All 12 members of the Fulbright program’s board, tasked with administering the prestigious scholarship to Americans and foreigners to continue their educational studies, resigned on Wednesday night. They voiced concerns that the Trump administration is undermining and compromising the program’s objectives.

“Our resignation is not a decision we take lightly,” the board said in a post to Substack. “But to continue to serve after the Administration has consistently ignored the Board’s request that they follow the law would risk legitimizing actions we believe are unlawful and damage the integrity of this storied program and America’s credibility abroad. Indeed, the erosion of the Fulbright program weakens America and our national security interests.”

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The Fulbright program was established by Congress 80 years ago and is under the control of the State Department. Board members shared that Congress gave them “final approval” on how it administers its awards, a process that has been conducted in a nonpartisan fashion under Democratic and Republican administrations.

The board accused the Trump administration of undermining its authority by denying “a substantial number of individuals who were selected for the 2025-2026 academic year.” The board also said the Trump administration has engaged in an unauthorized review process of 1,200 foreign Fulbright recipients.

“We believe these actions not only contradict the statute but are antithetical to the Fulbright mission and the values, including free speech and academic freedom, that Congress specified in the statute,” the board said. “It is worth noting that the awards that were overridden include studies in categories such as biology, engineering, architecture, agriculture, crop sciences, animal sciences, biochemistry, medical sciences, music, and history.”

The board suggested that the Trump administration’s injection into its functions “undermines” the program’s selection process, which is “based on merit, not ideology.”

“That integrity is now undermined,” the board said. 

Members of the board also noted that they aired their concerns with administration officials on several occasions.

However, the State Department said the Fulbright board was incorrect in saying it has the final say on who receives scholarships.

“The claim that the Fulbright-Hays Act affords exclusive and final say over Fulbright Applications to the Fulbright board is false,” the agency said.

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The State Department called the board members “partisan political appointees” and said they must review the scholarship applicants in “alignment with President Trump’s Executive Orders.”

All 12 board members were appointed by former President Joe Biden.