The Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad program provides U.S. educators in the arts, social sciences and humanities with opportunities to participate in short-term seminars abroad to improve their understanding and knowledge of the peoples and cultures of other countries. In 2023, summer seminars will be offered in Jordan, Mexico, and a joint seminar in Argentina and Brazil.

Each thematic seminar features educational lectures and interactive, cultural activities specifically designed for elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educators, including visits to local schools and organizations and meetings with education administrators, government officials, policymakers, teachers, and students. Participants draw on their experiences during the program to create new or to enhance existing cross-cultural curricula for use in their U.S. classrooms and school systems. Sixteen educators participate in each seminar. The Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad program covers airfare, room and board, and program costs. Participants are responsible for a seminar cost-share of $750.

Please note that seminars are contingent on congressional funding. Also please be advised that international travel dates could be postponed or cancelled due to unexpected COVID or other viral breakouts.

We recommend applicants begin by visiting our applicant webpage and carefully reading the application package for detailed instructions on applying to the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad program.

The FY 2023 Seminars Abroad application is now available on the G5 website at www.g5.gov. If you are a new user, click “Sign Up” on the G5 homepage. Once you have successfully registered and your access is activated, click “Package Submission” under Grant Setup. Following the steps provided, complete and upload the required forms and files. Refer to the application package on our applicant webpage for more information.

The application deadline is Feb. 9, 2023.

Eligibility requirements

Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad program applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements: 

• Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States. 
• Hold a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university. 
• Have at least three years of full-time teaching or administrative experience by the departure date from the United States. 
• Be currently employed full-time in a U.S. school, institution of higher education, local educational agency, state educational agency, library, or museum as a teacher, curriculum developer, librarian, or administrator. 
• Be an educator in the arts, humanities, or social sciences (this requirement does not apply to administrators). Educators in the sciences, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer sciences are welcome to apply if their proposed curriculum projects integrate seminar content in the arts, humanities or social sciences.
• Be employed at the level of the seminar for which you are applying. 
• Be physically and psychologically fit to participate in the program. 

The Department of Education's International and Foreign Language Education (IFLE) office recently pre-recorded a technical assistance webinar for teachers, school administrators, and other educators to learn more about the FY 2023 Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad program's application process. The webinar provides guidance on how to prepare a competitive application, use the G5 electronic application system, and troubleshoot technical issues.

The prerecorded webinar will be posted on the Applicant Information page of the Seminars Abroad website and is available via IFLE's YouTube channel at the following link: https://youtu.be/PVfQkoWT2Zs

Additionally, Seminars Abroad program officers will host a live question and answer session on Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023, from 8 to 9 p.m. (Eastern Time). All potential applicants are welcome to attend the live session by clicking the following link: Join the Live Q & A Session on Microsoft Teams, or by calling in to the meeting at (202) 991-0393, and dialing 375 739 270#. Attendees should ensure they have viewed the pre-recorded webinar ahead of the live question and answer session.

Additional questions about the program or application can be emailed to seminarsabroad@ed.gov.

After my successful participation in a Fulbright-Hays Group Project in Brazil, I could not wait to apply for another program, on a whole different continent. These programs are designed to combine theoretical information with the experiences of real people and field trips to see and feel the pulse of the host country. This time, I participated in a Fulbright-Hays seminar in Israel.

The Fulbright-Hays seminar for secondary teachers in Israel offered a wholesome and authentic learning experience through a plethora of ways: from lectures with reputed experts in museums and universities to hiking in Negev desert, bathing in natural pools in the oasis of Ein Gedi, living in a kibbutz, and cooking with Bedouins. Besides visiting the world-famous touristic spots such as the old city of Jerusalem with its religious and historic landmarks, Jaffa, Dead Sea, Tel-Aviv with its well-known beaches, or the Bahai Gardens of Haifa, we also got a glimpse of real life in Israel by shopping at Yehuda Market, celebrating Kabbalat Shabbat at the Western Wall in Jerusalem with a mix of soldiers, tourists, Haredi and secular Jews, visiting and interacting with people from different religions, races, or ethnicities, minority groups/communities such as Israeli-Arabs, Ethiopian Jews, Druze, or Bedouins.

Professionally, as a special education teacher, I had the opportunity to talk with special education teachers and parents of students with special needs from different communities. I also had the opportunity to visit the rehabilitation village ADI Negev- Nahalat Eran. Its mission is described in three words: “Ability. Diversity. Inclusion.”  I was amazed and inspired by the efforts made in Israel to increase the awareness of the general population toward people with disabilities and their needs.

I am teaching in a secondary, self-contained, mild cognitive impairment program. The Fulbright-Hays program gave me the opportunity to build a rich and resourceful curriculum not just in social studies (as I had initially planned), but also in environmental and Earth sciences. I am working on improving the science curriculum with projects inspired by the thriving agriculture industry and the Lahav Forest (created by mankind) in the Negev desert, along with the innovative ways in which Israel is dealing with the water scarcity issue.

However, the biggest reward is my students’ excitement and genuine curiosity when we dive into the lessons and projects about Israel. It is like a wonder that allows me to virtually travel back to Israel with my whole class, so they can discover the world beyond our city, Detroit.  Moreover, as I have learned from my Brazil Group Project Abroad (University of Detroit Mercy), this is not a one-time event. There is an emotion, an excitement, and a vivid recollection of the trip in the host country that lifts my spirits every year when I present the curriculum to a new generation of students. I am very grateful to the Fulbright-Hays programs for these amazing educational opportunities and look forward to future projects, lessons, and life-long experiences.

IFLE is on Twitter, with the latest from the world of international and foreign language education. Follow us @GoGlobalED and tell your friends. We’ll see you in the Twittersphere!

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Have you received a FLAS fellowship or participated in a Fulbright-Hays grant program? Join our alumni groups on LinkedIn.

FLAS Program Alumni          Fulbright-Hays Program Alumni

We seek motivated students who are eager to learn and work as part of our team as an unpaid full- or part-time intern during the summer, fall, and/or spring. Visit our website for more information.

We want to hear from you! Do you have suggestions for webinar topics? Ideas for things to include in future newsletters? Send them to Carolyn Collins at carolyn.collins@ed.gov.