Ten BSU Students are Fulbright Semifinalists

(Ditello, 2025)
News & Notes

For the second year in a row, Ball State has 10 semifinalists for the Fulbright Scholarship, a record number. Introduced in 1946 by Senator J. William Fullbright of Arkansas, the Fulbright Scholarship is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education and was designed to aid in the mutual understanding between citizens of the United States and citizens of other countries, with the goal of promoting world peace through education and understanding.  

Last year, the 10 semifinalists from Ball State University were all in the English Teaching Assistant category, which awards students the opportunity to travel abroad and help teach English as another language; this year, the university has six semifinalists in this category and four semifinalists in the Study program. The Study program allows students to earn their master’s degree, or a second bachelor’s degree, abroad. Both are highly competitive programs with an application process that starts a year in advance. When talking to Dr. Andrea Wolfe, the Interim Director of National Scholarships and Fellowships, she said she begins working with students on their applications in April, then uses the whole summer to revise their essays and short answers on the application. Each essay, according to Wolfe, goes through around 40 to 50 drafts to ensure the highest quality. 

Though it may sound intimidating, it is a highly rewarding process, as well. When asked what the best part of applying was, one student said, “The growth I experienced as a student. I had to work hard in order to represent myself in the best way possible throughout the application. I developed my writing skills with the help of my advisor as we worked towards perfection for each aspect of the application.” 

The Fulbright is for all students across all majors. If you’re at all interested in applying, you can attend the informational meetings on Monday, March 31st at 5PM or Tuesday, April 1st at 5:30PM, both of which will take place in the Schwartz Digital Viewing Room on the first floor of Bracken Library. If you cannot attend either of these, you can also reach out to Dr. Andrea Wolfe at ampowell@bsu.edu  

To see this year’s list of semifinalists, check out Ball State’s Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships Instagram page, @ballstate_oncs.  

Story contributed by News & Notes staff member Peyton Ditello.