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[fitzlod]

I recently found out I'm an alternate for the graduate student Fulbright Hays grant. I was wondering if anyone on the forum knows anything about the process of alternate moving up to candidate status (I've asked the Fulbright coordinator at my university, but he didn't know much about it). Is the only way for an alternate to move up if a principle candidate declines an award, or is there some kind of budget issue involved? Any info on how many alternates are chosen (I imagine it's by the geographical area of research?) would be very helpful too!

Thank you!

[seniorscholar]

I don't know about the actual process and regulations, but it is not terribly rare for someone to decline a graduate Fulbright -- the application has to be made long in advance, and people's personal lives (and thus their ability to live in another country on a relatively modest stipend for a year) do change; or people who take their supervisor's advice and apply for everything they might possibly be considered for find they have been awarded something else that better suits their ultimate goal or the current state of their project.

[betterslac]

It also depends how far down you are on the alternate list.

[sociological]

I was number 1 on the alternate list and I got the fellowship, about a month after I was originally told of my status. I got the sense that the top 1 or 2 alternates usually get the fellowship, although it may also depend on the school and the world region you plan to study.

[fitzlod]

Thanks for the responses! Ratih, how did you find out where you were on the alternate list? This is what I asked the Fulbright Coordinator at my university about, but he didn't know, although he said he'd try and find out. There's still another week before the deadline to turn in acceptance forms for principal and alternate slots, so perhaps when that's done they'll notify the alternates about their positions on the list?

[all4africa]

Hello,

 I'm an alternate this year as well. To find out where you are on the list (a national list that's actually independent of region/area of study), you can call the Fulbright director at the Dept of Education in D.C. They can give you an idea of where you are on the list. When I called, they asked me to give a call back at the end of May, once everyone has turned in their status forms. There are some 50 alternates across the country. In addition to someone giving up their slot, it is also possible that people trying to go to countries marked "travel warnings" by the state department will not get awards this year because of perceived security issues. That may also provide more space for alternates.

[anthroid]

In my case I was an alternate and then some money was freed up so I and two other alternates were funded as well as the principals.  I think there was a total of 6 of us to go to a European country.  The Fulbright representative for the region was the one who kept in very good touch with me (she was wonderful, in fact); that name should be on the letter you received about alternate status.  I was informed in July about six weeks before I was slated to leave the US that I had earned the full Fulbright for the country.

[fitzlod]

Thanks for all the information everyone, especially all4africa. I guess I will try and call them at the end of May to find out where I am on the list. 50 alternates does seem like a huge amount though if there were only 150 awards. Oh well!