The Humphrey Fellowship Program provides young and mid-career professionals from Europe with an opportunity to enhance their professional capacities through participation in specialized 10-month non-degree programs developed specifically for small clusters of Humphrey Fellows at selected U.S. universities.
The Humphrey Program was launched in 1978 to honor the memory and accomplishments of the late U.S. Senator and Vice President, Hubert H. Humphrey.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: September 20th 2019
Program Objective
During their year-long stay at a host American university, Humphrey Fellows are invited to take graduate-level courses relevant to their professional interests. However, as the Humphrey Fellowship is not a degree program, participants spend a considerable portion of their time engaged in professional development activities including: consultations and affiliations with U.S. faculty and experts, field trips, workshops, research projects and the development of practical useful strategies that could be applied in the Fellows’ home countries.
General Information
Please note that there is a new application system called Slate for this application cycle. Applicants can access the application at https://apply.iie.org/huberthhumphrey.
Fields of Study
The Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Embassy offers to qualified candidates Humphrey Fellowship opportunities in the following fields:
Sustainable Development
- Agricultural and Rural Development
- Economic Development
- Banking and Finance
- Natural Resources, Environmental Policy, and Climate Change
- Urban and Regional Planning
Democratic Institution Building
- Communications/Journalism
- Law and Human Rights
- Public Policy Analysis and Public Administration
- Trafficking in Persons Policy and Prevention
- Technology Policy and Management
- Human Resource Management
Education
- Educational Administration, Planning and Policy
- Higher Education Administration
- Teaching of English as a Foreign Language
Public Health
- Public Health Policy and Management
- HIV/AIDS Policy and Prevention
- Substance Abuse Education, Prevention, and Treatment
General Fellowship Requirements
- Candidates must hold at least a first-level university degree (equivalent to a B.A. or B.S.) to enable them to undertake graduate level study in the U.S.
- Candidates must be proficient in English as measured by the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), with a minimum score of 525 in the PBT version
- Humphrey Fellows are expected to be resourceful and display initiative. Their applications should indicate how they and their home institutions and countries could benefit from experiences to be acquired under the program
Specific Eligibility Requirements
Prospective applicants must:
- be residents and citizens
- be a graduate of an accredited university or college and hold a Bachelor’s degree or its equivalent
- have a minimum of five years of full-time professional experience beyond attainment of an undergraduate/first university degree prior to August 2020
- not be teachers/scientists/researchers with no management or policy responsibilities (except teachers of English as a second language)
- not have attended a graduate school in the United States for one academic year or more during the seven years prior to August 2020
- not have recent U.S. experience of over six months during the five years prior to August 2020
- not have dual U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent resident status
- not be U.S. Department of State employee or their immediate family members (including spouses)
- show leadership ability and broadly defined commitment to public service
- be proficient in English
- be committed to returning to home country after completing the program
Those Ineligible for Consideration Include:
- recent university graduates (even if they hold significant positions)
- university teachers with no management or policy responsibilities, except for teachers of English as a Foreign Language and specialists in drug abuse prevention and treatment
- individuals who have attended a graduate school in the U.S. for one academic year or more during the seven years prior to the date of application
- individuals with recent U.S. educational or work experience (more than six months during the five years prior to the date of application)
Process and Selection Criteria
Humphrey Fellowships are highly competitive, and applicants must fulfill the eligibility criteria outlined above. After a pre-selection process by the Selection Committee, which is composed of Embassy Officials and former awardees who have completed their studies and are now engaged in various endeavors in their country. The names of selected applicants are then sent to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) in Washington, D.C for final approval. Candidates who meet the above criteria are encouraged to download and fill out the application form.
Note: Once completed the application should be sent to the U.S. Embassy with the following documents:
- scanned copy of Diploma
- scanned copy of Global Grade Certificate, in which the Grade Point Average and the grade of the thesis and/or Graduation Exam appear
- all documents must be e-mailed to the U.S. Embassy After evaluation of the application and associated documents, qualified candidates will be invited to take the Test of English Language Proficiency (TELP). Those candidates that score high enough in this exam will be interviewed by the Embassy Selection Committee for final recommendation.
Benefits
The Humphrey Fellowship program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and coordinated by the Institute of International Education (IIE).
The Humphrey Fellowship Program provides the following benefits:
- Costs of standardized tests required for admission at those universities
- Pre-departure Orientation
- Assistance in obtaining the J-1 visa (Exchange Program Visa)
- Economy class round-trip airline ticket
- Medical Insurance provided by the Government of the United States, which fulfills the minimum requirements established by the J-1 visa and by the Fulbright Program
- Living expenses, which vary depending on city of destination. The Fellowship does not cover the expenses of the grantee’s accompanying family members.
- Pre-academic orientation program in the U.S.
Visas
In order to make sure that the country continues to receive the benefits of this exchange program and meet U.S. visa requirements, visitors under an exchange program return to and remain in the CITIZENSHIP COUNTRY FOR A MINIMUM PERIOD OF TWO YEARS AFTER COMPLETION OF THEIR PROGRAMS. The Commission will assist grantees in obtaining visas for approved dependents, though the grantees are responsible for their living expenses.
Additional Information
For any additional information please contact the Public Affairs Office of the United States Embassy or visit www.humphreyfellowship.org.
