Baylor University in National Top 20, No. 1 in Texas as Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Students

Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, 254-709-5959
Follow us: @BaylorUMedia on X and LinkedIn

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs today recognized Baylor University as one of only 56 doctoral universities with the highest number of students selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. As a Top 20 national producer of Fulbright recipients, Baylor also is the top producer among universities in Texas and in the Big 12. 

This is Baylor's third consecutive Fulbright Top Producing Institutions honor, which distinguishes the University for valuing global connection and supporting members of the Baylor community to pursue international opportunities. The honor recognizes the top institutions with 10 or more graduates or students selected as Fulbright U.S. recipients. A record 18 Baylor students were selected for Fulbright awards for academic year 2024-25. 

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international academic exchange program. Since 1946, the program has provided over 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build people-to-people connections and work to address complex global challenges. 

“As a Christian Research 1 university, Baylor is committed to preparing students to flourish globally, and we are so proud of our Fulbright recipients and the honor as a Fulbright Top Producing Institution,” said Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D. “As Baylor Fulbrighters serve their year abroad in 16 different countries, they also play a critical role as cultural ambassadors to enhance mutual understanding in our increasingly complex and challenging world. I am deeply grateful for the dedication of our Office of Engaged Learning – and our world-class faculty – for maximizing our students’ education while preparing them to lead now and into the future.”

The University’s Office of Engaged Learning (OEL) leads the Fulbright effort on the Baylor campus by helping students and recent alumni discover and navigate the pathways to apply their learning to promote human flourishing, including through the Fulbright U.S. Student program. Baylor Fulbright applicants are supported by five Fulbright Program advisers, as well as more than 150 faculty who support applicants through interviews, recommendations and mentoring.

“To be named a Top Producing Institution for the U.S. government’s flagship international education exchange program is an honor, and what a testament to the caliber of our students and the dedication of our faculty and staff,” said Andrew P. Hogue, Ph.D., associate dean for engaged learning in the College of Arts & Sciences. “To do it for the third consecutive year is a sign of something else altogether – that at Baylor, not only is your education rich and transformational, it also is world-class.”

Record Fulbright semi-finalists 

Baylor students have enjoyed mounting success with the Fulbright in recent years. Over the last three Fulbright cycles, Baylor has produced 44 Fulbright recipients. For the 2025-26 award cycle, Baylor has a University-record 48 semi-finalists for the Fulbright Award. Last year, more than half of Baylor’s semi-finalists were selected for the Fulbright. 

“It has been a joy to see so many Baylor students selected for Fulbright awards,” said Daniel Benyousky, Ph.D., director of major fellowships and awards in OEL. “As I talk with Baylor Fulbrighters who are abroad on their awards, the consistent refrain I hear is how transformational their experiences are. This Top Producing distinction again demonstrates tangibly just how remarkable Baylor students are and the formative mentorship that Baylor faculty and staff offer. And being named a Top Producing Institution three years in a row and having 48 semi-finalists in the current cycle has been possible because Baylor has resourced the University's Fulbright efforts in ways that have allowed them to expand.”

Baylor will soon launch its application process for the upcoming Fulbright cycle and is holding sessions and workshops throughout February and early March to help students decide if they want to apply. U.S. citizens who graduate this year or next, alumni, as well as graduate students are eligible. OEL has collaborated with the Center for Global Engagement on a dedicated Baylor Fulbright website for students, alumni and faculty and staff considering Fulbright opportunities.

“With the growth of fellowships and awards personnel last year, it was essential to use that new bandwidth to streamline and make sustainable the student application experience,” said Anna E. Beaudry, Ph.D., assistant director of major fellowships and awards. “To see that work pay off with this dramatic increase in semi-finalists provides a satisfaction that defies language. I couldn’t be prouder of these students and of our team.”

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. Government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the Program. 

Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors, and the world and have included 44 heads of state or government, 62 Nobel Laureates, 90 Pulitzer Prize winners, 82 MacArthur Fellows and countless leaders and changemakers who build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

Baylor faculty Fulbrighters

In addition to Baylor’s 18 student Fulbright recipients, Baylor celebrated two faculty members who received Fulbright U.S. Scholar awards during the 2024/25 cycle:

• Lourenco Paz, Ph.D., associate professor of economics at Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, won the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to Hungary, where he is teaching and conducting research on international trade in the World Economy Department at Corvinus University of Budapest.
• Sungseek Moon, Ph.D., The Carl and Martha Lindner Endowed Chair for Global Studies and professor at Baylor’s Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, won the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award to Kenya, where he is conducting research and teaching at the University of Nairobi's College of Health Sciences, applying his social work and public health expertise to tackle the pressing issue of adolescent substance use in Kenya.

For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit https://fulbrightprogram.org/ 

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions. Learn more about Baylor University at www.baylor.edu.