Fulbright U.S. Student Binational Business Internship

Placement Type

Grantees will be placed in cooperating businesses and will also take courses related to international business at the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM), one of the most prestigious private universities in that field in Mexico. The most significant component of the program is the internship; grantees will spend about 90% of their time working in the company.

In recent years, COMEXUS has placed grantees in a variety of organizations, including traditional and multinational companies, financial institutions, airlines and start-ups. Please note that the list of participating companies and NGOs is subject to change every year. COMEXUS is unable to guarantee placements in specific companies, sectors, and/or industries.

Fields of Study

Preferred candidates should have less than three years of work experience post-graduation and major in one of the following fields: Business Administration, Finance, Economics, International Relations, Law/International Law, Accounting, or another business-related field. 

Candidates with a bachelor’s degree in another field may be considered if they have demonstrated experience and interest in international business.    

Eligibility

To apply for the Fulbright U.S. Student Program through the SOP advising process, applicants must:

  • Be undergraduate juniors (graduating next academic year), graduating seniors (graduating this academic year), or recent alumni within 12 months of graduation.
  • Be citizens or nationals of the United States of America at the time of application. U.S. Permanent residents are not eligible. U.S.-Mexico dual citizens are eligible to apply. Candidates who currently hold a temporary or permanent residency card to Mexico are not eligible to apply.
  • Complete your undergraduate degree before travel. Consult the Binational Internship summary for the program start date.
  • Demonstrate Advanced proficiency in Spanish. Spanish language proficiency is necessary, not only for the internship, but also in order to communicate at a university level. Applicants should include in the Language Self-Evaluation plans for language study between the time of application and the commencement of the grant. A Foreign Language Evaluation by a college-level Spanish language instructor is also required.
  • Demonstrate sufficient competency to complete their project and adjust to life in Mexico.

Applicants who have had extensive, recent previous foreign experience in Mexico are at a competitive disadvantage but are still eligible to apply. However, candidates residing, working, or studying in Mexico in the year prior to beginning the grant are not eligible. 

The scholarship does not stipulate a minimum GPA. However, to be competitive, SOP advisors recommend that Binational Internship applicants achieve at least a 3.2 GPA and demonstrate a strong record of experience related to the selected grant type and proposed project. Relevant qualifications may include 1 or more years of related work or internship experience; business-related research or publications; and/or leadership roles in entrepreneurial or startup ventures, or business-related campus or off-campus organizations.

Candidates must be adaptable and proactive, able to take initiative in both professional and educational situations in order to thrive in a highly independent program. Rather than a traditional study abroad, the Binational Business program is designed for flexible, self-sufficient grantees able to seize the moment, establish and manage expectations, and forge valuable experiences throughout the program.

Scholarship Benefits

Grant benefits for all Fulbright U.S. Student grants include:

  • round-trip transportation to the host country
  • funding to cover room, board, and incidental costs, based on the cost of living in the host country
  • Accident & Sickness Health Benefits
  • 24/7 support line for urgent and non-urgent situations
  • 12 months of non-competitive eligibility (NCE) hiring status within the federal government

Applicants should take into consideration that the Binational Internship grant covers maintenance and basic living expenses in Mexico, as well as one round-trip air ticket (U.S.-Mexico-U.S.). Grantees may incur additional expenses that are not covered by the grant. It is highly recommended that grantees begin the program with some additional savings to cover these expenses, especially because the first grant payment will arrive in late September.

Recent Recipients

  • In 2021, Laura Estrada (Political Sciences) became a Semi-Finalist for the Binational Internship in Mexico.
  • In 2010, Jason Molina (International Studies, Economics) became a Binational Intern in Mexico.

Competitiveness

From 2018 to 2020, the Binational Internship received between 55 and 79 applications for 16 internship placements. The competitiveness of this program is close to the overall average acceptance rate for a Fulbright U.S. Student Program grant in recent years (~2,000 recipients worldwide from a pool of ~10,000 applicants).

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