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UT Leads SEC in Producing Student Fulbrights

The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been named a 2020–21 Fulbright US Student top-producing institution. With 17 UT students and recent graduates offered Fulbright awards for 2020–21, UT ranks seventh among all public research universities and is the top-ranked SEC school for the third straight year.

Each year the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces the top-producing institutions for the Fulbright US Student Program, the US government’s flagship international educational exchange program. The results are published annually in the Chronicle of Higher Education. This year is the third consecutive year that UT has received this national designation. It also marks the 75th anniversary of the Fulbright Program.

“Being named a Fulbright US Student top-producing institution is quite an honor and a testament to the academic achievements and professional competitiveness of our UT students,” said John Zomchick, provost and senior vice chancellor. “We’re proud that so many of our Vols have been selected as Fulbrighters and can continue on their academic journeys.”

For the 2021–22 Fulbright US Student competition, UT submitted 68 candidates; last month, Fulbright screening committees shortlisted 43 UT candidates as national semifinalists. Final award selections will be made this spring.

The competition for the 2022–23 awards will launch later this spring. The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships, which oversees UT’s Fulbright Student advising and campus process, will partner with the Institute of International Education for a virtual information and Q&A session open to all UT students at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, March 24. To participate in the session, students must preregister online.

“This national recognition is about the willingness of UT students to compete at the highest academic levels and the enormous efforts of faculty and staff to support these students’ pursuits,” said Andrew Seidler, director of the Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowships. “I’m so proud of our students and of UT and looking forward to connecting with future candidates across all backgrounds and interests.”

The Fulbright Program was created in 1946 to produce lasting professional and personal connections between the people of the United States and those of other countries. Since its inception, the Fulbright Program has given more than 400,000 participants the opportunity to study, teach, conduct research, and contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns. More than 2,200 US students and more than 900 US college and university faculty and administrators are awarded Fulbright grants annually, and some 4,000 foreign Fulbright students and scholars come to the US. The program is active in more than 160 countries throughout the world.

Visit UT’s Fulbright web page to learn more about the campus application process.