hubert-h.-humphrey-fellowship-program competition-2026-2027
Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program Competition 2026-2027

The Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade is pleased to announce that we are now accepting applications from citizens of Serbia for participation in the prestigious Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program for the 2026-27 academic year. This is a competitive, worldwide contest. If you are interested in broadening your perspectives, becoming a global leader, and giving back to Serbian society upon your return, the Humphrey Fellowship is for you.

The Humphrey Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by the Institute of International Education. Almost 6,900 Fellows representing 167 countries have participated in the program since its inception in 1978, including 20 Serbians in the past decade.

Successful candidates are accomplished, young, mid-career professionals in leadership positions with  a demonstrated commitment to public service and with the potential for further advancement in their fields. Candidates should be interested in strengthening their leadership skills through a mutual exchange of knowledge and views with both the Americans and with Fellows from other countries they meet during this program. Practical experience in the United States gained through this program, plus greater familiarity with American society and culture, will provide Humphrey Fellows with the basis for lasting, productive ties with their American counterparts in the years to come.

PROFESSIONAL FIELDS

The Humphrey Fellowship is granted competitively to public and private sector candidates from Serbia with strong leadership potential and a commitment to service who are focused on the following fields of study are grouped in four categories:

Human and Institutional Capacity:

  • Economic Policy and Finance

Humphrey Fellows work in multi-disciplinary fields that focus on developing solutions to economic challenges in their communities and countries, including industrial issues, job creation, and other areas. They also serve in leadership roles in the field of finance and banking, such as managing financial institutions, developing public-private partnerships, and transnational finance.

  • Public Policy Analysis and Public Administration

Humphrey Fellows serve in a range of capacities, such as health policymakers, physicians, clinicians with management responsibilities, health educators, and practitioners with policy­making responsibilities, that promote public health education and effective public health policies and management in their communities and countries.

  • Technology Policy and Management

Humphrey Fellows serve as technology educators, chief information officers, policy advisors, engineers, and urban planners. They formulate technology policy and manage scientific and technological change at local, regional, and national levels.

Sustainable Lands:

  • Agriculture and Rural Development

Humphrey Fellows develop best practices and share knowledge in the field of agriculture and food system development to improve agricultural and rural development in their countries, fostering more resilient global food systems.

  • Natural Resources and Environmental Policy

Humphrey Fellows work as policy makers and practitioners across multiple disciplines to mitigate the impacts of extreme weather events and manage natural and environmental resources effectively.

  • Urban and Regional Planning

Humphrey Fellows work as architects, engineers, planners, urban designers, urban economists and sociologists, and historic preservation specialists in fields such as land use and urban finance management, to advance their country’s urban and regional planning development.

Thriving Communities:

  • Public Health Policy and Management

Humphrey Fellows serve in a range of capacities, such as health policymakers, physicians, clinicians with management responsibilities, health educators, and practitioners with policy-making responsibilities, that promote public health education and effective public health policies and management in their communities and countries.

  • Substance Abuse Education and Policy (please see note below)

Humphrey Fellows work in specialized areas such as community-based treatment and prevention programs, hospitals, and local or national policy agencies, that focus on problems of alcohol, drug, and tobacco use as well as broader areas of public health that relate to substance abuse, such as HIV/ AIDS, mental health, medicine, psychology, social work, and counseling.

  • Educational Administration, Planning, and Policy

Humphrey Fellows work in areas including primary and secondary education curriculum development, program design, adult learning, and teacher training, that contribute to education planning, policy development, and reform implementation and will leverage the U.S. education system. Some Humphrey Fellows also may serve as senior educators in the field of Teaching English as a Foreign Language.

Note on Substance Abuse Education and Policy field: ECA cooperates with the National Institute on Drug Abuse which provides some co-funding to work with Humphrey Fellows specifically in the field of substance abuse. Candidates must have either a research background in the field or demonstrated ability to learn the results and policy implications of current research. The candidates should be recruited and ranked together with candidates in other Humphrey program fields of study and must complete the supplementary field-specific page of the application for this topic area.

Rights and Freedoms:

  • Communications and Journalism

Humphrey Fellows work in media and communications fields, such as investigative journalism, public broadcasting, and public relations, to foster and facilitate press freedom and transparent media in their countries.

  • Law and Human Rights

Humphrey Fellows work as attorneys, judges, and in the non-governmental sector to advance the rule of law and protect individual freedoms.

THE HUMPHREY PROGRAM EXPERIENCE

The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program, a Fulbright exchange, enhances leadership and ties with the United States among influential mid-career government officials and other emerging leaders from priority countries through academic study and professional experience in the U.S., advancing U.S. foreign policy interests to make the U.S. safer and more prosperous in a more stable and secure world. The Humphrey Fellowship uses a cohort model focused on specific fields of study, with groups of Fellows placed in multinational cohorts at host universities around the United States. Fellows develop leadership and policy expertise through tailored academic coursework and professional affiliations with U.S. organizations.

During their fellowship, Humphrey Fellows participate in non-degree study at approximately 11 host campuses across the United States and complete at least six weeks of a professional affiliation at a U.S.-based governmental, non-governmental, private sector, or international organization. Through their academic and professional experiences, they gain knowledge about the United States, deepen their professional expertise and experience in fields of strategic importance to the U.S., and expand their networks to include U.S. counterparts.

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

Appropriate candidates are young, mid-career professionals in leadership positions in either the public and private sector who have demonstrated a commitment to public service and the potential for further advancement.

The technical eligibility requirements are:

  • Serbian citizenship and eligibility to obtain a U.S. visa.
  • An undergraduate university degree.
  • A minimum of five years of full-time, professional experience in the relevant field by June 2026.
  • Limited or no prior experience in the United States.
  • Demonstrated leadership qualities.
  • A record of public service in the community.
  • Proficiency* in written and spoken English. Candidates will normally have a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 525 (paper-based) or 71 (internet-based).  If you have taken a TOEFL exams in the past, scores are valid for two years.  The TOEFL exam is not a requirement at the time of application. Candidates who pass the interview will receive the instructions how to register for the TOEFL exam.

* Note:  In addition to the pre-academic language training traditionally available to all selected candidates, the Humphrey Program offers Long-Term English (LTE) language training opportunities to facilitate participation of individuals who might lack sufficiently advanced English language skills at the time of application.  Candidates for LTE typically have TOEFL scores in the 440-500 range (paper-based test) or 42-61 (internet-based test).  LTE participants will travel to the U.S early for intensive language training lasting 20-25 weeks to improve their English skills before transitioning to their host university campuses at the start of the 2026-26 academic year.

Please be aware that the following individuals are ineligible to apply for the Humphrey Program:

  • Recent university graduates (even if they have significant positions);
  • University teachers or academic researchers with no management responsibilities (except in the fields of Substance Abuse Education and Policy);
  • Individuals with dual U.S. citizenship or U.S. permanent resident status
  • Applicants who are not qualified to hold a valid passport as a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the country that they are applying from.
  • Local employees of U.S. Missions abroad who work for the U.S. Department of State, or the U.S. Agency for International Development, including temporary employees and contractors, and members of their families as well as individuals who work for or are otherwise associated with an organization that is responsible for nominating or selecting individuals for participation in any ECA exchange program.

Priority will be given to candidates with no recent experiences in a third country, especially in a developed country.

APPLICATION AND SELECTION PROCESS

Beyond demonstrating the required experience, skills, and a commitment to public service, candidates will also need to explain through the application process how they might benefit from the unique opportunities offered in the Humphrey Program.  The key questions to answer are:  Why exactly do you need this experience at this point in your career?  How exactly will you and how will Serbia benefit from your participation in this program?

Applications are due July 31, 2025.  Information on how to apply is below.

Within 30 days, we will contact short-listed applicants to attend an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade in the first week of September, 2025.

Candidates who pass the interview will be registered for the TOEFL exam.  We will then forward the application packets with TOEFL results to Washington.

The final selection of candidates will be announced in Washington, DC in February 2026.

Finalists will then need to apply for a visa.  The Embassy will assist the candidate with that process and other paperwork requirements, including the medical exam.

DEPENDENTS (FAMILY MEMBERS)

The Humphrey Fellowship covers air travel, a stipend, and other costs, but all expenses are budgeted only for the Fellow himself/herself.  The award does not include additional allowances or funds of any sort for dependents, i.e., family members.  Candidates who are planning to have dependents join them during all or part of the fellowship year in the U.S. should bear in mind the high cost of living.  They must furthermore receive prior approval from the Humphrey Program that they have adequate personal funds to cover living expenses and dependents’ health insurance and (if applicable) child care.  Dependents absolutely may not come during the ELT period when the Fellow is engaged in intensive study of English in preparation for the Fellowship year.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: July 31, 2025

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested candidates should apply online at https://apply.iie.org/huberthhumphrey

You will need to gather additional documents:

  • Copy of passport (bio data page);
  • Evidence of your employment in Serbia (letter from employer confirming employment, and certified translation if the letter is in Serbian);
  • Copy of university diploma(s);
  • Certified university transcript(s), including course listings and grades received;
  • Curriculum vitae (CV) or résumé;
  • Two letters of reference in English; one must be from the applicant’s current employer;
  • TOEFL scores (if available).

These additional documents must be mailed by July 25, 2025 to:

U.S. Embassy Belgrade

Public Affairs Section

Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program

Bulevar kneza Aleksandra Karadjordjevica 92

11000 Belgrade

For additional information about the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship:

The Hubert Humphrey Fellowship program is administered by the Institute of International Education (www.iie.org).

For more information on the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship program, you can visit:

If you have further questions, please contact U.S. Embassy Belgrade’s Public Affairs Section (PAS) via email at belgradehumphrey@state.gov

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