Apply for Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program (Kosovo)

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program was established in 1978 as a Fulbright exchange that advances U.S. foreign policy goals through the exchange of mid-career professionals representing approximately 140 eligible countries from all world regions. Humphrey Fellows work in critical fields for collaboration, such as law and human rights, public health and infectious diseases, climate change, and food security. During their fellowship, Humphrey Fellows participate in non-degree study at approximately 13 host campuses across the United States and complete at least six weeks of a professional affiliation at a U.S.-based governmental, non-governmental, private sector, or international organization. Through their academic and professional experiences, they gain knowledge about the United States, deepen their professional expertise and experience in their field, and expand their networks to include U.S. and international counterparts. Fellowship alumni are well positioned to serve as key interlocutors, helping to advance deeper relationships with the United States. Alumni have lasting impacts on their communities, applying knowledge and skills acquired through their Fellowships to effect broad change across their organizations and fields of expertise.

Program Components

• Non-Degree Academic Study: Humphrey Fellows pursue tailored study programs at participating host institutions, where freedom from the requirements of a degree program gives each Fellow the flexibility to pursue a self-directed, individualized program at a host campus in the United States. Approximately 13 U.S. campuses have been selected through a competitive process based on their ability to offer institutional and professional resources to host cohorts of Fellows in designated fields of study. Humphrey Fellows may not request placement at any particular university. Each campus has at least one designated faculty coordinator for academic and administrative support. In addition, faculty advisors assist Fellows in pursuing balanced academic and professional programs. Even though Fellows will spend time in an academic setting and are able to take classes at a U.S. university, the Humphrey Fellowship Program is classified as a non-degree program by the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS). Humphrey Fellows cannot transfer from non-degree status to degree status under any circumstances during their program.
• Leadership and Professional Development: Professional enrichment activities include professional visits, enhancement skills workshops, conferences, training programs, and a professional affiliation (placement). The professional affiliation provides firsthand exposure to a U.S. work environment on a full-time basis for a minimum period of six weeks. Early in the academic year, each Fellow develops, with assistance from the local campus coordinator and faculty advisors, a detailed plan of practical professional activities geared to the Fellow’s program objectives.

Fields

• Human and Institutional Capacity
  • Economic Development
  • Finance and Banking
  • Public Policy Analysis and Public Administration
  • Technology Policy and Management
  • Human Resource Management
• Rights and Freedoms:
  • Communications and Journalism
  • Law and Human Rights
  • Sustainable Lands:
  • Agricultural and Rural Development
• Natural Resources, Environmental Policy, and Climate Change
  • Urban and Regional Planning
• Thriving Communities:
  • Public Health Policy and Management
  • Substance Abuse Education, Treatment and Prevention
  • Educational Administration, Planning, and Policy

Costs Covered

• The Humphrey Fellowship provides tuition and university fees, a monthly maintenance allowance, a book and supplies allowance, a computer subsidy, round-trip international travel to the host institution (and to the Fellow’s English-language training program when applicable), and domestic travel to Washington, D.C. for a special seminar. Supplementary funds are available for professional activities such as field trips or attendance at conferences. Humphrey Fellowships are not renewable.

Eligibility Criteria

• Kosovo citizenship or residency
• Five years or more of full-time professional experience
• University degree – Candidates must have completed a university degree program requiring at least four years of full-time study.
• English proficiency
• Qualified candidates are mid-career professionals in leadership positions who have a commitment to public service and the potential for professional advancement. Prospective Fellows should have a minimum of five years full-time professional experience (prior to August 2024) in the relevant field and should be interested in the policy aspects of their field of specialization. Candidates must have completed a university degree program requiring at least four years of full-time study to qualify for participation in U.S. graduate study programs.
• A candidate will be removed from consideration if they do not meet all the technical eligibility requirements.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Recent university graduates (even if they have significant positions)
• University teachers or academic researchers with no management responsibilities (except in the fields of Substance Abuse Education, Prevention, and Treatment and Teaching of English as a Foreign Language)
• Individuals who have attended a graduate school in the United States for one academic year or more during the seven years prior to August 2025
• Individuals with U.S. in-country experience of any kind lasting more than six months during the five years prior to August 2025
• Individuals with dual U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent resident status may not apply to the program; they are ineligible for a J visa.
• According to the policies of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FFSB), local employees of U.S. Missions abroad who work for the U.S. Department of State, or the U.S. Agency for International Development, including temporary employees and contractors, and members of their families as well as individuals who work for or are otherwise associated with an organization that is responsible for nominating or selecting individuals for participation in any ECA exchange program are ineligible for grants during the period of their employment and for one year following the termination of employment.

For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in Kosovo.