Exchanges

A cornerstone of our people-to-people engagement is our cultural programs, including our academic, cultural and professional exchanges, alumni activities, cultural preservation grants, and promotion of higher education.  Bhutanese participate in annual exchange programs such as the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), Humphrey Professional Fellowships, and Fulbright Scholarships.

In March 2017, the U.S. Embassy announced the final undergraduate Fulbright student from Bhutan and the launch of the graduate Fulbright student program (see press release).  The FY18 Fulbright Master’s Fellowship Announcement can be viewed here.

We work through the Bhutanese Embassy in New Delhi and with the Bhutanese Royal Civil Service Commission for nominations for many of these programs.  Bhutanese have also participated in programs such as the 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Summit held in Silicon Valley (see list of participants here).

Education

There are almost 150 Bhutanese students currently studying in the United States  .  Approximately three-fourths of these students are pursuing undergraduate degrees.  In August 2016 we opened an EducationUSA reference center in Bhutan to help put Bhutanese students in touch with information about higher education opportunities in the United States (see announcement).  We encourage Bhutanese students to visit the center and connect with EducationUSA:

EducationUSA Reference Center
Department of Adult and Higher Education
Namgaycholing
Thimphu, Bhutan 11001

Telephone number: +975 1778 6963
Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
Contact person: Dawa Zangmo

Bhutanese students can receive virtual advising from the EducationUSA centers in India (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Mumbai).  They are welcome to speak with an advisor between the hours of 2:00-5:00 pm Monday through Friday (+91 1-800-103-1231) or participate in the free EducationUSA webinars every Friday at 4:00 PM http://bit.ly/1u5QUDX.