Fulbright New Zealand releases new levels and second year funding for graduate awards
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND 28 March 2018 — Fulbright New Zealand is pleased to release the details of our new increased grant levels for graduate applicants, as a
result of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade announcement’s earlier this month to double core funding to Fulbright New Zealand to NZ$1.35 million per annum.
Under the new funding levels, second year funding is being introduced for the first time for Fulbright New Zealand’s
Graduate Awards, and the first year levels have been boosted by a third.
Approximately eight New Zealand Graduate Awards will be granted annually, valued at up to US$40,000 (plus NZ$4,000
travel funding) for up to one year of study or research in the US. Students undertaking multi-year Masters or PhD
degrees have the opportunity to apply for additional funding of up to US$30,000 towards their second year of study.
Thanks to the generous support of our partners, all graduate awards will be available to applicants at the higher
levels. All details for the Fulbright New Zealand Graduate Awards (approximately 8 annually), Fulbright Science and Innovation Graduate Awards (approximately 8 annually), Fulbright-EQC Graduate Award in Natural Disaster Research (1 annually) and Fulbright-Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga Graduate Award (1 annually) can be found on their respective webpages.
The increase in funding has been widely celebrated as Fulbright New Zealand Executive Director Penelope Borland recently
attended the Fulbright East Asia Pacific Regional conference in Jakarta, a coming together of Fulbright programmes in
Asia Pacific along with officials from the US State Department. This funding from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
was applauded at the conference as it has elevated New Zealand’s Fulbright programme to new levels.
“We are grateful for the announced increase in funding and our longstanding partnership with the Government of New
Zealand on the Fulbright Program. Our cooperation in providing opportunities for American and New Zealand students and
scholars to study, research, and teach in one another’s country through Fulbright reflects our shared commitment to a
strong bilateral relationship and growing people-to-people ties,” said Marianne Craven, Managing Director for Academic
Programs in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
The announcement came just as Fulbright New Zealand kicked off its 70th anniversary year. To spread the word about the
new award levels, Fulbright New Zealand will be holding meetings for students and alumni in Dunedin, Christchurch,
Auckland, and Wellington.
The new award levels are available to all applicants applying in 2018 for travel to the United States in 2019. The
deadline for the New Zealand Graduate Awards is 1 August 2018. More details on the scholar award levels will be
available in June, ahead of the New Zealand Scholars Award 1 October deadline.
ENDS.