Members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board resigned en masse: Here’s why

At least 11 out of the 12 members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board have resigned en masse to protest “unprecedented interference” from Trump administration officers, they claimed in an announcement on Substack.

The assertion posted on 11 June titled ‘Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board Resignation Statement’, stated that members of the board voted to resign “rather than endorse unprecedented actions that … compromise national interests and integrity”.

Notably, AP reported that one board member has not joined the mass resignation. Board member Carmen Estrada-Schaye instructed the company, “I was appointed by the president of the United States, and I intend to fill out my term.”

According to the assertion, the Trump administration denied a quantity of US teachers from receiving the prestigious awards and has rejected scholarships for the 2025-2026 tutorial yr. Further, they alleged “unauthorised review” of 1,200 overseas Fulbright recipients.

As per the New York Times, which broke the story, US State Department officers have cancelled Fulbright scholarships for almost 200 US professors and researchers at universities and analysis centres overseas.

Why the step? Key points raised by board:

• The board alleges that the present administration has usurped its authority in contradiction to Fulbright’s mission and values, together with free speech and tutorial freedom.
• When the US Congress established the Fulbright scholarship program, the board was given ultimate approval over candidates and screening by nonpartisan profession employees at the State Department.
• It added that over 35 overseas governments match or exceed the US contributions to the program.
• The board added that its written objections to senior administration officers didn’t obtain a response, and persevering with to serve … would danger legitimising actions we consider are illegal and harm the integrity of this storied program and America’s credibility overseas.”

How has govt responded? US State Dept says…

A US State Department official, in statements to the media, dismissed the mass resignation as politically motivated. They additionally disputed claims of board independence and stated that it has the ultimate say over purposes.

“It’s ridiculous to believe that these members would continue to have final say over the application process, especially when it comes to determining academic suitability and alignment with President Trump’s Executive Orders. The claim that the Fulbright-Hays Act affords exclusive and final say over Fulbright Applications to the Fulbright board is false. This is nothing but a political stunt attempting to undermine President Trump,” the official stated.

“The 12 members of the Fulbright board were partisan political appointees of the Biden administration. It’s ridiculous to believe that these members would continue to have final say over the application process, especially when it comes to determining academic suitability and alignment with President Trump’s executive orders,” they added.

The AP reported that, in addition to Estrada-Schaye, 11 of the board members have been chosen beneath former US President Joe Biden.

Read full assertion: ‘Govt usurping authority, denied Fulbright awards, reviewing 1,200 recipients’

“Effective immediately, members of the Congressionally mandated Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board voted overwhelmingly to resign from the board, rather than endorse unprecedented actions that we believe are impermissible under the law, compromise U.S. national interests and integrity, and undermine the mission and mandates Congress established for the Fulbright program nearly 80 years ago.

At the program’s inception, Congress clearly specified that the Fulbright Board has final approval authority of applicants, which occurs after an exhaustive and deliberate, year-long process led by non-partisan career staff at the State Department and Embassies around the world. The process involves 49 binational, treaty-based commissions and over 150 countries, which contribute a significant amount of the annual funding for the Fulbright program. In fact, 35+ foreign governments match or exceed the U.S. government’s annual contribution.

Under Democratic and Republican administrations alike, the Board has followed the law, operating with independence pursuant to its statutory mandate. Indeed, the Fulbright-Hays Act emphasizes the non-political and non-ideological character of the program.

However, the current administration has usurped the authority of the Board and denied Fulbright awards to a substantial number of individuals who were selected for the 2025-2026 academic year. The administration is also currently subjecting an additional 1,200 foreign Fulbright recipients to an unauthorized review process and could reject more. We believe these actions not only contradict the statute but are antithetical to the Fulbright mission and the values, including free speech and academic freedom, that Congress specified in the statute.

It is worth noting that the awards that were overridden include studies in categories such as biology, engineering, architecture, agriculture, crop sciences, animal sciences, biochemistry, medical sciences, music, and history.

Through generations of war and peace, the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Program has been a bipartisan pillar of American diplomacy—an enduring symbol of our nation’s commitment to mutual understanding and diplomacy, academic excellence, and international cooperation. It has promoted U.S. interests and global stability. Fulbright alumni have gone on to become leaders of government, industry, academia, arts, and culture in every part of the world.

Members of Congress of both parties tout the prestige and economic benefits bestowed upon their home state colleges and universities who support such distinguished students and alumni.

This proud legacy has depended on one thing above all: the integrity of the program’s selection process based on merit, not ideology, and its insulation from political interference. That integrity is now undermined.

We have raised these legal issues and our strong objections with senior administration officials on multiple occasions, including in writing. The officials have refused to acknowledge or respond to the Board, failing to even attempt good faith efforts to course correct and operate the Program in accordance with the statute.

Our resignation is not a decision we take lightly. But to continue to serve after the Administration has consistently ignored the Board’s request that they follow the law would risk legitimizing actions we believe are unlawful and damage the integrity of this storied program and America’s credibility abroad. Indeed, the erosion of the Fulbright program weakens America and our national security interests. Institutions and the rule of law matter and have distinguished our country for almost 250 years. As a Board, we are proud of our stewardship of the program, the way we’ve worked to uphold its mission, integrity, and adherence to the law.

It is our sincere hope that Congress, the courts, and future Fulbright Boards will prevent the administration’s efforts to degrade, dismantle, or even eliminate one of our nation’s most respected and valuable programs. Injecting politics and ideological mandates into the Fulbright program violates the letter and spirit of the law that Congress so wisely established nearly eight decades ago.”

About Fulbright Scholarships

Established round 80 years again, in 1946, to advertise worldwide change and American diplomacy, the Fulbright Scholarship is a extremely selective program that awards near 9,000 scholarships yearly in the US and over 160 different international locations to college students, students, and professionals in a spread of fields.

Sponsored by the US Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) it was established beneath laws launched by late Senator J William Fulbright, of Arkansas.

According to the Fulbright web site, its alumni embrace 62 Nobel prize winners and 93 Pulitzer recipients. Some notable alumni embrace King Felipe VI of Spain; Luc Frieden, prime minister of Luxembourg; Leslie Voltaire, president of Haiti’s transitional presidential council; and Muhammad Yunus, chief adviser of Bangladesh.

How many Indians might be impacted?

The United States–India Educational Foundation (USIEF) administers the Fulbright Program in India, based on the US Embassy in India web site.

It added that India’s program “is one of the largest with more than 350 fellowships granted annually”. Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration and overseas college students in the US is more likely to influence “thousands” of Indian college students.

Sanjog Anand, co-founder of Rostrum Education instructed Business Standard in May, “India has become the leading source of international students in the US. More than 331,600 Indian students were enrolled in the US during the 2023–24 academic year, making up nearly 30 per cent of the international student body.”

(With inputs from Bloomberg and AP)