Fulbright scholarship returns after funding pause
After turmoil due to the federal government cuts last spring, prospective Fulbright scholars were able to submit applications again this fall. The Fulbright Program fully funds students to teach abroad for a year.
The Fulbright Program has worked to support friendly and peaceful relations between the United States and the people of other countries since its foundation in 1946.
For decades, CSB+SJU students have participated in this program.
Since January of 2025, its existence has been threatened, but CSB+SJU students are now preparing to apply for the upcoming cycle.
In late February, the Trump administration paused state funding to the Fulbright program, amidst a flurry of executive orders and funding changes that marked the first few months of the administration’s time in office. This action stranded scholars both in the U.S. and abroad, and semifinalists awaiting decisions didn’t hear from the board until late April and early May.
Coordinator of competitive fellowships and professor of political science, Phil Kronebusch, works alongside Trisa Schaeffer to aid students in the Fulbright application process, as well as the Rhodes Scholarship, the Truman Scholarship and the Goldwater Scholarship.
“This past spring was very difficult because decisions that normally were made in February and March did not get made until May and June. It created a lot of stress for those students,” Kronebusch said. “We’ve been in a challenging period because during Covid, many countries cancelled their Fulbright program for a time. Fulbright has been coming back since Covid but starting in January, the Trump administration has eliminated many State Department programs.
Rachel Erben (CSB ‘25) was a Fulbright Semifinalist when the funding was paused in February.
“I was extremely disappointed. There were rumblings that something like that might happen, and it was just kind of a frustrating time.” Erben said. “I felt like the integrity of the program was in jeopardy. That was stressful to go through because it’s hard when you’re planning out your future and then suddenly the job market looks very different and this program that you thought would be around forever isn’t happening.”
The Feb. 12 pause on Fulbright funding was meant to last 15 days. However, on Mar. 15, the Alliance for International Education released a statement reading “The Department of State has still not released any information about the ongoing payment pause. Billed as a temporary 15-day pause starting on Feb. 12, this freeze has now been in place for nearly a month and has not yet been lifted.”
By Mar. 31, payments had begun to trickle in, and around 85% of outstanding Department of State payments had been received. On May 2, the Trump administration’s discretionary budget detailed a 93% decrease in funding for Educational and Cultural Exchanges, calling them “wasteful programming at the expense of U.S. taxpayers.”
Following weeks of meetings and advocacy, the funding was secured for FY2026 as of July 2025.
“For a time, it looked like Fulbright might be cut dramatically, but members of Congress supported Fulbright budget, and it remains in good shape,” Kronebusch said. “Fulbright is really the US State Department’s top foreign exchange program. So while lots of lower level programs have been cut, Fulbright has been protected.”
Despite the somewhat turbulent nature of the state of the scholarship, students are proceeding in the application process for this year.
Kronebusch has been providing guidance for the students who have decided to apply for the 2026-2027 academic year.
“What I like about Fulbright is it supports excellent students who are looking for a challenging experience abroad following their graduation,” Kronebusch said. “It’s a little tentative, but that’s where we’re at right now. The program has survived and we continue to be funded and receive new applicants.”
Alexa DeLeon, CSB senior and Political Science major, is one of several CSB+SJU students applying for the upcoming cycle.
“I have wanted to apply for Fulbright since I was a sophomore because I realized I enjoy being in other countries, and teaching abroad is a perfect opportunity,” DeLeon said. “I wasn’t going to apply because I didn’t know what the point was, since in the spring it kind of got shut down.”
DeLeon and other students are preparing for the upcoming Oct. 7 submission deadline.
“It is difficult staying motivated when you don’t necessarily know if it’s going to pull through, or if there will be changes, or if it will completely close down,” DeLeon said.