Sitting in the break room of the small town hardware store she was working at over winter break, Katie Durow received news that many college students can only dream of. Durow ’25, a student at Bryn Mawr, had just gotten the email telling her that she was a Fulbright semi-finalist. Only a few weeks later, though, Durow was plunged into uncertainty when the funding for the program was stalled.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program (Fulbright for short) awards funding grants to those who will hold a bachelors degree at the commencement of their grant period. Program participants are sent abroad, where they can teach english, attend a graduate program, or conduct research. The program is competitive, with less than 20% of applicants receiving a grant on average.
In February, a funding freeze was placed on the Fulbright program as a result of President Donald Trump’s directives aimed at decreasing government spending. The U.S. State Department, the agency which runs the Fulbright program, froze grants with plans of reviewing the program.
Durow began her application for the Fulbright in the summer of 2024, spending time writing her applicant materials while she was completing a summer program in Germany.
“My goal has always been to live abroad for a couple years after graduation, and these fellowships are a great way to do that without having to navigate too much red tape,” Durow said. Durow hoped to return to Germany through Fulbright, applying specifically to teach English.
Durow was alerted of her semi-finalist position only a few days before the inauguration. After Trump took office, and a slew of budget cuts followed, Durow began to feel much less secure in her position.
“When I first found out about the funding freezes, all I can say is that a huge pit of dread was lodged in my stomach,” Durow said.
Whereas it was originally expected that a majority of Fulbright winners would be alerted before April 15, the specifics were changed after the funding freezes. Bi-Co applicants were eventually told that recipients would begin to be notified on April 15, but the date was then further pushed to after Easter.
Durow characterizes herself as experiencing a more positive outcome in this process however. While applying to the Fulbright program, a second funding opportunity was introduced to her. The US Teaching Assistantship Program in Austria provides a similar experience as the Fulbright. Part of the program is still coordinated through the American Fulbright offices but the monetary grant is provided by the Austrian government, not the United States. In April of this year, Durow was accepted to the program, guaranteeing that she would get a chance to go overseas. However, many Fulbright applicants have not had a similar outcome.
One Haverford senior, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, was still waiting for final Fulbright results at the very end of April, far after the expected date of around Easter.
“To do everything that you are told you need to do in order to be successful and have it taken away at the last minute was incredibly disheartening,” they told the Bi-Co News.
Being suddenly plunged into uncertainty in terms of the Fulbright program came as a shock to both students.
“My whole life I’ve kind of been told that the stuff funded by the government is assured,” the Haverford senior said. “I don’t want to be stranded in another country without support.”
The same Haverford senior also expressed added and new reservations about the program. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to represent the United States abroad, and of course thats something that I was even thinking about when I was applying. Right now I feel very negative about being a representative of the United States.”
Fulbright acceptances have begun to be sent out, however the complications of this cycle have left questions about the programs future, both in the Bi-Co and beyond.
