Historical Framework

Hungary joined the Fulbright Program in 1978, after improved relations followed the return of the Coronation Regalia to Hungary by the United States. The Fulbright Commission in Hungary was established in January 1992, after a binational agreement was signed between the governments of Hungary and the United States. The Hungarian-American Fulbright Commission for Educational Exchange has been registered in Hungary as a non-profit public interest educational foundation. (Magyar-Amerikai Fulbright Alapítvány) 

The Fulbright Program is open to all the fields of arts and sciences. 

The program is financed by the U.S. government (appr. 50%) and by the Hungarian government (appr. 40%) and by private contributions and in kind support (10%).

In May 1993, Senator J. William Fulbright, whose vision resulted in the Fulbright Program, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Clinton at an 88th birthday tribute sponsored by the Fulbright Association. This well-deserved recognition from his own country was followed by many honors and awards accorded to him by other countries. The Hungarian Government awarded him the Silver Cross of the Hungarian Republic in 1994.

March 8, 2007: István Hiller, Hungarian Minister of Education and Culture and Miller Crouch, U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for Education and Cultural Affairs, signed an agreement (published in Magyar Közlöny 2/2008 pp.27-30) on the continuation of the Fulbright Exchange Program between the United States and Hungary.

See also: Christopher Medalis: American Cultural Diplomacy, the Fulbright Program, and U.S.-Hungarian Higher Education Relations in the Twentieth Century Columbia University, 2009.