W&L a Top Producer of Fulbright U.S. Students for Eighth Straight Year

Washington and Lee University is proud to be included on the list of U.S. colleges and universities that produced the most 2025-2026 Fulbright U.S. Students for the eighth consecutive year. Each year, the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs announces the top producing institutions for the Fulbright Program, the U.S. government's flagship international educational exchange program.

Washington and Lee was ranked sixth among the baccalaureate institutions recognized by the Fulbright Program. With this ranking, W&L has produced the fourth most Fulbright recipients among all baccalaureate institutions over the last five years, a testament to the intelligence and talent of W&L students and alumni as well as the commitment of the university's Office of Fellowships to student achievement.

The Fulbright Program, established in 1946, has provided more than 400,000 talented and accomplished students, scholars, teachers, artists and professionals of all backgrounds with the opportunity to study, teach and conduct research abroad. Fulbrighters exchange ideas, build connections and work to address complex global challenges.

Eleven students from W&L were selected for Fulbright awards for the 2025-2026 academic year, and six accepted the grant. Together, they represent a range of backgrounds, academic interests and professional goals, and embarked on their Fulbright programs to expand their worldview and foster their service-minded ambitions.

• Kristina Ayers '25 was awarded the inaugural Fulbright/Netherlands-American Foundation Heersink Family Foundation Award to conduct public health research at Maastricht University in the Netherlands.
• Jack Evans '25 was awarded a Fulbright ETA to Uzbekistan.
• Matthew Flynn '25 was awarded a Fulbright-LUT University Graduate Award to study digital social science at LUT University in Finland.
• Thomas Leggett '25 was awarded a Fulbright ETA to Taiwan.
• Abby Moore '25 was awarded a Fulbright Open Research Award to conduct biomedical research at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia.
• Lily Nanini '25 was awarded a Fulbright ETA to Germany.

The Fulbright competition is administered at W&L by Matthew Loar, director of fellowships and student research, and Dallas Tatman, assistant director of fellowships, with the support of the university's Fellowships Committee.

"What I most admire about our Fulbright applicants is their creativity, ambition and fearlessness," Loar said. "It's easy to take for granted how difficult it is to take the leap and spend a year abroad after graduation, but that's just what Washington and Lee students do over and over again. Dallas and I love helping our students imagine and pursue Fulbright futures, and our applicants' continued success with the Fulbright program is truly rewarding."

Fulbright is a program of the U.S. Department of State, with funding provided by the U.S. government. Participating governments and host institutions, corporations and foundations around the world also provide direct and indirect support to the program. Fulbright alumni work to make a positive impact on their communities, sectors and the world and have included 44 heads of state or government, 63 Nobel Laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, 83 MacArthur Fellows and countless leaders and changemakers who build mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit https://fulbrightprogram.org/. W&L students interested in applying for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program should contact Matthew Loar in the Houston H. Harte Center for Teaching and Learning (Leyburn 114) or by email at [email protected].

If you know a W&L student who has done great, accolade-worthy things, tell us about them! Nominate them for an accolade.

Why Fulbright?

As a top-producing institution, W&L has demonstrated a commitment to global connection and lifelong learning. The university's Fulbright recipients represent diverse experiences, academic majors and life goals but are driven by a shared sense of curiosity to embrace new opportunities and become engaged citizens and thoughtful leaders.

The Fulbright Program opens doors for students and alumni, allowing them to pursue their goals and expand their horizons.

"This opportunity is a dream come true," said Kristina Ayers '25. "I am ecstatic to have the chance to do what I love most in a new environment that will challenge me to grow as a scientist. I am so honored to be the inaugural recipient of this award and to not only represent W&L on a global research stage, but to trailblaze this relationship between the U.S. and the Netherlands."

Receiving a Fulbright encourages students and alumni to become lifelong learners and engage with the world in new ways.

"Being awarded this opportunity is a profound honor," said Matthew Flynn '25. "It represents not only a chance to explore the psychologically beneficial practices in our rapidly evolving world, but also a gateway to gaining independent research experience and enhancing my technical skills through a structured and innovative program in digital social science."

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