The United Kingdom and Ireland are natural sites for students without foreign language skills to apply to. You should keep in mind, however, that sites in countries where English is spoken tend to be the most competitive.  The United Kingdom, for example, received more than 1000 applications for 36 spots for the 2015-16 academic year application cycle. Ireland is similarly competitive, with 103 applications for only 5 awards this year.

These statistics should not discourage you from applying to the UK or Ireland if you have a very specific academic and/or cultural reason to do so. 

Given its excellent universities and the close ties between our two countries, Canada is a very popular option for Fulbright applicants. Applicants can earn degrees or do research throughout the country. Projects must be directly related to either Canadian-based research, or Canada-US relations. 

Both Australia and New Zealand offer both research and study grants, and both offer full-degree programs to highly qualified applicants. Just as with the United Kingdom and Ireland, there are many more applicants than awards, but the competition statistics are not as daunting. There were 98 applicants for Australia this year, and 75 for New Zealand.

Past UMBC finalists and winners for this region have crafted proposals specific to the academic needs of their host countries.  

Highly qualified graduating seniors and Master's students with specific research agendas can also consider applying to the island states of the South Pacific, including Fiji, the Solomon Island, Tonga and Samoa. 

There are many opportunities for carefully designed projects throughout the regions south of the Sahara Desert. Many former British colonies use English as the language of education, and universities, research institutes and most public institutions use English. South Africa's excellent universities and solid research infrastructure make it the most competitive site in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, frequently a project that can work in South Africa can also be successful (and thereby more competitive) in Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland and Zambia. 

Research projects are also possible in West Africa (Ghana and Nigeria) or East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda and Malawi) are also possible. Knowledge of a local language, in addition to English, is useful for successful applications. 

India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal all offer research opportunities for well-qualified students. While English is the language of education throughout all four countries, applicants are more competitive with at least some knowledge of one of the local languages, if it is applicable to the research project. Of these sites, India is far and away the most competitive. 

All of Singapore's national universities teach in English, as do institutions of higher education in the Philippines. English is widely spoken and understood in the major metropolitan areas of Malaysia, but knowledge of Malay will be useful for projects outside of these areas.