False: Obama received a Fulbright scholarship for foreign students to Occidental College

[Adelante]

The Fulbright Foreign Student Program is for foreign students to do graduate work in the United States. Obama was an undergraduate at Occidental and was not eligible, in any case.

A mainstay of America’s public-diplomacy efforts, the Fulbright Foreign Student Program brings citizens of other countries to the United States for Master’s degree or Ph.D. study at U.S. universities or other appropriate institutions. The program has brought some of the world’s finest minds to U.S. campuses and offers program participants insight into U.S. society and values.

http://www.foreign.fulbrightonline.org/

THE FULBRIGHT PROGRAM:

* Is sponsored by the United States Department of State
* Was established in 1946 by the U.S. Congress to "enable the government of the United States to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries."
* Has provided more than 255,000 participants—chosen for their leadership potential—with the opportunity to observe each others’ political, economic and cultural institutions, exchange ideas, and embark on joint ventures of importance to the general welfare of the world’s inhabitants.
* Awarded approximately 6,000 grants in 2005, amounting to more than $250 million, to U.S. students, teachers, professionals, and scholars to study, teach, lecture, and conduct research in more than 150 countries, and to their foreign counterparts to engage in similar activities in the United States.
* Awards approximately 1,800 student grants to non-U.S. nationals to study in the United States annually. Approximately 3,200 new and continuing student fellows are currently in the United States on Fulbright grants.
* Receives its primary funding through an annual appropriation from Congress to the United States Department of State. Participating governments and host institutions in foreign countries, and in the United States, also make significant financial contributions through cost-sharing and indirect support, e.g., through salary supplements, tuition waivers, and university housing.

http://www.foreign.fulbrightonline.org/about.html



Obama was nominated for, but didn't win, a Truman Scholarship by Occidental College:

He was a good student at Occidental (where President Richard Gilman nominated him for a Truman Scholarship during his sophomore year)...

http://www.oxy.edu/Documents/PDFs/ForMedia/Obama_Oxy_Mag_1.pdf

Additionally, Obama was nominated for a Truman Scholarship, a competitive national award given to people who are looking to go into a career in public service. Obama did not go on to win the Truman, but Occidental will only nominate candidates who they believe are very strong and compare well with other applicants.

http://www.oxyweekly.com/home/index.cfm?event=displayArticlePrinterFriendly&uStory_id=7191c8d6-1076-4e62-91ff-6e678b29e262