You are years into the work, leading a team. Could a year away bring you home sharper? Is it for someone like you?
Note first: the last Philippine call closed on August 7, 2026.
What the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program is
The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program is ten months of non-degree, graduate-level study and professional experience in the United States for mid-career professionals. It describes itself as a Fulbright exchange, funded through the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the Institute of International Education (IIE).
Fellowships are not renewable, and you do not choose your university: fellows are assigned in groups of 13–15 to a host university by field. With no degree requirements to meet, fellows have room to travel and network with American counterparts. The year runs through the Humphrey Seminar, where each Humphrey fellow builds their own goals and plan, a six-week professional affiliation with a U.S. organization, and the Global Leadership Forum in Washington, DC.
The program's fields-of-study page lists six fields as of October 2026: communications and journalism, law and governance, natural resources policy, public and economic policy, public health policy and management, and technology policy and management. Education policy and administration sits under public and economic policy. The program's eligibility page and Fulbright Philippines' page list fields differently, so if your field is not among the six, ask the commission.
Hubert Humphrey Fellowship requirements for Filipino applicants
To apply for the Humphrey Fellowship from the Philippines, you must be a Philippine citizen with a completed university degree and a minimum of five years of full-time professional experience. Fulbright Philippines and the program also list demonstrated leadership, a record of public service, limited experience in the United States, English ability, good health, and an immediate return to the Philippines afterwards.
- Five years, full-time. Candidates with only part-time experience "may not be considered eligible."
- Public service, public or private sector. Fulbright Philippines' page says fellows are selected on their potential for leadership and commitment to public service "in either the public or the private sector."
- Limited U.S. experience. Up to three years there is not disqualifying if you have since been back home, employed at a level of professional responsibility, for at least four years.
- English. Demonstrated English language ability is required. The program's FAQ says IELTS or the Duolingo English Test can be used instead of TOEFL; the State Department's Foreign Affairs Manual says all nominees must take the TOEFL. The program and the commission publish no minimum score.
Meeting this list makes you eligible to apply; the nomination comes later, from the commission's own selection.
How the Philippine application works
Filipinos apply through the Philippine-American Educational Foundation (Fulbright Philippines), the commission the program lists for the Philippines, using the online application linked on its page; elsewhere, the U.S. Embassy plays this role.
Essays, letters and transcripts go in English. The application holds:
- the online form, with essays that answer each prompt;
- official or certified transcripts from every college or university you attended, listing courses and grades, plus a certified copy of your diploma;
- two letters of reference, one from your current employer.
Fulbright Philippines nominates, independent committees in the United States review nominations, and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board gives final approval; the commission then tells you the result. Generally, nominations reach the Institute of International Education by mid-September, selected fellows are announced in March, and fellows start in August or September.
The route runs only through the commission, the committees and the Board, so walk away from anyone offering to "secure" a nomination or a place for a fee.
The 2027–2028 deadline has passed: using the months before the next call
Fulbright Philippines' page, read on 5 October 2026, gives August 7, 2026 as the 2027–2028 deadline and still says "now open." As of October 2026, neither the commission nor the program has posted a date for the 2028–2029 call.
The commission's FAQ says applications usually run from March through June, but the last call ran to August 7, so plan by the date on its own page.
The fellowship does not make a leader; it selects one who is already leading and serving at home. So preparation is not a form; it is this year's work: a project you led and can explain, the people who will vouch for it, and the question you want ten months to answer and bring back.
What the fellowship covers, and the stipend question
The Humphrey Fellowship covers tuition and fees at your host university, a maintenance (living) allowance with a one-time settling-in allowance, accident and sickness coverage, a book allowance, a one-time computer subsidy, air travel, and a professional development allowance. No stipend or monthly allowance figure is published by the program, the U.S. Department of State or Fulbright Philippines as of October 2026.
Fellows come home when the year ends, and the two-year home-country requirement for government-funded exchanges, as the State Department describes it, is explained in our guide to the commission's Fulbright route. The year is built to be brought home: the Seminar plan is about the work you return to.
Before the Next Call: A Checklist
- Count your full-time years; five is the minimum.
- Write down your leadership and public-service record.
- Talk to your current employer early about a recommendation.
- Request transcripts from every college attended, plus a certified diploma copy.
- Ask the commission which English test to take before booking one.
- Watch the commission's Humphrey page for the next deadline.
The Questions Filipinos Ask Us Most
Can I bring my family?
A Humphrey fellow may apply to have family join after arrival, with no extra allowance for dependents, and must show financial support, insurance and child-care plans before applying for their J-2 visas. Not every country permits it, so ask the commission.
Can I reapply if I am not selected?
Generally, yes: the program says participants may reapply, and the commission sets the guidelines.
Sources
Read on 5–6 October 2026.
Fulbright Philippines, Humphrey page: https://fulbright.org.ph/index.php/humphrey-fellowship-program
Fulbright Philippines FAQ: https://www.fulbright.org.ph/index.php/fulbright-faqs
Eligibility: https://www.humphreyfellowship.org/how-to-apply/eligibility/
FAQ: https://www.humphreyfellowship.org/how-to-apply/frequently-asked-questions/
Fellowship components: https://www.humphreyfellowship.org/how-to-apply/fellowship-components/
Fields of study: https://www.humphreyfellowship.org/fields-of-study/
Embassies and commissions: https://www.humphreyfellowship.org/how-to-apply/u-s-embassies-commissions/
U.S. Department of State: https://exchanges.state.gov/non-us/program/hubert-h-humphrey-fellowship-program
Foreign Affairs Manual, 10 FAM 227.5-1: https://fam.state.gov/fam/10fam/10fam0220.html
Two-year requirement: https://j1visa.state.gov/basics/common-questions/