Today, the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs named Vanderbilt University a Fulbright Top Producing Institution for U.S. Students.
This recognition is given to the U.S. colleges and universities that received the highest number of applicants selected for the 2022–23 Fulbright U.S. Student Program. In academic year 2022–23, 20 students from Vanderbilt were selected for Fulbright awards.
Fulbright is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. It is also among the largest and most diverse exchange programs in the world. Since its inception in 1946, more than 400,000 participants from all backgrounds and fields—including recent university graduates, teachers, scientists, researchers, artists and others—from the United States and more than 160 other countries have participated in the Fulbright program. 
Fulbright alumni have returned to their home countries to make an impact on their communities thanks to their expanded worldview, a deep appreciation for their host country and its people, and a larger network of colleagues and friends.
“Any great university of this century must be global in its perspective, reach and impact,” Chancellor Daniel Diermeier said. “The Fulbright program has long been an outstanding opportunity for Vanderbilt students to connect with scholars in other nations and gain invaluable insights they carry with them for the rest of their lives. We could not be more proud to once again be a Fulbright Top Producing Institution.”
In the category of doctoral institutions, Vanderbilt is tied for 13th place nationwide as a top producer of Fulbright scholars. This is the fourth time Vanderbilt has made the organization’s Top Producing list.
“On behalf of President Biden and Secretary of State Blinken, congratulations to the colleges and universities recognized as 2022–23 Fulbright Top Producing Institutions, and to all the applicants who were selected for the Fulbright program this year,” said Lee Satterfield, assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs.
“Thanks to the visionary leadership of these institutions, administrators and advisers, a new generation of ‘Fulbrighter changemakers’—as I like to say—will catalyze lasting impact on their campus, in their communities and around the world.”
The Fulbright competition is administered at Vanderbilt University through Vanderbilt’s Career Center and is managed by Elizabeth Harrington Lambert, associate director of fellowships.
The Fulbright program was established in 1946 to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. While the primary source of funding for the Fulbright program is an annual appropriation made by the U.S. Congress to the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, it also benefits from the
support of foreign partner governments, non-governmental organizations, private organizations, corporate partnerships and individual donors. Importantly, U.S. and foreign host institutions provide support as well.
Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors, and the world. Their number includes 41 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 89 Pulitzer Prize winners, 78 MacArthur Fellows and countless leaders and changemakers who carry forward the Fulbright mission of enhancing mutual understanding.
For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit fulbrightprogram.org.
