Carnegie Mellon Again Named Top Fulbright Producer
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Today, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs recognized Carnegie Mellon University for being one of the colleges and universities with the highest number of students selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. Fulbright Top Producing Institutions(opens in new window) such as Carnegie Mellon value global connection and support members of their campus communities across the United States to pursue international opportunities.
Ten students and recent alumni from CMU were selected for Fulbright awards for academic year 2024-25. Since the program's inception, Carnegie Mellon has seen 138 Tartans become Fulbright U.S. Student grantees. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholar Development(opens in new window) (OURSD) at Carnegie Mellon supports students and alumni in the application process each year. The university was also named a top producer in 2022-23.
The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government's flagship international academic exchange program. Since 1946, the Fulbright Program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections and work to address complex global challenges.
”Carnegie Mellon's Fulbright scholars exemplify how we tackle global challenges through meaningful international partnerships,” said James H. Garrett Jr.(opens in new window), provost and chief academic officer. “Their research and teaching abroad not only advances their own work but fortifies CMU as a leader in global innovation. When these scholars return to Pittsburgh, they enrich our campus community and region with fresh perspectives and insights. We proudly celebrate this year's recipients and look forward to their contributions to our shared future.”
At Carnegie Mellon, more than 50% of undergraduate students take at least one course in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Applied Linguistics(opens in new window) (LCAL), despite there being no institutional language requirement. OURSD has found success cultivating and aiding applications for the Fulbright Program through both mass promotion to students — through collaborations with LCAL and Study Abroad(opens in new window) in the Office of International Education — and individual outreach to likely candidates. That approach has led to a growth in applicants and successful applications from the university.
In the past two years, CMU graduates have taken on projects in Australia, Bolivia, Korea, Germany, Italy, Mexico, Nepal, Peru, Romania, Spain, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Notable Carnegie Mellon alumnus and Fulbright recipient Edward Feigenbaum won the Turing Award for pioneering the development of large-scale artificial intelligence systems and demonstrating the potential commercial impact of artificial intelligence technology in 1994.
Applicants to Fulbright at Carnegie Mellon are supported by Richelle Bernazzoli, director of OURSD. CMU students can find important information about the procedures and deadlines for applying for a Fulbright(opens in new window) on the OURSD website.
“Our students are talented, brilliant and ambitious. They want to work on problems on a global scale and make contributions to important issues that go beyond U.S. borders,” Bernazzoli said. “When they get a Fulbright grant, they’re starting to build that very important international network. They get a taste of what it’s like to go somewhere and represent their country, while learning from their host community. That really changes a person. They know what it’s like to understand problems from a different societal point of view.”
Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations, and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program.
Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors, and the world and have included 44 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 90 Pulitzer Prize winners, 82 MacArthur Fellows, and countless leaders and changemakers who build mutual understanding between the people of the United State and the people of other countries.
