St. Olaf among top producers of U.S. Fulbright students
St. Olaf College is one of the top producers of Fulbright fellows among liberal arts colleges across the nation.
Eleven recent St. Olaf graduates won Fulbright awards for 2016–17, putting the college on a list of colleges and universities that produced the most fellows this year.
The list, compiled by the Institute of International Education on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, was published in the Chronicle of Higher Education. St. Olaf is tied with Bowdoin College for sixth in the nation among baccalaureate institutions, coming in only behind Smith, Pitzer, Pomona, Oberlin, and Bates colleges.
Of the 11 recent St. Olaf graduates who earned the prestigious award this year, six are using their Fulbright awards to conduct research and five are performing English teaching assistantships.
The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is sponsored by the Department of State and awards more than 1,500 grants to U.S. students every year.
The program operates in more than 140 countries, seeking to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and people of other countries” and “contribute to finding solutions to shared international concerns.” Program participants are chosen based on many factors, including leadership potential and academic merit.
In addition to being one of the top producers of Fulbright students, St. Olaf is also a top producer among baccalaureate institutions of Fulbright scholars. The Fulbright Scholar Program provides faculty members with teaching, research or combination teaching/research awards in over 125 countries.