Instructions for Fulbright Foreign Language Evaluators
If you are not familiar with the Fulbright U.S. Student Program, please visit www.us.fulbrightonline.org. The most useful pages for language evaluators are the Application Components and the Award Description for the applicant’s proposed host country and specific award.
An applicant for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program has requested that you complete the Foreign Language Evaluation (FLE) form to evaluate their language ability in a language other than English. If the applicant is a current or former student, you may complete this form based on the applicant’s academic record and performance in your language course(s), and/or, you may interview the applicant to determine their current proficiency in the language. If the applicant is not a current or former student, we advise you interview the applicant to determine their current proficiency in the selected language.
We ask that you comment on the applicant's present language competencies in the specified language (not English) relative to their proposed project of study or research for the grant. The applicant should provide you with a summary of their Statement of Grant Purpose. In an interview, you may ask them to describe the grant project or program in the language being assessed.
You may refer to the ACTFL Proficiency Guidelines for assessing language ability in determining the appropriate rating in each category. Fulbright program staff are unable to provide language evaluation materials to language evaluators – we encourage you to use your best judgement when evaluating applicants.
Fulbright applicants register their language evaluator in the Fulbright Online Application System allowing them to complete the Foreign Language Evaluation form online so that it can be included with the applicant's online application.
Follow the steps below to submit the online Foreign Language Evaluation (FLE) Form:
- Once the applicant has registered you, an email will be sent to you from the Fulbright Online Application System. If you do not receive this email, please ask the applicant to resend the invitation, or check your spam folder.
- Open the FLE form by clicking the link in the invitation email sent by the system via FBstudent@iie.org.
- At the top of the page, complete the information to verify your information and answer the questions. Download a sample Foreign Language Evaluation (PDF).
- Respond to the questions assessing the applicant's competency in each area.
- When you have answered all the questions, you may select ‘Save and Next’ to review your responses.
- Before you click ‘Submit’, be sure that this is the evaluation you wish to have reviewed by screening committees in the U.S. and abroad. After submitting the Foreign Language Evaluation, you will not have access to edit or change it.
- The final step is to submit the evaluation.
- After submitting the form, you will receive an email confirming your submission.
Important Note: Only evaluations submitted via the Fulbright Online Application System will be accepted. If you encounter issues completing or submitting the Foreign Language Evaluation, please email fbstudentsupport@iie.org for assistance.
Removing or revising evaluations: After the evaluation is submitted, it cannot be edited. However, if there is a significant error and the evaluator agrees to submit a revised evaluation, the evaluator should use the link from their evaluation submission email to request for their evaluation to be unsubmitted from the application. Please allow 8 hours for the submission to be removed. The unsubmit link can only be used once. The evaluator can then follow the link from the original email from the online application system (sent by FBstudent@iie.org) to reupload an updated evaluation. Evaluators can also remove submissions entirely so that their evaluation is excluded from the application.
Early Campus Deadlines: The applicant will provide you with the date the recommendation is due. For currently enrolled applicants or alumni applying through their alma mater, this date may be earlier and different than the Fulbright national application deadline so that the FLE may be considered during the campus review process. FLEs submitted after the campus deadline may not be considered during the campus review process, but must be submitted prior to the national deadline for an applicant’s application to be considered complete.
