Beasiswa Fulbright Untuk Studi Pascasarjana di Amerika Serikat

By ILIANA BOBOVA and MATILDA NARULITA
April 28, 2016

Beasiswa Fulbright Untuk Warga Negara Indonesia

Minat pemuda-pemudi Indonesia untuk melanjutkan studi Pascasarjana di luar negeri semakin meningkat beberapa tahun terakhir, terutama dengan berbagai pilihan beasiswa luar negeri yang tersedia seperti beasiswa LPDP. Setiap beasiswa luar negeri menawarkan insentif dan negara tujuan studi yang berbeda. Untuk memastikan bahwa Anda menyiapkan aplikasi dengan baik, sangat penting untuk memahami syarat dan ketentuan setiap beasiswa luar negeri. Untuk Anda yang ingin melanjutkan studi di Amerika, artikel ini akan menjelaskan dengan detil mengenai beasiswa Fulbright yang menyeponsori penerima beasiswa untuk menjalani studi Pascasarjana di Amerika. Informasi yang terdapat di artikel beasiswa Fulbright ini di antara lain tipe program, persyaratan dan ketentuan, langkah-langkah pendaftaran, dan cakupan biaya yang diberikan oleh beasiswa Fulbright.

Overview of the Fulbright scholarship

The Fulbright scholarship provides competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists. The program was founded by US Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946.

Under the Fulbright scholarship, competitively selected US citizens can be granted scholarships to study, conduct research or exercise their talents abroad. Citizens of other countries, including Indonesians may qualify to do the same in the US.

The Fulbright scholarship is sponsored by the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and is administered in partnership with the Institute of International Education. In Indonesia, this program is administered by American-Indonesian Exchange Foundation (AMINEF), a bi-national organization. 

Fulbright Program Overview Video

Types of Fulbright scholarships

Fulbright provides a wide array of opportunities to non-US citizens for graduate studies, research and professional development in the US. Here is a list of the Fulbright programmes for non-US citizens:

Two programs for non-U.S. students to study in the United States:

• The Fulbright Foreign Student Program offers opportunities for foreign graduate students, young professionals and artists from abroad to study, conduct research and/or teach their native language in the US
• The Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program places early career educators as Foreign Language Teaching Assistants at US colleges and universities — improving US students’ foreign language abilities and knowledge of other countries.

A program for non-US scholars to do post-doctoral research in the US

• The Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program provides grants to approximately 850 foreign scholars from over 100 countries to conduct post-doctoral research from an academic semester to a full academic year at US institutions.

A programme for teachers open to non-US citizens

• The Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program sends teachers abroad for a semester to pursue individual projects, conduct research and lead master classes or seminars. Opportunities available for both US. and non-US. participants.

Grant for non-US professionals to go to the US

• The Hubert H. Humphrey Program brings 200 outstanding mid-career professionals from countries in states of development or transition to the US to engage in non-degree study and related professional experience at select American universities.

The Fulbright Foreign Student Program

Let us focus more on the Fulbright scholarships for graduate studies in the US. Prospective applicants for Master’s or MBA degree studies at reputable US universities and business schools are eligible to apply under the Fulbright Foreign Student Program.

This program enables graduate students, young professionals and artists from abroad to research and study for one year or longer at US universities or other appropriate institutions.

To participate in the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, the applicant must have completed undergraduate education and hold a degree equivalent to a bachelor’s degree. Special preference is usually given to applicants who have not resided in the US. Applicants with leadership potential, academic and professional achievements, as well as community service aspirations, may be given an advantage.

Application details and grant terms for the Fulbright scholarship vary by country of citizenship and program. In Indonesia, application deadline is usually only in April, different with other scholarship such as LPDP that has four batches per year. Thus, the Fulbright scholarship becomes more competitive since it will receive a large number of applications in that one batch while only few will be accepted. Indonesians interested in applying for the Fulbright scholarship should consult the program details for Indonesia.

Applying for a Fulbright scholarship for graduate study in the US

Start early as preparation for study in a US graduate school with a Fulbright scholarship can take quite a while. Application for a Fulbright grant precedes application to US universities by one year. Candidates first apply to the Fulbright scholarship. Unlike LPDP where grantees decide their own choice of school, The Fulbright Commission and the Institute of International Education (IIE) arrange placements of grantees on the basis of their preferences and academic credentials and the Commission’s policies. You should plan well in advance because you will need to take TOEFL and GRE/GMAT, research US universities and shortlist your preferred universities, prepare the actual Fulbright scholarship application, apply for admission to your selected universities, etc.

You can make an inquiry at the local Fulbright commission about the scholarship application timeline and the requirements, deadlines, documents and tests that apply. In addition to the eligibility requirements, make sure that you check out the terms of the Fulbright scholarship. Usually grantees are required to come back to their home country for a fixed period of time upon graduating their studies in the US. However, these terms may vary per country.

Watch this video interview with an MBA alumna who decided not to apply for a Fulbright scholarship, because the terms did not fit her career and personal goals.

What the Fulbright scholarship covers

The Fulbright scholarship for graduate studies in the US usually covers all costs – travel, tuition and fees, living costs and health insurance. However, the amount of the actual scholarship for your Master’s or MBA studies in the US varies per country. For example, Bulgarian citizens receive up to 30,000 USD to cover tuition, fees and living expenses for one academic year (10 months) plus the round trip and health insurance plan. Meanwhile, Indonesian recipients of a Fulbright scholarship get economy class round-trip travel, tuition, fees, living and related costs, and accident and health insurance.

Although the Fulbright scholarship is really generous in terms of amount, it is recommended that you plan some extra budget.
What else can you expect from your US studies supported by the Fulbright Foreign Student Program? Here is some advice from a former Fulbright student:

My Fulbright Experience: Boston University (Video)

The Fulbright scholarship is a great opportunity to fund your master’s studies in the US and join a large and diverse international network of peers. Thus, studying with a Fulbright scholarship is not only prestigious; it is a life-changing experience that will boost your career and prospects.

Kesimpulan Mengenai Beasiswa Fulbright

Berdasarkan informasi di atas, jelas sekali bahwa beasiswa Fulbright bukanlah alternatif yang tepat bagi semua orang. Apabila Anda mempertimbangkan kuliah di luar Amerika adalah salah satu contoh utama karena beasiswa Fulbright adalah beasiswa luar negeri yang hanya membiayai studi di Amerika saja. Lain halnya dengan beasiswa luar negeri lain seperti LPDP yang dapat digunakan untuk membiayai studi Pascasarjana di berbagai manca negara. Jika Anda ingin mengetahui lebih lanjut mengenai beasiswa LPDP, ada beberapa artikel terkait topik tersebut di blog Toga.

The original article was published by PrepAdviser.