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Villanova has been named a top producer of Fulbright grantees by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This announcement continues an impressive streak for the University, which has been among the Fulbright U.S. Student Grant program’s top-producing universities nationwide for more than a decade.
Villanova placed fourth in the national rankings, behind only Georgetown University, Brown University and Princeton University. It was a record-breaking year for Villanovans in the Fulbright program, with 33 students and alumni from undergraduate, graduate, law and doctoral programs earning Fulbright U.S. Student Grants for the 2019–2020 academic year. Of the 33 Villanovans chosen for the State Department's premier international exchange program, 30 have taught, studied and conducted research abroad this year. The remaining three chose to forgo the grant to pursue doctoral degrees or professional opportunities.
“As an Augustinian Catholic institution, serving the greater good has always been a focal point of Villanova’s pedagogy,” says University President the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, ‘75 CLAS. “I believe this emphasis on creating positive change coupled with strong academics, has led to hundreds of Villanovans receiving Fulbrights and the University consistently placing among the Fulbright programs’ top-producing institutions.”
Many more Villanovans are on track to embark on their own Fulbright journeys in 2020–2021. In the current cycle, 46 of Villanova’s 72 applicants were named semifinalists for the award.
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Read more about the similarities between the Villanova and Fulbright mission, and take a closer look at a few of Villanova’s Fulbright recipients and mentors in the 2018-19 President’s Report.