Nearly all members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board resigned Wednesday, accusing the Trump administration of politicizing the program and violating legal boundaries.
In a joint statement, the former board members said the administration denied numerous awards for the 2025-2026 cycle and introduced an “unauthorized review process” for 1,200 foreign recipients.
All 12 members of the Fulbright Scholarship Board resigned on Wednesday in protest of Trump's intervention in the selection process:
— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) June 11, 2025
"This proud legacy has depended on one thing above all: the integrity of the program’s selection process based on merit, not ideology, and its… pic.twitter.com/DeXJu6hlWa
They claimed the changes undermine the Fulbright Program’s mission of academic freedom and merit-based selection. Carmen Estrada-Schaye, the sole remaining board member, is the only one listed on the State Department’s website.
A senior State Department official dismissed the resignations as a political stunt by Biden appointees. Meanwhile, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) warned the move would damage the quality of Fulbright programming.
