The U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown has announced the opening of the application period for the 2025-26 Fulbright Foreign Student Program, targeting graduates from Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean. The program seeks applicants with a first or second-class honors Bachelor's degree who wish to pursue Master's or Ph.D. studies at accredited universities in the United States.
Eligible candidates must be citizens and residents of Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, or St. Vincent and the Grenadines. They should not hold a "green card" or be residing in the U.S., nor should they currently be enrolled at a U.S. university.
Applicants are required to take either the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT), depending on their field of study. Scores from these tests must accompany applications for interview consideration.
The Fulbright program mandates that graduates return to their home country for two years after completing their studies in the United States. During this period, they may travel to the U.S., but could face restrictions on certain employment-based or family-based visas until fulfilling this residency requirement.
Applications must be submitted online by July 1, 2025, at 11:59 pm Eastern time via https://apply.iie.org/ffsp2026. Alongside electronic submissions, three letters of recommendation are required—preferably two from academics familiar with the candidate's academic potential.
For hardcopy submissions of recommendation letters, applicants should contact the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown at bridgetownexchanges@state.gov.
Additional materials include transcripts showing grades, certified copies of diplomas, and adherence to guidelines outlined in various forms provided by the embassy.
All applications will undergo review after July 1, 2025, with notifications sent out by the Public Affairs Section thereafter.