College of Charleston Named a Top Producer of Fulbright Students
The Fulbright Program recognizes CofC as one of the universities with the highest number of students and recent alumni selected for the prestigious program.
The College of Charleston has been named a Top Producing Institution for Fulbright U.S. Students for the 2025-26 academic year.
“This recognition shines a spotlight on our academic excellence and global engagement,” says College of Charleston President Andrew T. Hsu. “Fulbright students elevate the scholarly profile of the College of Charleston, and the impact of their work abroad extends well beyond their individual experiences, strengthening our institution’s academic distinction and reinforcing our reputation as a top university.”
Fulbright Top Producing Institutions such as the College of Charleston place high value on fostering global connections and supporting members of their campus communities across the United States to pursue international opportunities.
“We are thrilled to be recognized as a Top Producing Institution,” says Sidney Woram, associate director of the Office of Nationally Competitive Awards, who sees about 20 Fulbright Program applications each year and provides direct support to each and every one. “Being designated as a Top Producer is a testament to our commitment to fostering student growth, and an acknowledgement that our students have the cultural sensitivity and curiosity needed to represent the U.S. abroad.”
Three College of Charleston alumni are currently abroad building cross-cultural connections and furthering their education as part of the 2025-26 Fulbright Program, helping propel the university to a top spot in a nationally competitive award.
The most recent awardees are Madison McKnight ’25, a graduate of the international studies and history programs who minored in Spanish, Jack Watson ’24, who majored in international studies and French and Francophone studies, and Rhiannon Wilkinson ’25, who majored in international studies and German.
Watson and Wilkinson were named English teaching assistants at schools in Algiers and Germany, respectively. McKnight received a study/research award to the University of Glasgow to complete a graduate program in Scottish history.
Since its inception in 1946, the Fulbright Program has been providing 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.
A program of the U.S. Department of State that is supported by participating governments and partner institutions, corporations and foundations around the world, the Fulbright Program is now the U.S. government’s premier international academic exchange program.
Fulbright alumni achieve distinction and are recognized as leaders in government, business, science, technology, research, education and the arts. Working to make a positive impact, Fulbright alumni have included 44 heads of state or government, 63 Nobel laureates, 93 Pulitzer Prize winners, 83 MacArthur Fellows and countless leaders in all sectors and industries across the United States and around the world.
For more information about the Fulbright Program, visit https://fulbrightprogram.org/.
