Awards to the U.S.

Doctoral Dissertation Research Award

Description and Purpose

To cultivate Taiwan’s academic research talent and deepen Taiwan–U.S. exchange, two types of doctoral research grants to the United States are offered this year. Applicants are advised to choose the appropriate type based on their status and eligibility. The award is designed to assist doctoral candidates at Taiwan universities in all academic fields who are working on doctoral dissertation topics, to consult scholars, collect data, and/or audit courses at a U.S. university or research institution.

AWARD

Up to 4 awards

ACTIVITY

Research

LENGTH

5 to 10 months

DEADLINE

August 1, 2026

Fields

Social Science & Education
Business and Applied Social Science
Information, Media and Humanities
Arts & Culture
Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM)

Benefits

A fixed sum from US$14,155 to US$43,100, prorated over the grant period. (the duration of grants ranges from 5 to 10 months)
A one-time settling allowance of US$3,000
Possible placement services by IIE
Medical accident insurance and the Fulbright J-1 visa
Academia Sinica Program:
– Academia Sinica will continue to provide the “Elite Scholarship” at NT$50,000 per month.
– Fulbright will provide the difference so that the total monthly stipend reaches the Fulbright standard based on the cost of living in each U.S. city.
– One round-trip economy-class airfare between Taiwan and the United States.
– Other award items (settling-in allowance, assistance with applying to host institutions, insurance, and visa) are the same as above.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants are eligible who:

Are physically present in Taiwan during the year prior to the grant
Have completed at least 2 years of doctoral-level study in Taiwan, and have an approved dissertation topic for which special materials or advisors are available in the U.S. in the appropriate field. After the end of the grant period, grantees must return to Taiwan to finish their doctoral-level study
Can be physically present for an oral interview at the end of August (tentatively scheduled on August 17, 2026), at Fulbright Taiwan in Taipei
TOEFL scores (minimum iBT score 80) or IELTS scores (minimum score 6.5) taken since September 2025, or upload your iBT/IELTS test appointment confirmation to our application system. (Test date MUST be before September 30, 2026).
Meet the Award Conditions and Provisions (Eligibility & Visa)
Academia Sinica Program: In addition to meeting the above qualifications, applicants must be current recipients of the “Academia Sinica Humanities and Social Sciences Doctoral Elite Scholarship” and have passed the doctoral candidacy examination.

Applicants are Ineligible who:

Are currently studying in the US
Have received Fulbright Student Grant twice
Wish to pursue studies as medical students. However, applicants with medical degrees may receive grants for advanced academic study, but not for internships or residencies

Other Requirements:

The duration of the grant ranges from 5 to 10 months. Participants of the Academia Sinica Program are required to complete 10 months of research in the United States.
The grant must begin no earlier than August 1, 2027. They must end no later than August 31, 2028.
All other factors being equal, preference is given to applicants who have submitted all of the score reports (including the English score report and transcript)
During the grant period, the grantee must submit a research or reflection article to FSE’s Online Journal Research & Reflections

Learn More About the Process

Application Procedure

1

Apply online by August 1, 2026. For application information, please refer to: Application Instruction (PDF)

2

Submit the hard copy of the following required documents to Fulbright Taiwan. (postmarked no later than August 1, 2026)

Hard copies of your completed online application form (in English, including application form, Study/Research Objective, personal statement, English CV (Participants in the Academia Sinica Program must indicate in their CV that they are recipients of the Academia Sinica Humanities and Social Sciences Doctoral Elite Scholarship), TOEFL/IELTS score report, writing sample, financial statement of other grants/ scholarships which will be used in the same period as the Fulbright grant, and passport copy)
Chinese CV (translated version of your English CV with your cell phone number, email address, and mailing address. We’ll deliver the notification letter via email after the nomination list is confirmed.)
3 English recommendation letters (if your referees do not want to complete recommendation letters online)
One copy of authorized transcripts for undergraduate studies and for graduate studies in sealed envelopes (including for exchange studies; MUST be in English for IIE); “sealed envelopes” means that you have to ask the school to stamp on the flap of the envelope to prove that the transcripts are authorized by the school. Or, an official e-transcript emailed by the university to our foundation directly if the university is located out of Taiwan. All transcripts will be sent to IIE if selected.
Certificate of degree for all degrees earned (MUST be in English for IIE); foreign certificates of degree must be authenticated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). For more information, please visit MOFA’s website. All certificates of degrees will be sent to IIE.
Certificate of enrollment in the PhD program. If the school cannot issue the certificate by our deadline, please submit a copy of your student ID card (both sides). Applicants should submit the certificate of enrollment by September 30, 2025.

The mailing address is:

Foundation for Scholarly Exchange
2nd Fl., 45, Yanping S. Rd., Taipei 100011, Taiwan
Attn. Fulbright Exchange Program (Doctoral Dissertation)

3

The application process has been completed! Wait for the notification letter!

FAQ

1. English Proficiency Statement

If the applicants fail to meet the minimum requirement of English proficiency, the applications still can be submitted (by August 1st). The selection committee will decide if the applicants are qualified for being granted and allowed to re-take standardized tests after the interview.

2. Host Institution

The application results will not be affected if the applicants do not submit invitations in the application process. However, the applicants need to specify their preferred institutions for the Selection Committee’s reference. At least after receiving notification letters in September, nominees should start to communicate with the potential host institutions and negotiate with them based on their academic needs. If our Foundation has not received invitation letters from applicants (issued by the host institutions) six months before the grant start date, applicants need to provide a preference list for IIE to start the placement work.

3. Visa

Our Foundation is in charge of documents required for visa application, including DS-2019, visa fee waiver, and the administrative procedures of visa application. It’s not the host institutions to issue DS-2019s to Fulbright grantees.

The policies regarding visa, documents and fee waiver are also applicable to grantees’ dependents (i.e. non-U.S.-citizen spouse and children under 21).

4. Scholarship Obligations

1) In the grant period, grantees have to submit at least one research result/reflections report to FSE Online Journal：(in Chinese or English)

2) After completion of your grant in the United States, you should return to Taiwan for at least two years before being eligible to apply for temporary worker (H), intracompany transferee (L), fiancé (K) visa, or immigrant visa/lawful permanent resident status (LPR), so called Two-Year Home-Country Physical Presence Requirement under Section 212(e) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. Within the two-year period, the grantees are allowed to apply for tourist visa, student visa, and other non-immigrant-non-employment visa to attend conferences, travel or study in the U.S. This Requirement applies to J-2 dependents as well.

5. Selection Criteria

Please refer to the selection report on the website.

6. Timeline

August 1, 2026——Deadline of application

August 17, 2026——A Selection Committee (academic peers from a variety of disciplines and Board members) reviews all documents and research proposals.

September, 2026——The Selection Committee recommends a nominee list to FSE’s Board. Applicants are notified by our Foundation of nomination/non-nomination after the Board meeting.

October 1, 2026——Fulbright Taiwan submits the approved nomination to IIE for technical review and to J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) at Washington D.C. for final approval.

February, 2027——Final approval is released from FFSB to our Foundation.

June, 2027——Pre-Departure Orientation

August to September, 2027—— Grant starts

Selection Procedure

August

In the middle of August (tentatively scheduled on August 17, 2026), a Selection Committee (academic peers from a variety of disciplines, Board members, and staff) reviews all documents and research proposals, conducts oral interviews with applicants, and recommends a slate for final selection by Fulbright Taiwan’s Board. Applicants who can’t physically present for an oral interview will be deemed to waive.

September

Applicants are notified by Fulbright Taiwan of nomination/non-nomination at the end of September after the Board meeting and their nomination is also sent to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB) for final confirmation. IIE will provide services for applying host institutions simultaneously.
The grant is then subject to:
1. Approval by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB)
2. Acceptance of the candidate’s research proposal by a U.S. institution

February of the grant year

Final approval is then normally received by Fulbright Taiwan in February and conveyed to grantees as soon as received.

Note: All Taiwan grantees traveling to the U.S. must hold a J-type visa for academic and cultural exchange programs.

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Helpful Links

Contact

Ms. Andie Liao
Email: fse@fulbright.org.tw
Tel: 02-2388-2100 ext. 134

Tagged Research Students