Humphrey Fellowship FAQ: 19 Questions, Short Answers

For the Fellow, yes. The official FAQ lists tuition and fees, a monthly maintenance allowance with a one-time settling-in payment, accident and sickness cover, a book allowance, a one-time computer subsidy, air travel and a professional development allowance. There is no money for dependants.

It is not published. The programme administrator confirms stipend levels with the State Department each year, and the amount appears in your award documents. Treat any figure on a blog as unverified.

No. It is a non-degree programme. You can take graduate courses, but you do not earn a degree, and you cannot transfer to degree status during the Fellowship.

About ten months, one academic year, starting in August or September and ending around June. It includes at least six weeks of professional affiliation.

Online at apply.iie.org/huberthhumphrey, but through the U.S. Embassy or Fulbright Commission for your country. That office sets your deadline and runs the shortlist and interview.

Not announced yet. For 2027-28, the deadlines we verified ran from 20 May 2026 (Pakistan) to 28 August 2026 (Guinea). Expect 2028-29 calls from about spring 2027.

At least five years of full-time professional experience after your first university degree, counted to the date your embassy sets (August 2026 for most 2027-28 calls). Part-time experience may not count.

Possibly. The official FAQ says U.S. experience is not disqualifying if it was not more than three years and you have been back home and employed for at least four years. Many posts are stricter: no year or more of U.S. graduate study in the last seven years, and no more than six months in the U.S. in the last five.

The 2027-28 calls set TOEFL iBT 72, IELTS 6.0 or Duolingo 100. Most posts test you only after shortlisting, often with a free voucher.

Probably not. Guinea's 2027-28 call says the programme will not offer English-language training for that cycle, although Serbia's and Ghana's earlier 2027-28 calls still described it. Plan to meet the minimum score yourself and check your own call for 2028-29.

Not globally. Some posts set one: China listed 30 to 50 and Ethiopia 32 to 45 for 2027-28.

Only with management or policy responsibilities. University teachers or researchers with no management duties are excluded by name.

No. IIE assigns Fellows in cohorts of 13 to 15 to the most suitable host based on field and professional background. There are seven host universities on the official list.

Possibly, after you arrive and only with proof of funds, insurance and child-care plans. There is no extra allowance, and some countries, such as Ethiopia, do not allow dependants.

Yes. Fellows use the J-1 visa, and embassy calls cite a two-year home-country residence requirement or a commitment to return for at least two years.

No. Dual U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents are ineligible because they cannot hold the J-1 visa.

The State Department's FY 2027 funding notice plans for about 106 academic-year Fellows. Country quotas are not published, though China said it forwards seven candidates to Washington.

Generally yes, the official FAQ says, but check your embassy or commission's rules. Pakistan's USEFP says reapplications get no preferential treatment.

Official sources point that way: the FY 2027 funding notice covers recruitment for academic year 2028-29. Funding is listed as pending availability of funds, so the call is not guaranteed until your post publishes it.