Fulbright Program

The U.S. Embassy in Monrovia currently supports two Fulbright Programs – the Fulbright Specialist Program (FSP) and Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence (SIR) program.

Fulbright Specialist Program (FSP)

The Fulbright Specialist Program promotes linkages between American academics and professionals and their counterparts at host institutions in Liberia. The program is designed to award grants to qualified U.S. faculty and professionals, in select disciplines, to engage in short-term collaborative two-to-six week projects at host institutions in over 100 countries worldwide. International travel costs and a stipend are funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Participating host institutions cover grantee in-country expenses or provide in-kind services.

Project activities focus on strengthening and supporting the development needs of host institutions abroad and do not fund personal or clinical medical research and related projects involving patient contact. Eligible activities include short-term lecturing, conducting seminars, teacher training, special conferences or workshops, as well as collaborating on curriculum planning, institutional and/or faculty development. 

Eligible institutions seeking to host a Fulbright Specialist submit proposals on a rolling-basis to the Public Diplomacy Section.  Projects must be reviewed and approved by the Public Diplomacy Section and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Approved projects are then forwarded to the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES), which administers Specialist grants. Review the CIES Specialists Program Resources for more information about the program and applications.

Previous Fulbright Specialists have helped develop gender studies programs at the University of Liberia and Grand Bassa Community College, and strengthened Cuttington University’s community development capacity.

Fulbright Scholar-In-Residence (SIR)

The Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence (SIR) Program provides opportunities for visiting Liberian scholars and professionals to lecture at U.S. colleges and universities for one semester or one academic year. Each fall, U.S. institutions of higher education submit SIR proposals to the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES) and request Liberian Scholars. 

The program targets institutions that do not often host visiting faculty and/or serve minority students, including small liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and minority serving institutions.  In their proposals, institutions describe how they plan to utilize an SIR. CIES convenes an outside review committee to evaluate proposals and develop a slate of recommendations to the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Funding for this program is provided exclusively by the U.S. Department of State.  Please refer to the CIES Scholar-In-Residence Resources for guidelines for proposals, application forms, and other information.