Purdue University has been named a 2020-21 Top Producer for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, highlighting the university’s dedication to international education and research.

Each year the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces the top producing institutions for the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government’s flagship program for international educational exchange. The Chronicle of Higher Education publishes the lists annually. For 2020-21, The Fulbright program extended 12 offers via the U.S. Student Program, including a combination of English teaching assistantship grants and research assistantship grants. Students at Purdue apply through the National and International Scholarships Office, which is housed in the Honors College.

“The rapidly growing presence of our students in the Fulbright Program puts them at the forefront of international research and cultural exchange, and highlights the groundbreaking and world-changing work they pursue,” said Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity. “We look forward to expanding our legacy of excellence in international scholarship through the Fulbright Program in the years to come.”

Purdue’s involvement in The Fulbright Program goes beyond this program.

The Honors College, in partnership with a new department or school for each of the next five years, will host a distinguished scholar from Brazil to conduct research and teach as a Fulbright chair for interdisciplinary studies. This will begin in Fall 2021 with the School of Engineering Education as co-host.

These laurels come in a notable year, marking the 75th anniversary of the Fulbright Program.  From its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has fostered bilateral relationships in which citizens and governments of other countries work with the U.S. to foster international collaboration in the arts and sciences, funded by the U.S. State Department. Notable Fulbright alumni include U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, gold medalist Olympian Lee Evans, novelist Ursula K. Le Guin and poet Sylvia Plath.