Deadline: 28-Jul-2025
The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, a Fulbright exchange, enhances leadership and ties with the United States among influential mid-career government officials and other emerging leaders from priority countries through academic study and professional experience in the U.S., advancing U.S. foreign policy interests to make the U.S. safer and more prosperous in a more stable and secure world.
The Humphrey Fellowship uses a cohort model focused on specific fields of study, with groups of Fellows placed in multinational cohorts at host universities around the United States. Fellows develop leadership and policy expertise through tailored academic coursework and professional affiliations with U.S. organizations.
Eligible Fields
- Human and Institutional Capacity:
- Economic Policy and Finance
- Public Policy Analysis and Public Administration
- Technology Policy and Management
- Rights and Freedoms:
- Communications and Journalism
- Law and Human Rights
- Sustainable Lands:
- Agriculture and Rural Development
- Natural Resources and Environmental Policy
- Urban and Regional Planning
- Thriving Communities:
- Public Health Policy and Management
- Substance Abuse Education and Policy
- Educational Administration, Planning, and Policy
Benefits
- Round-trip air travel from BiH to the United States and travel allowances
- Round-trip U.S. travel to required Humphrey workshops and seminars
- Coverage of tuition and fees at the assigned U.S. host university
- Pre-academic English language training, if required
- Financial support (stipends) for living expenses and allowances, including a one-time settling-in allowance; a book and supply allowance; a one-time computer subsidy allowance; and a professional development allowance for professional activities such as field trips, professional visits, and conferences
- Limited accident and sickness coverage that meets the requirements of J Exchange Visitor Program regulations. This coverage is not all-purpose health insurance, and it is subject to specific limitations including, but not limited to, pre-existing conditions, dental, and vision care. It is not intended to replace the Fellow’s regular medical insurance plan which should be maintained or secured during the grant period at the participant’s expense.
- Pre-departure orientation at the U.S. Embassy in BiH
- Pre-academic program orientation in the United States
Program Components
- Non-Degree Academic Study: Humphrey Fellows pursue intensive study programs at participating U.S. host institutions. Approximately 11 U.S. campuses have been selected through a competitive process based on their ability to offer institutional and professional resources for 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.
- Leadership and Professional Development: Professional enrichment activities include visits to relevant industries, think tanks, and professional organizations; skills-building workshops; conferences; and 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 (in coordination with the faculty advisor) a detailed plan of practical professional activities geared to program objectives.
Eligibility Criteria
- The Humphrey Program is open to anyone who is/has:
- Citizen, national, or permanent resident of BiH qualified to hold a valid BiH passport
- A first university degree (equivalent of a 4-year bachelor’s or undergraduate degree)
- A minimum of five years of full-time professional experience (prior to August 2025) in the relevant field after completing a university degree program
- Have management or policy responsibilities, including for those who are university teachers and/or teachers of English as a foreign language. Exceptions are made for scientists/researchers applying in the field of substance abuse education and policy.
- Limited prior experience in the United States
- English language ability commensurate with the proposed activities to be conducted in the United States, or eligibility and willingness to participate in an intensive English language training program before the start of the academic year
- Cleared by a physician to participate in the program (finalists only)
- Eligible to receive and maintain the exchange visitor J-1 non-immigrant visa required for the program. Fellows and accompanying dependents do not have to pay fees for the J-1 visa or J-2 visa(s), if applicable, but must be interviewed by the Embassy’s Consular Section
- Committed to returning to BiH for a minimum of two years. As J-1 visa holders, Fellows are subject to the two-year home-country foreign residency requirement. Accompanying dependents on J-2 visas are also subject to this requirement, regardless of their duration of stay.
Ineligibility Criteria
- Candidates with dual U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent resident status
- Candidates who are not qualified to hold a valid passport as a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the country that they are applying from.
- 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 and Policy)
- Candidates who have attended graduate school in the United States for one academic year or more
- Candidates who have participated in U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs within the last three years prior to the submission of their application:
- Local employees of U.S. Missions abroad who work for the U.S. Department of State, 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.
For more information, visit U.S. Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina.