Lafayette once again named a top producer of Fulbright students

Lafayette College continues to be ranked among the colleges and universities producing the most U.S. Fulbright students for the 2025-26 academic year, according to the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Lafayette College named a top producer of Fulbright students

Since 2009-10, the first year Fulbright began the Top Producing designation, Lafayette has received the honor 7 other times: 2011-12, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2017-18, 2020-21, 2022-23, and 2024-25.

Established in 1946, Fulbright, the federal government’s flagship international educational exchange program, has provided more than 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists, and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach, and conduct research abroad.

Lafayette’s Fulbright Student Grantees for 2025-26 are:

• Rylee Bordwick ’25 (English Teaching Assistantship, Romania)
• Alexa Jindal ’25 (ETA, Taiwan)
• Ani Khachadourian ’25 (ETA, Czech Republic)
• Olivia Puzio ’25 (ETA, Poland)
• Shreya Suresh ’25 (Open Study/Research, India)

The Fulbright program helps set students on a path toward fulfilling their career goals through their coursework, research and community engagements. Suresh and Jindal want to become physicians, Puzio a lawyer specializing in international law, Bordwick an educator working for a nonprofit or with the U.S. Forest Service or National Parks Service, Khachadourian a water resource engineer with a focus on stormwater management.

“I am always impressed by the intellectual curiosity of our students and their pursuit of Fulbright and other prestigious scholarships and fellowships, which help support their dreams and aspirations,” says Julia Goldberg, associate dean of advising and co-curricular programs, noting that Lafayette’s commitment to critical thinking, multicultural awareness, and the exchange of ideas lays a strong foundation for them.

“It’s always a privilege to engage with future applicants, regardless of class year, to embark on this journey,” she says. “Our current, former, and future Fulbright grantees always remark on how the application process alone advances personal and professional development in support of their goals.”

Fulbright student grantees spend 9-12 months teaching English and U.S. culture, earning graduate degrees at many of the world’s leading universities, or participating in independent research under the mentorship of their host country’s scholars. Throughout their Fulbright year, they hone their knowledge and appreciation of other regions of the world while gaining a deeper understanding of their own country and its role in the international landscape.

Fulbright grantees attain enviable international experience over and above the funding for independent research, completing a graduate degree or teaching English. As grantees, they engage deeply with their host community and develop cross-cultural competencies and resiliency. For many, this may be their first time abroad or engaging with an unfamiliar culture; for others, they may use their time abroad to become fluent in the host nation’s language.

Upon completion of their Fulbright year, grantees receive 12 months of federal noncompetitive eligibility when applying for federal government jobs.

The application process, in and of itself, also offers considerable benefits from refining, clarifying, and articulating one’s personal and professional goals to what it means to be a cultural ambassador representing the U.S., Goldberg notes.

“Deep community engagement is as much a part of the Fulbright experience as being an English teaching assistant or graduate student, or conducting independent research or study,” Goldberg adds. “That engagement allows grantees to participate in their various interests and hobbies, as well as explore new activities while gaining a greater appreciation for their host community, develop lasting friendships, and share aspects of the U.S. culture most host nationals might never have known, and vice-versa.”

The Fulbright Student Program is open to graduating seniors and alumni, with no age restriction. Interested applicants should contact Julia Goldberg, associate dean of advising and co-curricular programs. For information on campus application procedures, visit the Scholarships and Fellowships Office website.