Global Undergraduate Exchange Program (Global UGRAD): US Exchange Semester

The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program, known as Global UGRAD, pays for one semester of non-degree, full-time undergraduate study in the United States. The semester comes with community service, professional development and cultural enrichment alongside your classes.

World Learning runs the programme for the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). It is an exchange, not a degree: you study at a US campus for a semester and then return home.

• Host: World Learning, for the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)
• Study destination: United States
• Level: non-degree full-time undergraduate exchange
• Awards: approximately 250 students
• Duration: one academic semester
• Fields: all academic fields of study
• Deadline: 15 December 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time

Participants are placed at over 70 diverse colleges and universities around the United States.

This is a non-degree full-time undergraduate programme, and it is open to all academic fields of study.

Approximately 250 students take part.

Participating countries/locales include: Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Fiji, Georgia, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Malawi, Malaysia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, North Macedonia, Palestinian Territories (West Bank and Gaza), Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Russia, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Tuvalu, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zimbabwe.

The scholarship covers one academic semester. Host institutions are expected to show significant cost share commitments. Examples include in-state tuition instead of out-of-state, housing waivers, significant tuition discounts or scholarships, and housing and fee reductions.

The Global Undergraduate Exchange Program is open to anyone who is/has:

• over 18 years of age;
• a citizen of a UGRAD participating country, currently residing in that country;
• enrolled as an undergraduate in good standing at any accredited university, public or private, and has at least one semester remaining at their home university at the conclusion of the UGRAD program;
• completed secondary education in their home country;
• a solid command of written and spoken English (English Language training for some finalists is possible);
• able to begin studies in the United States in August 2024 or January 2025 (selected participants may not defer to a later date);
• eligible to receive and maintain the US student exchange visa (J-1) required for the program;
• cleared by a physician to participate in the program;
• committed to returning to their home country after the completion of the program.

This suits an undergraduate who is already enrolled at an accredited university in a participating country, has at least one semester left at home after the exchange, and wants a semester of US study without switching degree.

You also need to be ready to return home when the programme ends and able to hold a J-1 exchange visa. If you cannot commit to going back, or you would need to defer the start date, this award is not the right fit.

Applications are currently closed.

Apply through the U.S. Embassy (Public Affairs Section) or Fulbright Commission in your home country. The deadline is 15 December 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

Visit the official website (link below) to get the application form and full details on how to apply.

• Who can apply for Global UGRAD? Undergraduates over 18 who are citizens of a participating country, live there, study at an accredited university and have at least one semester left at home after the programme.
• What does the scholarship cover? One academic semester of non-degree full-time undergraduate study, with host institutions expected to provide cost share commitments such as tuition discounts, housing waivers and fee reductions.
• When is the deadline? 15 December 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time, through the U.S. Embassy or Fulbright Commission in your home country.
• Can I choose my US university? No. Placement is at one of over 70 colleges and universities around the United States.
• Can I defer my start date if selected? No. Selected participants may not defer to a later date.
• Do I need a visa? Yes. You must be eligible to receive and maintain the J-1 US student exchange visa required for the programme.

• Read the official guidelines and the country-specific instructions from your local U.S. Embassy or Fulbright Commission before you start.
• Gather your transcripts, proof of enrollment and passport details early so nothing is missing at submission.
• Check the English language requirement and any testing your local office asks for.
• Explain in your essays why a semester in the US fits your studies and how you will use it back home.
• Submit before the deadline, since late applications are usually not considered.