For eminent scholars of all disciplines
1 semester in France
Starting date : September 2025 - October 2025 or January 2026 - February 2026
The 2025-26 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Competition is now closed. The 2026-27 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Competition will open in February 2025.
In 2005, the Franco-American Fulbright Commission, in partnership with the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the US Department of State, created the Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair Award in commemoration of Alexis de Tocqueville’s 200th birthday and Senator J. William Fulbright’s 100th birthday.
The Distinguished Chair’s objective is to create, develop, and reinforce Franco-American cooperation in the disciplines essential to French and American society and to the mutual understanding of both peoples.
The award aims to reinforce collaborative research between the United States and France in all fields of study. Grantees are invited as guest teachers and researchers at a host French university, where they have the opportunity to meet French colleagues, to organize and participate in conferences, and to interact with French graduate and doctoral students in their discipline. Grantees will teach courses at the postgraduate level and doctoral level, undertake research, and help organize and participate in conferences and seminars related to their area of expertise.
This award is financed jointly by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Franco-American Fulbright Commission.
The Distinguished Chair award is attributed for six months. Up to two grant recipients can be selected.
The Distinguished Chair recipient commits to:
- Giving two weekly classes/seminars during the semester or a total of 60 hours per semester over a minimum of 12 weeks
- Giving at least three conferences per semester outside of the host institution of which at least one will be destined to a general non academic audience.
- Contributing to student counseling and guidance in the host institution.
- Evaluating the work of students attending proposed classes/seminars.
- Mentor students and engage with the host community
€6500 (approx. $7,000) per month if in Paris. If outside Paris, between €6100 (approx. $6,600) per month and €6300 (approx. $6,800) per month depending on location.
Additional travel allowance of €1200 (approx. $1,300) for grantee only and visa fees will be waived for both grantees and their accompanying dependents. Otherwise, there is no extra allowance for accompanying dependents.
Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair current call for applications:
American applications for the 2025-2026 awards must be submitted by September 16, 2024.
Starting date: from September 2025 (1st semester) or January 2026 (2nd semester)
Length of stay: 1 semester
Link to Applications Requirements
Applicants to the Distinguished Chair Award must submit an application through IIE. Prospective host institutions must fill out the Distinguished Chair Host Form (PDF) (or Word format here), which applicants must then upload to their online application.
New partnership between the Franco-American Fulbright Commission and the Collegium de Lyon : applicants to one of the three national Fulbright scholarship programs (All Disciplines, French Studies, Fulbright-Tocqueville) who wish to be hosted in a research unit in Lyon or Saint-Etienne are now eligible for a Collegium fellowship. This includes all-inclusive housing in the Collegium residence on the ENS de Lyon campus, assistance with administrative formalities, and integration into the 2025-2026 interdisciplinary cohort of international fellows.
The Collegium de Lyon is the Institute for Advanced Study of the University of Lyon, the umbrella organization that brings together all the major academic institutions in the Lyon/Saint-Etienne area. With nearly 200 research units (many of them inter-institutional) in virtually all disciplines, the University of Lyon is France's second largest academic research cluster.
The Collegium hosts international fellows for research stays of 5 or 10 months (from September to January and/or February to June) that foster ambitious and innovative research in all disciplines, as well as participation in the collective dynamics of the local research ecosystem.
Scholars interested in the Collegium fellowship program are asked to include a letter of support from the director of the targeted research unit at the University of Lyon with their Fulbright application.
More information on the IIE's Fulbright-Tocqueville Distinguished Chair Award program page (see "Award Benefits" section).
