Pitt a Top Fulbright Grant Producer

PITTSBURGH—The University of Pittsburgh is one of the nation’s top producers of 2015-16 Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant recipients. With 15 award recipients, Pitt placed fourth in the nation among public research universities and 14th among all U.S. research universities, public and private. The rankings were recently announced by The Chronicle of Higher Education.

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the flagship international educational exchange program for the U.S. government, providing annual grants for individually designed study and research projects or English teaching assistantships. The awards are bestowed to recent bachelor’s degree recipients, graduate students, and young professionals based on their academic or professional achievements as well as demonstrated leadership in their potential fields.

This is the sixth consecutive year that Pitt has placed among the nation’s top Fulbright producers. With 15 Fulbright recipients, Pitt tied with Johns Hopkins University, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In placing within the top 20 institutions, Pitt finished in the company of such notable private institutions as Columbia University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Princeton University, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University. Pitt was the only university located in Southwestern Pennsylvania to place within the top 40 institutions.

Pitt’s 2015-16 Fulbright recipients are currently abroad, conducting their independent projects or serving as teaching assistants in various countries within Africa, Asia, Europe, and South America. Pitt’s recipients studied within the University’s College of Business Administration, Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, and School of Pharmacy. A complete list of Pitt’s Fulbright recipients can be found at http://www.chronicle.pitt.edu/story/15-pitt-graduates-win-2015-fulbright-grants.

Pitt’s Fulbright recipients were nominated with assistance from the University’s Study Abroad Office and University Honors College, which advises Pitt undergraduate students and alumni who are interested in pursuing national and international awards.

Established in 1946, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the namesake of the late U.S. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas. The program is funded through an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the Department of State. Since its inception, the Fulbright Program has provided more than 360,000 participants with the opportunity to exchange ideas and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.

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