Research Fellowships for PhD Students (One Semester)

Fulbright Israel plans to award up to four grants to PhD students for one semester of research during the 2025/2026 academic year (starting October 2025).

Fulbright Israel awards are granted on the basis of innovation, academic excellence, the leadership promise of the applicant, and their potential to both advance knowledge and enhance mutual understanding between the peoples of the United States and Israel.    

This program is designed to provide research opportunities by utilizing local resources as well as gaining international experience. Grantees plan their own projects, which may include independent library, archival or field research, consultations with local professors or a combination of such activities. Along with opportunities for research and engagement with local resources this Fulbright Program offers invaluable opportunities to meet and work with the local professionals and experts of the host country, sharing daily life as well as professional and creative experiences. 

• Applicants must be U.S. citizens at the time of application (permanent resident status is not sufficient).
• Individuals already residing in Israel are not eligible to apply for a grant.
• Candidates who have already completed all the requirements for receipt of a doctoral degree by the application deadline are also not eligible to apply. For Postdoc fellowships in Israel, please check the available Fulbright scholar grants on the website.
• Applicants who have not earned a Bachelor’s degree or the equivalent, but who have extensive professional study and/or experience in fields in which they wish to pursue a project, may be considered. In the creative and performing arts, four years of professional study and/or experience meets the basic eligibility requirement.
• Candidates must be in good health. All applicants selected for a Fulbright grant are required to submit a Medical History and Examination Report before their grants can be activated.
• Prior conviction or current indictment for a felony may result in disqualification.
• Applications involving travel, research, or study in the West Bank or Gaza will not be considered.
• Candidates must be hosted by an accredited Israeli institution of higher education. For the complete list of such institutions, click here.
• Each candidate is responsible for arranging their institutional affiliations in Israel independently, including identification of a faculty member willing to serve as an adviser.
• Applications should showcase a reasoned and well-explained research plan with stated goals and milestones for the following year and future.
• It is highly recommended that a letter or letters of invitation be included as part of the Fulbright application. A formal hosting commitment, including designation of the faculty member who will serve as the candidate’s adviser, must be received by Fulbright Israel from an eligible institution no later than February 28, 2025, when the Foundation will make its final decisions regarding the choice of candidates to whom fellowships will be offered.

Candidates who have resided abroad for five or more consecutive years in the six-year period preceding the date of application are ineligible. In this case, a period of nine months or more during a calendar year is considered to constitute a full year abroad.

• Academic excellence is the primary criterion for the evaluation of candidates.
• Leadership qualities are an important evaluation criterion.
• Preference will be given to applicants who have not had substantial, recent experience Israel.
• Hebrew/Arabic language proficiency is not an evaluation criteria.
• Possession of skills required to promote mutual understanding between the United States and Israel is an important evaluation criterion.