The applicant should:

• be a citizen of India and reside in India at the time of application.
• live and teach in the states of Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
• hold at least a bachelor's degree. A teacher training degree is preferred.
• be a full-time teacher teaching any subject at any level (primary, middle, secondary, or senior secondary).
• primary and secondary level library media specialists, guidance counselors, curriculum specialists, special education coordinators, and administrators who spend at least fifty percent of their time teaching or working directly with students may also apply to the program.
• Teacher trainers working with elementary, or secondary pre-service or in-service teachers are eligible to apply.
• have completed at least five years of full-time teaching experience by the application deadline.
• demonstrate English language skills adequate to audit university courses and to teach, lead seminars, and give presentations in U.S. schools.
• demonstrate a commitment to continue teaching or working in their field for at least five years after completion of the program.

If you have taken any standard test of English language proficiency such as the iBT TOEFL, please attach a photocopy of the score report to your application. If you have not taken TOEFL and are selected as a nominee, you will be required to take the iBT TOEFL in June 2026. USIEF will provide fee vouchers towards the TOEFL exam. The nominee should possess an internet based TOEFL score of 61.

Fulbright DAI is a program for practicing teachers and other educators working in elementary or secondary schools. Ministry of Education officials, full-time principals or educational administrators, university faculty, private English Language tutors, part-time teachers are not eligible. The Fulbright DAI Program is not designed for PhD research.

• J-1 visa support;
• A pre-departure orientation in India;
• Round-trip airfare to and within the U.S.;
• Academic program fees;
• Housing and meals;
• Accident and sickness medical insurance coverage (does not cover pre-existing conditions);
• Transportation to the local school (if necessary);
• A daily allowance for incidentals during the university academic program;
• A professional development allowance;
• A baggage allowance to offset the cost of travel;
• A technology allowance; and
• The opportunity to apply for alumni small grants for alumni in good standing (contingent on federal funding).

Dependents cannot accompany the program participants.

Fellows will be selected through a merit-based open competition. After the application deadline, a screening committee will review all eligible applications. Short-listed candidates will be interviewed by a committee which will select nominees whose names will be forwarded to Washington, D.C. for further consideration. All nominations from the participating countries will be reviewed by independent panels of educational experts in Washington, D.C. The panel will then recommend selected applications for further consideration and approval by the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB). All candidates will be notified of their status in December 2026.

• Demonstrated commitment to elementary or secondary education;
• Demonstrated leadership potential;
• Professional and educational experience and achievements;
• Potential for developing long-term linkages between U.S. and Indian educational institutions and schools;
• Preparedness (including maturity, flexibility, and ability to function independently) for an intensive U.S.-based training program with very limited free time for personal travel or sightseeing;
• Willingness and capacity to work and live collaboratively with international peers to foster a positive learning community for professional development;
• Articulated ideas for applying program experience to improving primary or secondary education in home country upon return;
• Ability to express ideas clearly and effectively;
• English language skills adequate to manage coursework, develop lesson plans, and team-teach in U.S. schools.
• Preference will also be given to applicants who have had few or no opportunities to travel to the U.S., and who have not previously received a Fulbright grant. Preference will be given to qualified candidates who have not previously had a Fulbright and to those who have not had substantial recent experience in the United States. Applicants with previous professional experience in the United States should demonstrate in their applications, how they have implemented in their teaching practice what they learned during this experience. Please note that this program is not intended for alumni of the International Leaders in Education Program.
• A candidate who has resided in the United States for five or more consecutive years in the six-year period preceding the date of application is ineligible for a grant. A candidate who has lived in the United States for nine months or more during a calendar year is deemed to have resided abroad for that year; and
• If a person received an advanced degree from the United States, preference will be given to those who completed their degree at least 8 years ago.

You must submit an application online. Click https://fulbright.irex.org/ to access the online application. Click for instructions on completing the online application. click here.

Once you submit your online application print a copy for your record. Please do not send the paper copy of the application form.

Program Timeline

Teachers in Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh should contact Dr. Gayatri Singhal, Indian Program Manager, USIEF, New Delhi, E: Gayatri@usief.org.in; Phone: 011 4209 0949.

Teachers teaching in the states of Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli should contact Dr. Ryan A. Pereira, Regional Officer, USIEF Mumbai Regional Office, Mumbai, E: ryan@usief.org.in; Phone: 98677 61669.