rugby

You might see if you can leverage the Fulbright into your PhD program - for example, use the time abroad for research, and enter the program on your return. Or, you could ask for a deferral...

Good to know! I am sort of confused about the notification process, especially since the website says "regret letters" go out to institutions in february and march. As far as I know, however, my university hasn't received word on awards. I am hoping decisions come down relatively soon though, time to start planning the next year of my life...

I don't think that previous years income has much of an impact on how much you can borrow - most every graduate student qualifies for the maximum allowable federal aid, which is $20,500 per year. I made a nice income for several years before returning to school, and ended up borrowing as much as I needed through a combination of federal subsidized and unsubsidized loans and a loan from the CitiAssist program.

It is also getting really close to the end of the school year - lots to figure out between now and the start of a Fulbright! It makes it difficult to plan things like IRB review, student visas (a long process in a country like India), and whether I will be accepting University funding next year. Very frustrating...

Normally, I would say that yes, you will be able to get loans. You will reach your cap on Federal loans ($20,000) and have to manage the rest through private loans. There are no shortage of people willing to lend to students, though things may be different in the current economic times. Two years ago, they were more than happy to hand me $20,000 privately. I hope you are going to make a lot of money on the flip side!

Has anyone applied for a Fulbright-Hays? I applied for a doctoral dissertation research abroad grant to India, and am anxiously awaiting a reply. I know they are extremely competitive so not getting my hopes up, but would be nice to know that other people are anxious as well!

I am a finalist waiting on a decision for a research Fulbright in India. Just spoke with our rep in New York, he said that they had received final decisions but were waiting on final approval from the commission here - and that could take "2-3 more weeks." Argh.