�ʼһ���

Original: June 17, 2021

Updated: Feb. 28, 2022

Last spring, the U.S. State Department tapped 10 �ʼһ��� seniors and young alumni as finalists in the 2021-22 Fulbright U.S. Student Program competition. That’s one of the nation’s best records for four-year bachelor’s degree institutions. �ʼһ��� ties with Amherst in Massachusetts for the third-place ranking in its category.



It’s �ʼһ���’s highest ranking in the seven years that it has received the Fulbright Student top producer acknowledgement. Many Fulbright grantees say �ʼһ���’s consistently strong showing in the program was a factor in selecting the college and led to significant opportunities. The grant allows finalists to study, conduct research or teach abroad.



The State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) released the annual top-producer list on Monday.



“We congratulate the colleges and universities we are honoring as 2021-2022 Fulbright Top Producing Institutions,” said Ethan Rosenzweig, the ECA’s Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Academic Programs. “We thank the leadership of these institutions for supporting their faculty advisors and administrators, who are instrumental in guiding their students through the Fulbright application process. We know that U.S. institutions benefit from having their students represent their campus overseas, which often fosters reciprocal exchanges that in turn help further internationalize U.S. campuses.”

Originally published June 17, 2021

Last summer, Maria Rojas was crushed that she wouldn’t spend the fall semester studying abroad in France.

This fall, she has a second shot, only this time instead of attending college, she’ll teach English to French high school students.

Jake Carver spent the past year studying remotely from his suburban Los Angeles home. He’s ready to travel and happy that he’ll spend the next year teaching English in Taiwan—where he’ll be able to visit his grandparents and cousins.

The two recent graduates from �ʼһ���’s class of 2021 are among 10 young alumni who received grant offers to teach, study or do research abroad in eight different countries. Two other �ʼһ��� candidates were named as alternates.

After more than a year of being grounded by the COVID-19 pandemic, they’re ready to travel.

Lucy Fasano ’21, who double-majored in psychology and philosophy, falls into the uncertainty category. She was offered a Fulbright research grant to investigate implicit bias (“victim blaming”) of women who’ve survived sexual violence. She had hoped to do that research at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. But Australia’s borders are still closed and expected to remain that way into early 2022.

In the meantime, the western Massachusetts native will start at Duke University School of Law in fall  and wait to see what unfolds for the spring semester.

“I’m excited to go to law school but I’m really disappointed that COVID has put the plans for Australia up in the air,” Fasano said. “I’m really passionate about the research and I’ve always wanted to go to Australia.”

This year was the prestigious program’s most competitive, with more than 11,700 applicants representing a 12% increase over last year. �ʼһ��� students and alumni have a long history as top Fulbright picks. In this cycle, 24 of the 36 candidates who applied through �ʼһ��� received semi-finalist recommendations from the U.S.-based national committees.

For more information about the Fulbright U.S. Student Program application process at �ʼһ���, contact Gaylena Merritt (gamerritt@davidson.edu), Associate Director for Fellowships and Experiential Learning.