The US Student Fulbright Program in Western Europe  
Nearly half of all applicants for the US Student Fulbright program choose countries within Western Europe in which to base their Fulbright project proposals (2544 applications out of 5732).  All participating countries in Western Europe, except Switzerland, have a Bi-national Fulbright Commission, so they incorporate some of the most long established and structured programs worldwide.  Subsequently, most of the countries within Western Europe are among the most competitive worldwide, but there are still a few hidden gems offering unique opportunities for candidates with no foreign language skills who seek a rewarding and challenging intercultural opportunity.
 
The Queenís EnglishÖ  
It goes without saying that the most popular country in Western Europe (and worldwide for that matter) is the United Kingdom.  However, with no more than 17 grants to offer, the UK is often not the best choice for the over 600 applicants who try each year for one of these coveted grants.  The main attractions for the UK are the lack of a need for a foreign language, and the outstanding quality of the British education system.  However, there are numerous opportunities throughout Western Europe where language is not a barrier, and where the quality of postgraduate education is on par with the resources available in the UK. 
 
The countries of Scandinavia all offer excellent opportunities in English, and have a great variety of academic/professional/arts programs that could offer alternatives for many projects to the UK. None of the five countries within the Nordic region (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) requires a candidate to speak the local language fluently unless it is required for the project (and for projects in the Humanities to Iceland & Sweden).  In addition, the Netherlands only requires a working knowledge of the Dutch language by the beginning date of the grant.  In all of these cases, applicants could obtain the necessary survival/hospitality level of the host language in the year between applying and starting the grant.
 
What are the odds?  
France, Ireland, Italy and Spain are also very competitive countries, receiving many more outstanding applications than could be funded.  The majority of the Fulbrighters sent to these countries are not only proficient in the host language, but show a real need for study in the specific country.  Their projects are so specific to the countryís resources/academic programs that there is no other choice but to base the project in one of these countries.  Candidates whose project goals could be achieved elsewhere are encouraged to consider other opportunities in other countries/regions if they want to improve their chances for an award. 
 
Germany, by far, offers the most awards annually worldwide with nearly 100 Fulbright Full grants and 100 Fulbright English Teaching Assistantships.  It provides the largest and most diverse number of placement opportunities with extremely high quality resources, including a post-grant internship program to enhance the academic component of the award.  With so many grants on offer the statistical chance of receiving a grant to Germany is higher than in some of its Western Europe neighbors.  Attracted by the many opportunities in Germany, Austria is often overlooked by German speakers.  The result, surprisingly, is that Austria receives fewer applications than one would expect for its 20 plus grants.
 
Greece, Portugal and Turkey offer very exotic and intriguing locations in which to conduct a Fulbright project.  The majority of applications put forward for these awards are in the classics or involve some kind of historical research.  However, all of these countries have shown an interest in more modern contemporary themed projects (this is also true for Italy).  Candidates in professional fields of study, the social sciences and the hard sciences should be encouraged to look to these countries for unexpected Fulbright prospects.
 
The US Student Program in Eastern Europe & Eurasia  
The countries of East Europe and Eurasia offer some of the most out of the ordinary and exciting opportunities for Fulbright applicants. Not surprising is the fact that most of the applicants to this region have lived there before on study abroad programs, or have an interest in the region due to personal family heritage.  However, every country in Eastern Europe/Eurasia has shown an interest in attracting Americans who have no prior experience, or family ties to the region.
 
Designing projects which could be completed in English is much more of a challenge in this region due to the fewer in-country residents who speak English, but this does not mean that determined applicants should look elsewhere.  Instead, applicants must commit more energy to achieving a higher level of language proficiency before the start of a possible grant to remain competitive.  There are also a growing number of Fulbright programs to the region for those who do not speak one of the local languages. For example, the English Teaching Assistantships in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Russia and the Slovak Republic offer good alternatives for those with weaker language skills. Also, several countries (for example: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Slovenia) require only a working knowledge of the host country language by the beginning date of the grant for those not needing to take university courses.
 
Hungary, the Czech Republic and Poland tend to be the most competitive in Eastern Europe, while Russia is the most competitive in Eurasia.  Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine statistically are not as competitive and offer a good number of opportunities.  Croatia is the most competitive country in the Balkans while Albania and Macedonia attract only a small number of applications each year.  The Eurasia regional program continues to grow with more applications being received each year, but within the region Belarus and Moldova are often overlooked by applicants. 
 
There is an interesting phenomenon in Eastern Europe that results in notable increases or decreases in the number of applications received to some countries from one year to the next.  The pattern suggests that candidates deterred by the previous yearís statistics for a particular country, especially in the Baltics and Balkans, choose instead to apply to a neighboring country that received relatively fewer applications in the same competition, thus hoping to improve their chances of being offered an award the following year.  For example, applications to Slovenia decreased from 12 in 2003/04 to 5 in 2004/05, and applications to Croatia increased from 16 in 2003/04 to 25 in 2004/05.   Also, Latvia went from 12 applications in 2003/04 to 6 applications in 2004/05 while Lithuania went from 14 in 2003/04 to 9 in 2004/05.