“Our future is not in the stars but in our own minds and hearts. Creative leadership and liberal education, which in fact go together, are the first requirements for a hopeful future for humankind.”

— Senator J. William Fulbright, The Price of Empire

The Turkish Fulbright Commission was established by a binational agreement signed between the United States and Turkey in 1949. The Turkish Fulbright Commission supports Turkish and American graduate students, academicians and secondary school teachers through grants which include travel and living expenses and offers educational advising for Turkish students wishing to study in the U.S.

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. Government’s premier scholarship program. It enables U.S. students and artists to benefit from unique resources in every corner of the world and students, teachers, and academics from all over the world to study in the U.S. The Fulbright Program provides all the chance to gain international competence in an increasingly interdependent world.

The U.S. Congress created the Fulbright Program in 1946, immediately after World War II, to foster mutual understanding among nations through educational and cultural exchanges. Senator J. William Fulbright, sponsor of the legislation, saw it as a step toward building an alternative to armed conflict. The Fulbright 50th Anniversary Commemoration was celebrated in 1996.

Since the creation of the Commission in 1949, funding has been provided by the governments of Turkey and the United States.  The Commission also seeks private donations to augment this funding.  The Turkish Fulbright program has supported nearly 3000 Turkish and American scholars in its fifty years of existence.  In Turkey, special priority is given to the preparation of staff for teaching in Turkish universities.  Many graduate students have received their M.A., M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in the U.S. and are now teaching in Turkish institutions. American scholars coming to Turkey have made major teaching and research contributions in a variety of disciplines ranging from science and engineering to business to history and literature.  Returning Fulbrighters from both countries occupy important positions in their academic institutions, public service and the private sector.  They maintain ties with their host country, thereby carrying out the goals of the Fulbright Program.

Grants to study in the U.S.

Grants for Turkish Republic Citizens:

1. Master’s Grant
   This grant is for individuals who would like to pursue their master’s degrees in the USA.
2. Ph.D. Grant
   This grant is for individuals who would like to pursue their doctorate degrees in the USA.
3. Professor Aziz Sancar Ph.D. Grant
   This is a special grant program in honor of Prof. Aziz Sancar, recipient of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
4. Visiting Scholar Program
   This program is for senior faculty and researchers who would like to conduct research in their fields at the universities and research centers in the USA.
5. Fulbright Postdoctoral Program
   This program is for faculty and researchers who received their doctorate degrees within the last 5 years and who would like to conduct postdoctoral research in their fields at the universities and research centers in the USA.
6. Scholar in Residence (S-I-R) Program
   This is a program for U.S. colleges and universities to host scholars from other countries, who teach primarily on the undergraduate level and assist in internationalizing U.S. campuses, curriculum and communities. U.S. higher education institutions apply for this program first.
7. Ph.D. Dissertation Research Grant
   This grant is for PhD candidates who are enrolled in PhD programs at universities in Turkey and who are in the process of writing their dissertations.
8. Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Program
   This is a non-degree program for early career English and Turkish language teachers or professionals, as well as seniors in undergraduate programs in related fields.
9. Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program
   This is is a non-degree program designed for young and mid-career professionals in leadership positions who have a commitment to public service and the potential for professional advancement.
10. Community College Initiative (CCI) Program
    This program is for students who enrolled in vocational schools of higher education in Turkey.

Educational Advising

The Turkish Fulbright Commission is an official institution which provides free and objective educational advising to students who wish to study in the United States.

The Educational Advising Unit of our Commission is responsible for introducing Fulbright scholarships and providing advising service to those who wish to study in the U.S.A.

The Turkish Fulbright Commission is also an EducationUSA Advising Center. EducationUSA was founded by the Educational and Cultural Bureau of the U.S. Department of State. The main goal of EducationUSA is to provide comprehensive, current and accurate educational advising to students who wish to study in the United States. There are EducationUSA centers in 170 countries worldwide.

To get information on EducationUSA centers and their activities please visit educationusa.state.gov

Information and application materials on standardized tests can also be obtained at the Commission’s counseling centers or on-line.

• TOEFL Test of English as a Foreign Language
• GRE Graduate Record Examinations
• GMAT Graduate Management Admission Test
• SAT Scholastic Assessment Test
• ACT American College Testing
• LSAT Law School Admission Test
• USMLE United States Medical Licensing Examination

The TOEFL, GRE and GMAT are computer-based tests administered by theEducational Testing Service. The SAT is administered by the College Board. The ACT is administered by American College Testing.The LSAT is administered by the Law School Admission Council. USMLE is administered by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates. You can consult their web sites for more information.

Scholarships for study in Turkey

U.S. citizen senior lecturers, senior research scholars, secondary school teachers and graduate students may apply for scholarships for study in Turkey. For general information on eligibility, please visit the US State Department, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs web site.