Written by Christian Chinonso
Founder, LearnViaHub | Academic Credential & International Student Research
Quick answer
We found no official acceptance rate for the Fulbright Foreign Student Program, worldwide or by country. Fulbright says it awards approximately 4,000 grants a year to foreign students (Foreign Fulbright Program), but we found no published count of how many people apply in each country.
Applications and awards by country are published for a different program, the U.S. Student Program, which sends Americans abroad (U.S. Student Program statistics). A country rate quoted online may come from that data, so it may not describe your odds.
Because of this we give no country percentages. To estimate your odds, ask your own commission for its last cycle’s applications and awards. An email you can copy is below.
This guide is part of our Fulbright Foreign Student Program overview. For the application steps, see our application guide.
What is published, and for which program
The two main Fulbright programs are easy to confuse. The Foreign Student Program brings citizens of other countries to study in the United States. The U.S. Student Program sends U.S. citizens abroad. The table shows which source covers which.
| Source | What it contains | Program |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign Fulbright Program (IIE) | About 4,000 grants a year to foreign students for a Master’s or doctorate in the United States. | Foreign Student Program |
| Fulbright Program FAQ | About 9,000 grants a year across all Fulbright programs, including about 4,000 to foreign students. | Whole program |
| Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (U.S. Department of State) | Annual reports and “Fulbright by Numbers and Regions” spreadsheets for 2018 to 2024. | Whole program |
| U.S. Student Program statistics | Applications and awards by country for Study/Research and English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grants. | U.S. Student Program only |
| Your commission or U.S. Embassy | Varies. Each commission or embassy runs its own selection, so it is the place to ask. | Foreign Student Program in your country |
Grant totals alone do not give an acceptance rate. You also need the number of applicants for the same program and cycle, and we found that only for the U.S. Student Program.
Checking a rate you find online
If a site gives a percentage for a country, test it against these four checks. The last column is our suggestion.
| Check | What to look for | If it is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Program | Whether it is the Foreign Student Program (foreign citizens going to the United States) or the U.S. Student Program (Americans going abroad). | Do not rely on it. A rate for Americans applying to the UK says nothing about your odds. |
| Cycle | The award year the figure belongs to. | Treat it as unreliable, because numbers change between cycles. |
| Stage | Whether it compares awards with all applications, or with shortlisted candidates only. | The two give very different percentages, so ask which one is meant. |
| Source | A link to a Fulbright, State Department or commission page. | Without a source you cannot check it, so do not use it. |
Can you choose a country with a higher rate?
No. Fulbright says foreign applicants apply through the country where they hold citizenship, either through a Fulbright Commission or the U.S. Embassy’s Public Affairs Section (Fulbright blog). Each commission or embassy runs its own application and selection process (Foreign Fulbright Program), so rates for other countries would not help you even if they were published. Your own country’s page has the eligibility rules and deadlines that apply to you.
Estimating your own odds
If your commission shares its numbers, you can work out a rate yourself. These steps are our suggestion.
- Get two numbers from the same cycle. Ask for the number of applications and the number of awards, for your degree level.
- Divide awards by applications.
- Check what “awards” means. Ask whether it counts final grants or finalists.
Worked example, with made-up numbers. A commission reports 400 applications and 40 awards in one cycle. The award rate is 40 ÷ 400 = 10%. If it also reports 80 shortlisted candidates, then 40 of 80 shortlisted candidates, or 50%, received awards. Both figures are correct, but they answer different questions.
A rate from last cycle is a benchmark, not a prediction of your own result.
Email to your commission
No official source gives these numbers for the Foreign Student Program, so the surest way to get them is to ask. You can find your commission or embassy through the Foreign Fulbright Program site, then adapt this email.
Subject: Question about Fulbright Foreign Student Program statistics Dear [Name or Team], I am a citizen of [country] considering applying to the Fulbright Foreign Student Program for [Master’s / PhD] study. Could you please tell me: - how many applications you received in the most recent cycle, and how many awards were made, for [Master’s / PhD] applicants; - whether the awards figure counts final grants or finalists; - whether you publish these statistics, and where I can find them. Thank you for your help. Yours sincerely, [Your name]
Frequently asked questions
Is there an official Fulbright acceptance rate?
We found none for the Foreign Student Program. Fulbright states about 4,000 foreign student grants a year (Foreign Fulbright Program), but we found no published applicant count to turn that into a rate.
Which country has the highest Fulbright acceptance rate?
We cannot say, because we found no country-level figures for foreign applicants. In any case you apply through your country of citizenship (Fulbright blog), so you cannot switch to another country’s competition.
Why do I see rates like 4% or 46% online?
We cannot trace them to an official source for the Foreign Student Program. Country-level applications and awards are published for the U.S. Student Program (U.S. Student Program statistics), which is a different program. Use the four checks above before relying on any figure.
Does the Fulbright ETA acceptance rate apply to me?
Probably not. ETA statistics are published under the U.S. Student Program (U.S. Student Program statistics). Foreign citizens apply to the Foreign Student Program or the Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Program through their own country (Fulbright blog).
Where can I find Fulbright grant numbers?
The Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board publishes annual reports and “Fulbright by Numbers and Regions” spreadsheets for 2018 to 2024 (U.S. Department of State). These give grant counts, not acceptance rates.
Continue your Fulbright research
How we researched this
Last checked: 22 October 2026. We read the Foreign Fulbright Program application page, the Fulbright Program FAQ, the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board page, the U.S. Student Program statistics page and Fulbright’s guidance on where foreign applicants apply. We found no official applicant counts by country for the Foreign Student Program, and we could not open the State Department’s statistics spreadsheets, so we give no country percentages. The worked example uses made-up numbers, and the checks and steps are our own suggestions.
Figures change between cycles, so confirm with your commission or embassy. LearnViaHub is not affiliated with the Fulbright Program, IIE or the U.S. Department of State.
Christian Chinonso is the founder of LearnViaHub, with 6+ years of research experience in international education — including GPA systems, scholarships, student financing, and study-abroad guidance — for students worldwide.