Fulbright Graduate Student Program for Academic Year 2013-2014

The competition for Academic Year 2013-2014 is closed.

The Fulbright Programs is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State and administered under policy guidelines by the William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board.

The Fulbright Graduate Student Program offers grants for Latvians who intend to enter graduate degree programs (Master’s, Doctoral) at U.S. universities in any field except medicine.

Eligibility requirements for all applicants:

• you must be a Latvian citizen, or the holder of a Latvian non-citizen passport. Dual citizens (United States and Latvia) are not eligible to apply for the Fulbright Fellowship from Latvia;
• by the Spring of 2013 you must have obtained a Bachelor’s degree, or have completed the first year of your Master’s program after a 3-year Bachelor’s program;
• your U.S. studies must be in your previous undergraduate field of study;
• you must have clearly-defined study goals and career objectives;
• you must have an excellent academic record and a knowledge of English appropriate for studying in the United States;
• preference will be given to candidates who have not already studied or lived more than six (6) months in the United States;
• preferred candidates will have to take the relevant admission tests required for U.S. university programs (TOEFL, GRE, GMAT). For successful candidates, test vouchers will be provided.

Instructions for Completing the Fulbright Student Program Application:

Medical forms are not required with the application.

On-line application forms are available at:
https://apply.embark.com/student/fulbright/international/20/

Instructions on how to apply are available here - PDF (55kb).

For testing information, please contact the Educational Advising and Testing Center at Riga Business School, Skolas Street 11, Riga.

The following must be forwarded to the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy, 1 Samnera Velsa St., Riga, by the program deadline:

• the signature form
• three letters of reference/recommendation – PDF (185kb) or can be submitted online (for instructions, follow the directions in the online application form)
• official academic transcripts in Latvian and English
• copies of diplomas and their English translations
• the results of standardized tests (TOEFL, GRE, GMAT), if available:
  • TOEFL – minimum of 79 to 80 IBT (550 PBT); recommended a 100 IBT (600 PBT) or above (In Law, a minimum of 600 is required)
  • GRE – required in most fields of study with the exception of MBA and Law programs
  • Subject GRE – standardized test requirements will vary by field of study and institution
  • GMAT – required for MBA and business-related programs
• report on proficiency in English – PDF (18kb)
• academic records information form
• transcript release form (for post-secondary U.S. transcripts only), if applicable

Two-Year Home Residency Requirement

As a Fulbrighter you will be participating in an exchange program that requires you to return home to share your experience. To fulfill this requirement, Fulbright Program Fellows must return to their home countries when their authorized academic exchange activities in the United States end. As a J-1 Exchange Visitor, United States law requires a two-year period of home residency before an individual applies for non-immigrant (H and L) visas as temporary workers, for permanent residency in the United States, or as immigrants. This requirement does not prevent you from reentry into the United States within the two-year period to attend conferences, tourism, or further study.

For further information regarding this program, please contact Ingrīda Bodniece at the U.S. Embassy's Public Affairs Section at 6710 7209 or e-mail to: bodniecei@state.gov.