Villanova University Named a Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Students

VILLANOVA, Pa.—Villanova University is listed as a top producer of 2019-2020 Fulbright U.S. Students as recently announced by the U.S. Department of State. The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program. Top-producing U.S. colleges and universities are highlighted annually in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Villanova placed fourth among the top Fulbright producers behind only Georgetown University, Brown University and Princeton University. For the full list of Top Fulbright Producers, click here.

33 students and alumni from Villanova University won Fulbright awards for the 2019-2020 academic year. Of the 33 selected, 30 Villanovans are currently teaching, studying and conducting research abroad. The remaining three chose to forgo the grant to pursue doctoral degrees or professional opportunities. View a map with the full list of the current Fulbright recipients and their placements here.

“As an Augustinian Catholic institution, serving the greater good has always been a focal point of Villanova’s pedagogy,” said the Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, Villanova University President. “I believe this emphasis on creating positive change coupled with strong academics, has led to hundreds of Villanovans becoming Fulbright Scholars and the University consistently placing among the Fulbright programs’ top-producing institutions. Congratulations to all of this year’s recipients.”    

The Fulbright competition is administered at Villanova through the Center for Research and Fellowships (CRF). In the current Fulbright cycle, 46 of Villanova’s 72 applicants were named semi-finalists for the award and will be notified over the next two months if they receive an award to go abroad during the 2020-2021 academic year.

The Fulbright Program was created to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Over 2,200 U.S. Students and over 900 U.S. college and university faculty and administrators are awarded Fulbright grants annually. In addition, some 4,000 Fulbright Foreign Students and Visiting Scholars come to the United States annually to study, lecture, conduct research or teach their native language.

Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has given over 390,000 passionate and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds and fields the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research, exchange ideas, and contribute to finding solutions to important international problems. The global network of Fulbrighters fosters mutual understanding between the United States and partner nations, advances knowledge across communities, and improves lives around the globe.

Fulbright is active in more than 160 countries worldwide and partners with participating governments, host institutions, corporations, and foundations in foreign countries and in the United States. Many of these organizations also provide direct and indirect support. ECA sponsors the Fulbright program, and several non-profit, cooperative partners implement and support the program on the Bureau’s behalf. Visit the Fulbright Program website to learn more.    

About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.