To qualify for the Fulbright Student Program, applicants must meet following requirements:

1. Be a Mongolian citizen, currently living in Mongolia,
2. Have a minimum of 1.5 years of full-time work experience,
3. Hold a first university degree (B.A. or equivalent)
4. Be highly proficient in English, have a valid and sufficient score of an official English language test depending on the proposed field of study (please see below)

Preference will be given to candidates with limited prior experience in the U.S. Note that Mongolians holding U.S. green card are not eligible to apply.

Candidates who are applying to pursue studies in the following fields are required to have a minimum of TOEFL IBT 90, TOEFL PBT/ITP 575, IELTS 7.00, or Duolingo 125:

• Arts Administration/History
• Biology
• Business/Economics/Finance
• Engineering
• English/TESOL
• Gender and Women’s Studies
• History
• International Development
• International Relations
• IT/Communication
• Journalism
• Law
• Linguistics
• Management
• Psychology
• Public Administration
• Public Policy
• Political Science
• Theatre/Drama/Creative Writing
• Urban/Regional Planning
• Veterinary Medicine

Candidates pursuing studies in fields other than named above should have a minimum of TOEFL IBT 80, TOEFL PBT/ITP 550, IELTS 6.5, or Duolingo 115.

The online application of the 2025-2026 Fulbright (Foreign) Student Program will open on Friday, January 26, 2024, 8 a.m. ULAT.  Complete online application must have following documents attached:

• Essays (under Study Plan section)
  • Study/Research Objective and Personal Statement each should be up to two page a single-spaced document written in 12-point font, Times New Roman.
• Recommendation Letters (under Recommendations)
  • Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to your academic and professional abilities.
  • Note that recommendations requested via the automated online system are still due on the same day and time of the application deadline.  Applicants should notify their reference providers regarding the deadline.
  • In case the applicant themselves will upload pre-secured recommendations, upload it to Additional Documentation under the Additional Information section.  And in which case, note that a Fulbright Student Program Recommendation Letter Form’s first page (cover) must be added to pre-acquired recommendation letter/s.
  • Recommendations must be in English or provide English translation by an authorized translation service along with the original letter in Mongolian.  Recommendation letters submitted separately from the online application will not be accepted.
• Diploma of all university degrees (under Academic Materials)
  • Scanned copy/ies of notarized copy/ies of the diploma/s, must include all language versions (i.e., Mongolian Cyrillic, Mongolian Script, English, etc.)
  • In case the original is only issued in Mongolia, provide English translation by an authorized translation service along with the scanned copies of diploma/s in Mongolian.
• Original Transcript of all university degrees (under Academic Materials)
  • Scanned copy/ies of official transcript/s issued by the school administration on a letterhead with an official stamp.
  • Official transcript must be in English or provide English translation by an authorized translation service along with the original transcript in Mongolian.
  • Diploma appendixes are not considered as transcript.
• Work experience proof (under Additional Information > Country-Specific Materials)
  • A TUTs machine or e-mongolia reference of social insurance payment, indicating employment period of 1.5 years or more (only in Mongolian)
• A scanned/soft copy of official English language test score report (under Score Report Upload)
• Curriculum Vitae (under Academic & Professional Information)
  • CV should be up to two page a single-spaced document written in 12-point font, Times New Roman.

Things to remember when completing the online application:

• Application must be completed in English in electronic format.
• Applicants must answer all questions in the application form.  Incomplete applications will be deemed technically ineligible. No questions can be left blank.  Put N/A if not applicable.
• Essays must be your own work reflecting your original thought.  Other people’s works/ideas used anywhere in the application must be properly noted.  Plagiarism in any part of your application will result in your disqualification from participating in the Fulbright Program.
• Please note any word or character limit for essay portions of the application and give your answers within the limit.

Any inquiries about the program will not be answered via phone.  Please direct all inquiries to exchange@usembassy.mn.

All U.S. Government scholarship programs are merit-based. Although we take into account special circumstances of candidates such as disability, disadvantaged background, or any other notable characteristics, final decision is made based on the candidate’s overall strength as represented by the application quality and interview. We also consider one’s ability to be a cultural ambassador and his/her ability and motivation to give back to the community.

Following are the main steps for selection for the Fulbright Student Program:

Technical Screening: This is the initial review to verify the completeness of the applications. During technical screening, we check to see two main things:

• If applications and any required supplemental documents are complete
• If applicants meet all the eligibility requirements

Application Review: After technical screening, all complete applications are then reviewed by an application review committee. During this process, each application gets to be reviewed by a minimum of three people.

Short List: Based on the recommendations of the application review committee, an interview short list is created. Candidates who are included in the short list are then invited for an in-person interview.

Interview: An interview panel consisting of representatives of the U.S. Embassy and program alumni (plus representatives of Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in the case of Government of Mongolia funded Fulbright program) interview all short-listed candidates and select finalists to be nominated to final review and approval.

Final Selection: Finalists approved by the Foreign Fulbright Scholarship Board (FFSB) are then officially declared as Fulbright nominees. FFSB is a group of individuals appointed by the President of U.S. and they hold the authority to approve or disapprove all Fulbright nominations from around the world.

Note: The Fulbright grant is contingent upon grantee’s successful admission to a U.S. university. If the grantee fails to secure an admission to a U.S. institute, he/she cannot further the grant.

The Fulbright scholarship covers the following costs:

• All Transportation Costs: International airfare and domestic travel (including in-country visa-related travels if the candidate resides outside Ulaanbaatar).
• Living and Meals Accommodations: Participants are provided with a monthly stipend to cover their lodging and meals and other living costs.
• Tuition: Fulbright scholarship covers all tuition costs.
• U.S. Orientation: All orientation costs including lodging, meals, health insurance and training costs are covered by Fulbright.
• Health Insurance: Participants are provided with accident and sickness benefit for the duration of their program.
• Visa Costs: Visa payment is waived for all U.S. Government sponsored scholarship participants.
• Travel Allowance: Participants are provided with small allowance for luggage and other travel-related expenses.
• Arrival Allowance: In addition to their first month stipend, the grantees also receive a one-time arrival allowance for settlement costs such as purchasing a laptop and books etc.

Please note that the Fulbright grant shows visa support to dependents but does not provide any financial support.  All costs listed above are only for the grantee.

January – April: Program is announced, applications are received

May – June: Technical screening, application review, and interview

June – July: All applicants will be notified of their application results via e-mail

July – October: Finalists prepare application for submission to U.S. universities

November – December: Submission of Application to U.S. Universities

March – April: University placements are announced

June: Pre-departure orientation

July – August: Departure to the U.S.