With the purpose of providing opportunities for the development of human capital in Colombia, the Colombian Ministry of Culture and the Fulbright Commission are offering five (5) fellowships for Colombian artists, of any age. The artists must demonstrate outstanding achievements in their professional field, to complete post-graduate studies (Master's or Doctoral degree) at universities or specialized educational institutions in the United States, starting in August, 2013.
Interested candidates must be Colombian citizens who don't have and have not requested US resident status, citizenship, or work visa, and are able to document academic excellence with a minimum GPA of 3.75 in their previous college career. This GPA is the average of any undergraduate and Master's coursework the candidate has completed at the time of presenting an application. Partial averages from unfinished undergraduate or Master's programs will not be taken into account.
Candidates must possess a 4-year college degree, granted by December 31st, 2011 at the latest. Degrees from technical or technological programs will not be considered. Candidates for doctoral programs must possess a Master's Degree or demonstrate previous experience in research.
Candidates must also demonstrate outstanding achievement in their professional or artistic field through proof of theory or practice activity. They must also demonstrate English proficiency with a grade not inferior to 80 in IBT TOEFL, 213 in CBT TOEFL, 550 in PBT TOEFL, or 6.0 in IELTS. Application is open to candidates who have not previously been granted a Fulbright fellowship for post-graduate studies.
Priority will be given to candidates who have not had prior relevant experience in the United States. Those who have lived in the US for a period of five (5) consecutive years or longer during the six (6) years prior to the call for applications. A person is understood to have lived in the US if he or she has remained in the country for nine (9) months or longer within a calendar year.
Candidates in the fields of audiovisual media, graphic design, urban design, film, and related areas are excluded from this call.
Fellowships are granted for a maximum of twenty-four (24) months for Master's or Doctoral programs.
The Fulbright-Mincultura fellowship for artists covers partial or full matriculation fees. The matriculation grant is processed by Fulbright directly with US universities. The latter will determine the exact grant for each fellow:
• Up to $10,000 for matriculation;
• A monthly stipend of $1,600 for living and general expenses;
• Intensive English-language course or pre-academic course in the US, up to three months;
• Orientation seminars in Colombia and the US;
• Health and accident insurance coverage;
• Visa cost and processing;
• Air travel tickets
Candidates must register, process, and send their application online by May 31st, 2012, at www.fulbright.edu.co. For more information on the fellowship and how to apply, please download the documents and instructions posted there.