The Fulbright PhD Joint Supervision programme lets Egyptian doctoral students spend one academic year at a U.S. university working on their thesis under a U.S. co-supervisor, while remaining registered for their PhD in Egypt. It is run by the Binational Fulbright Commission in Egypt and is fully funded.
Who it fits: Egyptian citizens currently enrolled in a PhD at an Egyptian university who need access to U.S. labs, archives, methods or expertise for their research. All fields are eligible. Clinical students in medicine, veterinary medicine, nursing and dentistry may apply but cannot have patient contact in the U.S. Preference goes to applicants without significant earlier time in the U.S. or abroad.
What it covers: travel, a stipend, health coverage and university tuition for the year, and the commission also pays for the U.S. co-supervisor to visit Egypt (ticket and a week’s per diem) — a detail that makes a U.S. professor more willing to agree.
The real catch: you must find your U.S. co-supervisor yourself, and both supervisors must write letters that evaluate your thesis. Without a signed invitation from a U.S. academic, the application is incomplete. You must also live in Egypt throughout the selection process. This is a one-year research grant, not a U.S. degree.
Realistic timeline: the programme was announced on 1 February 2026 and applications close on 10 October 2026. Interviews for shortlisted candidates follow, then nomination letters, orientation and pre-departure preparation, with travel during the 2027–28 academic year.
Tips for Egyptian applicants:
1. If you have not secured a U.S. co-supervisor yet, email targeted professors now with a two-page research summary and a clear one-year plan; three weeks is tight.
2. Ask your Egyptian supervisor for the support letter early — faculty approvals can take time.
3. Make your thesis proposal specific about what you can do in the U.S. that you cannot do in Egypt.
4. Disclose any AI tool use in your written material as the commission requires originality.
5. Email [email protected] with questions well before the deadline; office visits are by appointment only.
The commission also runs a Fulbright Master’s Degree grant for Egyptians; the AY2027–28 round has closed and the AY2028–29 application opens in February 2027.