UNC ranked top public institution in Fulbright US Student recipients

UNC was recently ranked the No. 1 public university for the Fulbright US Students Program, producing 27 Fulbright scholars in the 2024-25 application cycle — more than any other public institution.

Born from the aftermath of World War II, the Fulbright Program was founded on the idea that international educational exchange could foster mutual understanding between nations and help prevent future conflicts. In the nearly eight decades since the program's inception, UNC's total 456 Fulbright scholars plan to continue this mission.

Since 2024, the program has been a part of the Office of Distinguished Scholarships in Honors Carolina.

Marc Howlett, the executive director of the office, wrote in an email to The Daily Tar Heel that this year, over 40 members of the campus community composed the UNC Fulbright committee. The committee offered extensive support including advising, essay reviews and interview prep. 

“Overall, as a university, UNC-Chapel Hill is dedicated to developing global leaders,” Howlett wrote. 

Kobe Spells, a UNC alumnus and Fulbright scholar, said he spoke to other students who didn’t have similar support systems from their respective universities, which he said sometimes felt like barriers the applicants had to overcome.

“Versus, for me, I felt like it was really just about [UNC] helping me to present the strongest application I could,” he said. 

Spells received the Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship in West Bank, where he taught English to students and introduced them to U.S. political, social and cultural issues.

Spells said his experience as a Fulbright scholar shaped his career ambitions, understanding of the world and knowledge of foreign policy. Programs like Fulbright are a big part of forming the next generation of American diplomats and foreign policy informers, he said.

UNC alumna and Fulbright scholar Alexis Zucker said that the process of becoming a Fulbright awardee is extensive. First, she said candidates must get their application through the University. Then, recipients must get their applications through the U.S. government before being approved by the foreign government that they are trying to work in.

“So you need to be thinking of a project that is going to be interesting, relevant, impactful [and] useful to all these different stakeholders,” she said.

Zucker said her Fulbright award took her to Chile for a project called Empowering Educators. 

After the 1973 US-backed coup, Chile privatized education, leading to a decline in its quality. Despite efforts to improve since the 1990s, Zucker’s project examines why reforms remain ineffective, focusing on issues like teacher satisfaction, shortages and pay — challenges the US also faces.

“I think that is the value of Fulbright,” Zucker said. “They're giving the researchers money to look into problems that are relevant to both these countries, to the regions and to the world.”

While some Fulbright recipients focus on social and educational challenges, others research scientific issues with global implications. Katherine Eltz, a second-year doctoral candidate at UNC, said she is using her Fulbright award to study decompression sickness — a potentially fatal condition caused by rapid pressure decreases that form bubbles in the bloodstream — in Thessaloniki, Greece. 

"I'm going to publish a research paper about this specific project, and also use the skills and such that I'm learning here in my home lab when I come back," Eltz said. "So basically, the exchange I'm hoping to get done is to learn all their methods and learn how I can apply them in my field, which is the field of extreme environment physiology."

In April, UNC will host its first Fulbright U.S. Student Program week with information sessions, alumni panels and workshops. Howlett wrote that despite UNC having some of the highest numbers of Fulbright applicants nationwide, he and his team will continuously work to improve and better inform students about this opportunity. 

"Carolina already has one of the highest number of Fulbright US Student Program applicants of any university, public or private, in the country," Howlett wrote. "Could we do more? Certainly, and we're trying!"

Despite federal funding cuts which could threaten the future of the awards, UNC and its Fulbright recipients remain committed to promoting goodwill, peace and collaboration between nations. The actions reflect the vision of former Arkansas Senator J. William Fulbright, who introduced the legislation that created the program, to "increase the chance that nations will learn at last to live in peace and friendship."

@dailytarheel | university@dailytarheel.com

CORRECTION:  A previous headline for this article stated that UNC was the top public university in producing Fulbright scholars. UNC is the top public institution for Fulbright US Student recipients.