OTTAWA, ON – Fulbright Canada is proud to announce the launch of the 2025-2026 Killam Fellowships Program, an exceptional opportunity for undergraduate students in Canada and the United States to engage in a semester- or year-long exchange and deepen their academic and cultural perspectives across the border.
Opening today and accepting applications until March 2, 2026, the Killam Fellowships Program empowers young leaders to immerse themselves in a new academic environment while building enduring cross-border relationships and enhancing mutual understanding.
Since its inception in 2003, the program has facilitated more than 675 high-impact exchanges between Canada and the United States, fostering intellectual growth, professional development, and global citizenship.
Offered through a growing network of leading partner institutions, the Killam Fellowships Program enables students to participate in a direct exchange or apply independently through an open competition. Fellows receive a cash award of $6,000 (USD) and access to enrichment programming that includes a fall orientation in Ottawa, a spring seminar in Washington, D.C., and the opportunity to apply for cultural and professional development funding throughout their exchange experience.
For many, the impact of the fellowship endures far beyond their time abroad. “As someone who, just a year ago, could have never imagined leaving my Toronto hometown behind, the Killam Fellowships Program has profoundly changed how I view my academic and personal capabilities,” said Ashley Jong, a 2024–25 Killam Fellow from McMaster University who spent her exchange at the University of Washington. “This support system quickly turned into lifelong friendships… I never would have been able to collaborate directly with American researchers or discover my interest in teaching and healthcare within different cultural contexts.”
American Killam Fellow Meaghan Caron, a student from the University of Maine who studied at McGill University, echoed the transformative value of the experience: “The Killam Fellowships Program offered me the greatest freedom I’ve ever had to design and direct my future. It allowed me to follow my heart to the city of my dreams, where I studied exactly what I’m most passionate about.”
At the heart of the program is the belief that meaningful academic exchange enriches the student and the broader communities they touch. “The Killam Fellowships Program is a unique and powerful vehicle for young people to grow intellectually and experience life across the border,” said Dr. Michael K. Hawes, President and CEO of Fulbright Canada. “These exchanges build the kind of thoughtful, compassionate leaders that our two countries—and the world—need now more than ever.”
Supported by a network of distinguished institutions across North America, the program’s strength lies in its partnerships. These include top universities that share Fulbright Canada’s commitment to academic excellence, leadership, and fostering international collaboration.
Key Details
Award Value:
- $6,000 US for a one-semester exchange
- $12,000 US for the academic year
Duration:
One semester OR a full academic year
Eligibility:
- Canadians:
- Be a full-time undergraduate student in good standing at a degree-granting institution in Canada.
Expect to receive an undergraduate degree in the Spring of 2026 or beyond.
Have met the eligibility requirements of their home university.
Be fluent in English (and/or French, where appropriate).
- Be a full-time undergraduate student in good standing at a degree-granting institution in Canada.
- Americans:
- Be a full-time undergraduate student in good standing at a fully accredited degree-granting college or university in the United States.
- Expect to receive an undergraduate degree in the Spring of 2026 or beyond.
- They have met their home university's eligibility requirements (as they relate to participation in international exchange programs).
- Be fluent in English (and/or French, where appropriate).
Applications Open:
August 14, 2025
Application Deadline:
March 2, 2026
How to Apply:
www.fulbright.ca/programs/killam-fellowships
Inquiries:
Please contact info@fulbright.ca.
About Fulbright Canada
The Fulbright Program is a merit-based residential academic exchange program established in 1946 to promote mutual understanding, support academic excellence, and contribute to peace, prosperity, and stability. The program is widely regarded as the gold standard in educational exchange and a powerful instrument of public diplomacy.
The Foundation for Educational Exchange between Canada and the United States of America (aka Fulbright Canada) operates the Fulbright program in Canada, providing exchange opportunities for exceptional students, scholars, and researchers in the two countries.