Fulbright Egyptian Student Program – PhD Joint Supervision
Program Goal
The program provides fully funded grants for students registered in Ph.D. programs at universities in Egypt to collect data and/or conduct research for their Ph.D. degrees under the joint supervision between a supervisor in Egypt and an American co-supervisor in the U.S. Candidates selected under this program spend one academic year at an American university to conduct doctoral dissertation research under the supervision of their American co-supervisor. US co-supervisors for selected candidates attend the student’s Ph.D. thesis defense in Egypt (within two years following return of the student).
All fields are eligible.
Helpful Links
- Program Information Session: https://youtu.be/g8Vlt1Pa39E
- Online Application Guide: https://youtu.be/qMpzMKP0vLQ
Eligibility Criteria
- Egyptian citizenship.
- Applicants must be residing in Egypt starting from the application process and throughout the selection, placement and pre-departure processes.
- Applicants must have a strong academic record.
- Applicants must be registered in a Ph.D. program at a university in Egypt.
- Applicants must find an American professor in the U.S. who is willing to host him/her and co-supervise his/her Ph.D. program for one academic year. The U.S. co-supervisor must be familiar with the applicant’s field of study and Ph.D. proposal, as well as have the willingness to supervise the applicant’s research in the U.S.
- Applicants must submit an invitation letter from one U.S. co-supervisor inviting the applicant to spend up to one year at the U.S. university to conduct his/her Ph.D. research and confirming that the research will be under the supervision of the identified U.S. co-supervisor. The letter must also include an evaluation of the applicant’s thesis proposal, as well as describe the facilities that will be available to the applicant in the U.S. for conducting his/her research.
- Applicants must submit a letter of support from the Egyptian home institution Ph.D. supervisor(s) which includes an evaluation of the applicant’s thesis proposal and approval for the applicant to travel to the U.S. to conduct research and collect data for the Ph.D. degree under the supervision of the U.S. co-supervisor.
- Applicants must successfully complete all the steps of the application, assessment, and selection process and successfully finalize all required procedures.
- The following persons and their immediate family members (i.e. spouses and children) are ineligible to apply during and for a period ending one year following the termination of such employment: employees of the U.S. Department of State; local employees of the U.S. missions abroad who work for the U.S. Department of State and/or the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); employees at organizations implementing exchange programs for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the Department of State; as well as Board Members or staff of a Fulbright Commission or their families (up to fourth kin).
- U.S. citizens and green card holders and applicants are not eligible to apply.
Notes:
- Preference will be given to applicants without prior significant experience in the U.S. and/or overseas.
- Students applying in medicine, veterinary medicine, nursing, psychological counseling, and dentistry fields should be aware that their programs cannot include clinical studies.
Required Documents: (All documents must be uploaded to the online application by no later than September 27, 2025. Please carefully read the Application Instructions here)
- Online Application
- Copies of transcripts for all post-secondary degrees in English
- Proof of registration in a Ph.D. program at a university in Egypt
- Letter of support from Egyptian home institution Ph.D. supervisor(s)
- Invitation letter from a U.S. co-supervisor
- An abridged thesis proposal
- Evaluation of the thesis proposal by both the Egyptian supervisor(s) and the U.S. co-supervisor (this can be included in the home institution supervisor letter of support and the U.S. co-supervisor invitation letter)
- Three recommendation letters
- Applicants applying for the PhD joint supervision grant in the fields of Arts or Architecture are required to submit a portfolio of their work.
- Scanned copy of the original valid National ID
- Personal photo
- Scanned copies of any previous U.S. J1 or J2 visas (if applicable)
Important: The Fulbright Program seeks applicants that have developed a sense of personal integrity and are original thinkers. Copying someone else’s writing, whether from the Internet, from a book or from a friend is considered plagiarism. Any quoted words or sentences should include a citation. Use of AI tools in any part of the Fulbright application must also be clearly disclosed. An applicant who is found to have plagiarized in any form (including unintentional or accidental plagiarism), or to have used AI tools to replace his or her original thoughts or without proper disclosure in his or her application will be disqualified. For further information about plagiarism and citation, please click on the following link: https://fulbright-egypt.org/resources/. All content in applications must be the applicant’s original contribution and his/her own intellectual property. Having someone else write or contribute to the writing of an individual’s application, either fully or partially, or the misrepresentation of AI-generated responses as your own thoughts, does not uphold the standards of integrity expected of Fulbrighters and may result in the ineligibility of your application.
Grant Benefits:
- Travel allowance
- Stipend
- Health benefits coverage
- University tuition
- Travel ticket and one-week per diem in Egypt for US co-supervisor
- Other allowances
AY2026-2027 Program Application Process
| Program Announcement |
| Deadline for submitting online applications with all supporting documents |
| Application Review |
| Personal Interviews (Only for shortlisted applicants) |
| Post-Interview Info Session (Only for further considered applicants) |
| Official Nomination/Regret Letters (Applicants will be notified via email) |
| Post Nomination Orientation (Only for Semi-Finalist and Alternate candidates) |
| Pre-Departure Orientation (Only for Semi-Finalists) |
| Departure Date (Only for selected applicants who successfully completed all above stages and all program pre-departure requirements) |
Apply now to the AY2026-2027 PhD Joint-Supervision Grant
- Announcement: February 5, 2025
- Click Here to Start an Application
- Online Application Instructions
- Recommendation Letter Form
- Application Deadline: September 27, 2025
- Helpful Videos about Writing a Personal Statement
Information Sessions
- PhD JS and VSR Q&A Session – April 7 at 11:00 a.m.
- PhD JS and VSR Q&A Session – April 29 at 11:00 a.m.
- PhD JS and VSR Q&A Session – May 7 at 11:00 a.m.
- PhD JS and VSR Q&A Session – May 18 at 11:00 a.m.
- PhD JS – June 18 at 11:00 a.m.
- PhD JS Q&A Session – July 16 at 11:00 a.m.
- PhD JS Q&A Session – August 27 at 11:00 a.m.
