Apply for the Campus Scholarship Program
Deadline and application procedure
We currently invite applications from students intending to study in the U.S. during the 2021-2022 academic year. If you are a student in Belgium, you can apply to the Campus Scholarship Program on one of three deadlines.
Application deadlines for the 2022-2023 Academic Year
- 14 September 2021
- 31 October 2021
- 14 January 2021
Are you a student in the Netherlands? Please visit the application page for Dutch students.
You will be invited for an online selection interview once your application is complete. The selection committee looks at your motivation and expectations, your hobbies and interests, your grades and the feedback from your references. As a CSP participant you are required to get good grades, actively participate in social activities on campus, and talk about life in your home country.
Selected candidates and their parent(s) will be invited for an (virtual) orientation session. You will decide whether you want to participate after the orientation session.
Submitting your application
Registering for the standardized tests
The American school system doesn’t have centralized exams at the end of secondary school. Therefore, a student’s education level is tested when applying for university. The ACT and the SAT test your general knowledge and are taken by American students in order to be admitted to university. As an international student, you are also required to take an English language test. The TOEFL measures a student’s English language proficiency. The university uses this test to be sure that new students speak the language well enough to participate fully in university level academics.
Due to limited availability of these tests, we ask that you register for these tests before you apply. You can find more information regarding these tests and registration instructions below.
What is the TOEFL?
As a prospective international student from a non-native English background, you are required to prove that your English proficiency is sufficient for an academic environment. Most American universities assess your proficiency through an exam, mainly the TOEFL.
The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) measures your communicative English proficiency in an academic setting. The test takes four hours to complete and consists of four parts: reading, listening, speaking and writing. Your final score will be calculated on a scale from 0-120.
Registering for the TOEFL
You are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), preferably before you apply to the Campus Scholarship Program. We require a minimum score of 85 in order to place you properly. You can take the TOEFL multiple times if necessary.
Please keep in mind that you should register early, as test dates can fill up quickly in the fall. You can register via ETS and follow the instructions to select a date and test location.
Send your scores to the Fulbright Commission
The Fulbright Commission can only accept official test scores submitted directly via ETS. Don’t forget to select the Fulbright Commission the Netherlands as your score report recipient during registration. Our score recipient code for the TOEFL is 7018.
Prepare for the TOEFL
While most students perform quite well on the TOEFL, it is still wise to prepare. You can find practice materials online via ETS or take a free course via EdX
SAT or ACT
The ACT and the SAT test your general knowledge and are taken by American students in order to be admitted to university. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, many American universities will not require SAT or ACT test scores for applications in fall 2021. However, we still recommend that you take these tests, if they are available.
You only need to take one test. Which test you take depends on your personal preference. Please note that the SAT has been revised in March 2016 to be more similar to the ACT, although some notable differences remain: ACT offers a science component while the SAT does not. There is also a distinct difference in the amount of questions (SAT: 154, ACT: 215) and the time you receive to answer them (SAT: 1 minute and 10 seconds per question, ACT: 49 seconds per question). Due to the higher total of questions on the ACT you will have to work faster, although the exam is more forgiving as a result.
You can take free sample tests on each exam’s website to find out which version plays to your strengths.
What is the ACT?
The ACT is a multiple choice test and takes two hours and 55 minutes to complete. The optional essay part takes another 40 minutes to complete. The exam consists of four parts: English, Mathematics, reading, and science. Your score will be calculated on a scale from 1 – 36.
Registering for the ACT
You can register for the ACT online and follow the instructions to select a test date and location. You do not have to register for the optional essay. Please keep in mind that the ACT is only available a few times per year and you should register early.
Send your scores to the Fulbright Commission
Don’t forget to select the Fulbright Commission the Netherlands as your score report recipient during registration. We can only accept official copies of your scores, submitted to us directly by ACT. Our score recipient code for the ACT is 9073.
Prepare for the ACT
You can access free practice tests via ACT Academy.
What is the SAT?
The SAT is a multiple choice test, taking three hours to complete. The optional essay part takes an additional 50 minutes to complete. The text consists of three parts: reading, writing and language skills, and math. Your score will be calculated on a scale from 400 and 1600.
Registering for the SAT
Register for the SAT via Collegeboard and follow the instructions to select a test date and location. You do not have to register for the optional essay. Please keep in mind that the SAT is only available a few times per year and you should register early.
Send your scores to the Fulbright Commission
We can only accept official copies of your SAT scores, submitted to us directly by Collegeboard. Don’t forget to select the Fulbright Commission the Netherlands as your score report recipient during registration. Our score recipient code for the SAT is 6742.
Prepare for the SAT
You can find online practice materials via Collegeboard and Khan Academy
Contact your school to request the following documents to be submitted to the Fulbright Commission
- Transcripts
Certified copies of your transcripts for all of your secondary education years.
You can download the template by clicking the link. Please remember to include all of your grades in this document and request certification from your school (stamp and signature).
You can download the recommendation form by clicking on the link. Ask your recommenders to submit the form and a recommendation letter directly to the Fulbright Commission before the application deadline. We require at least two recommendation letters from your school (teachers or school counselor). The third letter can be written by either a teacher or your sports coach, employer, etc. We do not accept recommendation letters from family or friends.
You submit the following documents to the Fulbright Commission
You can download the questionnaire by clicking the link above. Ask your parent(s) or legal guardian to submit our brief questionnaire by the application deadline.
- Application essay
As part of your application we ask you to submit a brief application essay. The essay is generally an important piece of your application to a U.S. university. It will help the selection committee to understand your motivation, goals and interests, and to get to know you beyond your grades and test scores.
You can follow the essay prompts below or decide on a topic of your choice.
- Motivation
In addition to your application essay, please provide a brief answer to the two questions below.
You can choose a topic of your choice of follow one of the prompts below. While there is no word limit, we recommend writing an essay of around 500 words.
- Submit or describe a photo and tell us why this is meaningful to you.
- Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, or risk that you have taken and its impact on you.
- Discuss some issue of personal, local, national or international concern and its importance to you.
- Indicate a person who has had significant influence on you and describe that influence.
- Describe a character in fiction, a historical figure, or a creative work (as in art, music, science, etc) that has had an influence on you and explain that influence.
In addition to your essay, please submit an answer to the following questions (250 words)
- Why study in the US? Yes, we understand you look forward to traveling, meeting new friends and discovering a new culture. However, what we would really like to learn is what a US education can offer you.
- How would you describe your home country to your American classmates?
- Online application form