.  J-2 visa dependents (spouses and children under the age of 21) cannot accompany the Iraqi scholarship recipient on his/her study program.

The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.  

How to Apply:

Instructions on how to apply for the program will be available when the next round of competition is announced in the fall of every year.

Questions about the program should be sent to FulbrightIraq@state.gov.

The selection of beneficiaries of the program will be according to the following disciplines:

• Engineering [mechanical engineering, computers, civil, chemical, electrical, industrial, materials and systems].
• Science and technology [biology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, computer science, information science and geographic information systems].
• Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL )/linguistics: [Applied linguistics and teaching English as a foreign language].

The Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program provides the following:

• Pocket money delivered upon arrival in the United States.
• Travel allowance.
• Funds for professional development.
• Round-trip tickets from Iraq to the United States.
• Medical coverage of accidents and illnesses.
• Residential accommodation in the form of furnished apartments.

Who can apply?

• Iraqi citizens who are resident in Iraq and demonstrate a clear commitment to return to Iraq at the conclusion of their program.
• Applicants must demonstrate a clear commitment to classroom teaching and a desire to enhance teaching and leadership skills.
• Researchers’ academic focus should be within one of the available academic disciplines.
• Applicants must be able to travel to and stay in the United States during the grant period from June to September of every year.
• Qualified candidates must have a high level of proficiency in the English language in writing and speaking (i.e. the minimum score (TOEFL iBT) is: 61, or (TOEFL ITP) is: 500, or (IELTS) is: 6.
• Application for permanent residence, asylum or planning for asylum in the U.S. is prohibited.
• Applicants may not be dual nationals, American and Iraqi.
• Applicants must be full-time teaching staff at Iraqi universities and have at least a master’s degree and three years as a minimum of teaching experience at the university or doctoral level, but not more than eight years of teaching experience.

Application Procedures

• Applications for this program are submitted online.
• Applicants must create an account on the site: (https://apply.iie.org/jfdp/) to complete the application form.
• In addition to the application form, applicants must send documents that support their submission such as three (3) letters of recommendation, a CV, a study plan and a scanned copy of the passport CV page (if any).
• Please check the instructions for applying to the program before embarking or visiting the U.S. Embassy’s website at: (https://iq.usembassy.gov/exchange-programs/). Applicants can also request a copy of the instructions by emailing: (IraqVSP@amideast.org).
• The application period for the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program is currently closed. Please check our website and Facebook page frequently for updates on this and other exchange programs.

 

For more details, please contact Amideast via the following contact information:

 

Amideast Office in Baghdad Mobile No. 07829028116 E-mail: IraqVSP@amideast.org

Amideast Office in Erbil Mobile No.: 07706452275 E-mail: IraqVSP@amideast.org