UNH Named a Top Fulbright Producer

The University of New Hampshire has been named a top producer of Fulbright students, earning the recognition for being one of the colleges and universities with the highest number of students and recent alumni selected for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

UNH has had 96 Fulbright U.S. Student Program recipients. The university’s current Fulbright recipients for the 25-26 Fulbright application year are all recent alumni who are currently in the UK, Germany, Taiwan, and Jordan completing their studies or teaching English.

“We often highlight our commitment to New Hampshire, but a recognition like this one powerfully demonstrates UNH’s global impact as well,” says UNH President Elizabeth Chilton. “I’m so proud of our students who have earned such prestigious awards and of the support provided by our exceptional faculty and staff. Together they have created a transformational education experience.”

Each year the Fulbright Program, established in 1946, provides opportunities for “exceptional Americans and participants from 160 countries and locations to study, teach, and conduct research abroad, advancing knowledge, science, and industry through international exchange and collaboration.” 

Fulbright alumni “achieve distinction and are recognized as leaders in government, business, science, technology, research, education, and the arts.” Program alumni include 44 heads of state or government, 63 Nobel Laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, and 83 MacArthur Fellows.

Many of the UNH Fulbright recipients have gone on to complete graduate studies or medical school following their Fulbright grants, says Leigh Pratt, director of UNH’s Office of National Fellowships. She noted a few examples of recipients who have used the grant as a springboard, including:

• Paige Balcom ’16, who received the Fulbright U.S. Student program grant to conduct research on the cultural, technical, and economic feasibility of aquaponics in Uganda. She is co-founder and co-CEO of Takataka Plastics in Uganda and was recently honored with the Alnoba Foundation’s Gutsy Young Leader Award, which recognizes extraordinary leaders under 40 who demonstrate grit, integrity, and measurable impact in advancing environmental justice, social justice, or opportunities for young people.
• Alyssa Landry received an English teaching assistantship in 2023 and spent two years teaching English in Germany. She was awarded the Government of Ireland International Education Scholarship in 2025 to pursue her master’s in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) at University College Dublin, where she is now.

The benefits of the Fulbright program extend well beyond the duration of the grant, Pratt says, as recipients often find themselves better positioned to pursue careers and make a difference in their communities.

“Recipients of Fulbright grants are stronger candidates in both the job market and in graduate or professional school admissions,” Pratt says. “Through their Fulbright experiences, they develop valuable skills, including cross-cultural communication, adaptability, independence, and leadership. When they return to the U.S., they bring these strengths and perspectives back to their home communities. Many of our recipients return to New Hampshire and New England, enriching our communities with the knowledge and experience they gained abroad.”

Pratt pointed to Eden Suoth, who received a Fulbright in 2018 to conduct research in Indonesia and is now a high school teacher at Oyster River High School, as a strong example of that arc.

UNH’s Fulbright candidates, including current undergraduate students, current graduate students, and recent alumni, are supported by the Office of National Fellowships, as well as faculty and staff who serve as recommenders, mentors, and committee members to support applicants. The office has worked to break the application process into manageable steps and provide mentorship, editorial assistance and “lots of encouragement to all applicants,” Pratt says. There are many UNH faculty and staff who have received Fulbright Scholar grants who serve as champions for the Fulbright program on campus, she adds.