Establishing a Host Affiliationby Jermaine Jones, Program Manager, Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa
Applicants must carefully read the criteria for
host affiliation requirements in the summary for
the country to which they are applying. Countries
differ in the kinds of host affiliations that are
acceptable. Depending upon the country, the host
affiliation can be an academic institution, a
research institute, a non-profit organization
and/or individuals at any one of these or other
types of relevant agencies. In some cases,
particularly in the arts, the affiliation may be a
person such as a writer, musician, or artist or an
arts organization or foundation. Applicants should
pay special attention to the
requirement in some countries to
attend/affiliate with an academic institution.
Identifying a Potential HostSome
countries will obtain affiliation for the
Fulbrighters, while others leave the
responsibility for securing host affiliation
entirely up to the grantee. Others will work
somewhere in between, expecting the grantee to
identify a host affiliation and make initial
contact, but will then help to formalize the
affiliation after the grant is awarded. Make sure
you know what is expected of you as an applicant
by reviewing the country summary carefully.
In countries where it is up to the grantee
to find and secure affiliations, IIE
cannot provide a list of
institutions that acted as a host to previous
Fulbrighters. Past Fulbrighters have used a number
of methods to contact hosts and solicit support
for their projects. One main way is to use the
contacts and advisers that you already have. Ask
if one of your current professors can help to put
you into contact with a professor at a university
overseas. Here are a couple of additional ways we
recommend for finding an affiliation: (1)
international students on your campus can be a
great resource; (2) contact Visiting Fulbright
Professors in the U.S. (http://www.cies.org/vs_scholars/vs_dir.htm);
(3) a search engine (such as Google) can help you
find professors with your interests. Do not
hesitate to contact professors from other
universities both in the U.S. and in your
prospective country, especially if your proposal
fits to the professor’s expertise. Other
than that, some committed research and
perseverance will aid you in finding a host
affiliation. Once you find a possible host, make
contact by sending an introductory letter or
email. Keep in mind that many schools are closed
during the summer months, so you may want to begin
early, or heat up your search in the early fall.
Remember, however, that IIE does not accept any
support materials or letters via email or fax, and
that sufficient lead time must be allowed to
receive hard copy responses, with original
signatures. Letters of SupportThe
most competitive candidates will include
documentation of contacts with potential host
affiliations with the application. This could be
of a letter of invitation from the host
institution/organization/individual indicating
research support or allowing access to facilities
to the applicant; or, it could be a letter
indicating that the admitting institution provides
courses in the applicant's areas of study. IIE
refers to these letters synonymously as: letters
of support, letters of affiliation, letters of
invitation and/or letters of admission.
There are no specific requirements for the
letter of support from the host institution. Every
affiliation relationship will be different
depending upon the candidate’s project. In
general, letters of support on institutional
letterhead sent with the application are
preferred. The letters should state how the
supervisor/host institution will help the
applicant to facilitate the project (i.e., what
resources will be offered, what kind of
supervision will be given, etc.). Some applicants
propose to do independent research, so these
letters of support are more crucial to
establishing the feasibility of a project. Other
applicants propose study projects, so letters of
support are really a complement to the overall
application, but attest to its feasibility.
Therefore, you should try to get a letter of
support that is as detailed as possible.
Ultimately, it is up to your host affiliation as
to the level/kind of support that they are willing
to offer you.
In the U.S., we have
become accustomed to rapid response, especially in
electronic communication. Many cultures do not
have this expectation, and many people do not
enjoy the reliable connectivity or easy access to
the Internet that we do. Therefore, be advised
that you may not receive a response to your
inquiries as quickly as you might hope. Applicants
are advised to begin their search for an
affiliation as early as possible.
Letters of support can be submitted to IIE via
regular mail after the deadline. However, we
cannot guarantee that letters of support submitted
separate from the full application will be
successfully married up with the application in
time for committee review. We will make every
effort to do so, but can make no guarantee. Also,
IIE cannot confirm receipt of any documents.
Please do not call or email us to ask if your
letter of support was received. We recommend that
you send your materials using a method that will
provide return receipt.
Please note
that we will not accept letters
of support, recommendations, or foreign language
reports sent via email or fax. Degree
ProgramsIf your plan is to complete a
Master's or other degree or to attend a
structured degree program, make sure that you
apply for admission to the host university by
their deadline. Do not wait for the Fulbright
decision to come through or you may be too late in
gaining admission into your chosen university.
If you are applying for admission into a
study/Master's program, you do not need to
submit the letter of admission with the
application. You can submit the acceptance letter
whenever you receive it, but an award offer would
be contingent upon you receiving placement at a
university. However, even if you are applying to
do a structured degree program, obtaining a letter
of support from a faculty member at the host
university will complement your application.
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