Fulbright University Vietnam

What Fulbright University Vietnam does

Fulbright University Vietnam is a private, not-for-profit liberal arts university founded in 2016 in Ho Chi Minh City, positioned as Vietnam's first institution of its kind and built on a Vietnamese-American partnership premise. It delivers American-style undergraduate and graduate education — including a Master of Public Policy and Management through the Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management — using an interdisciplinary core curriculum, a Bridge Program for incoming students, and majors spanning arts, sciences, engineering, and applied fields. New majors in Business, Policy, and Society, and Artificial Intelligence are being introduced for the Class of 2029. Over 60% of students receive partial or full scholarships (Aspiration Scholarship, Khoi Tri Scholarship), and the university maintains a 2,000+ alumni network with articulation pathways to U.S. and European graduate programs.

The university's technology backbone centers on a Salesforce-powered One-Stop student services portal, deploying Agentforce AI, Data Cloud, Sales Cloud, and Experience Cloud to provide conversational AI-driven student services, with the rollout completed in roughly three weeks. Its research arm, the Fulbright AI Institute (launched May 2025), focuses on AI teaching and research — including intelligent robotics, AI applications in complex biological systems, and scene understanding — supported by a $1.5M Google grant and advised by a Google DeepMind Senior Researcher. Domain-specialized AI work includes NướcGPT (a generative-AI chatbot for Mekong Delta salinity management, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) and computer-vision-based restoration of the 1924 film Kim Vân Kiều. Specialized centers include the Vietnam Studies Center, Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Fulbright IP and Tech Transfer Program, and Fulbright X.

Fulbright's business model is a hybrid tuition-and-philanthropy model typical of private non-profits. Primary revenue comes from recurring undergraduate and graduate tuition (billed annually), supplemented by research and project grants (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Google), donor-funded programs such as the VND 5 billion Fulbright EPIC 2026 Global Engagement Fund, and corporate training engagements (e.g., the Zalo Leadership Development Program). Distribution is direct via an online admissions portal (apply.fulbright.edu.vn) and bilateral exchange partnerships with peer universities, while go-to-market emphasizes digital channels (website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube), on-campus events, and the "Humans of Fulbright" storytelling series to recruit students. The institution is pursuing U.S. accreditation through NECHE candidate status and has secured a Ho Chi Minh City land rental fee exemption for a permanent campus at the Saigon Hi-Tech Park in Thu Duc City.

Name

Fulbright University Vietnam

Legal name

Fulbright University Vietnam

Website

https://fulbright.edu.vn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Fulbright University Vietnam is Vietnam's first private, not-for-profit liberal arts university, founded in 2016 in Ho Chi Minh City. It delivers American-style undergraduate and graduate education to Vietnamese and international students, supported by a Salesforce-powered AI student services platform and the Fulbright AI Institute.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Country/Region-Specific Scholarships (Inbound/Outbound) (EDAIAOAC), University/Institutional Scholarships & Tuition Waivers (EDAIAOAG)

Keywords

• Higher education
• Liberal arts education
• Undergraduate programs
• Public policy graduate
• AI research institute

Headquarters

HQ city

Ho Chi Minh City

HQ country

Vietnam

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Primary revenue stream from tuition charged to undergraduate and graduate students. The university offers various scholarship programs including Aspiration Scholarship and Khoi Tri Scholarship, with over 60% of students receiving partial or full scholarships.
2. Grants and Research Funding: Funding from organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for research projects like NướcGPT development.
3. Donations and Global Engagement Fund: The Global Engagement Fund supports programs like Fulbright EPIC 2026 (VND 5 billion initiative) for student international learning experiences, funded by donors and partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Fulbright University Vietnam is a private, not-for-profit university offering American-style undergraduate liberal arts and science education and a graduate program in public policy and management (FSPPM). The institution provides interdisciplinary classroom teaching, international student exchange programs, AI-enhanced student services via the One-Stop portal, and corporate/executive leadership training. Over 60% of students receive partial or full scholarship support.

Product overview

Fulbright University Vietnam is Vietnam's first private, not-for-profit liberal arts university offering American-style undergraduate and graduate education. The institution operates a One-Stop student services portal enhanced with AI capabilities powered by Salesforce (Agentforce, Data Cloud, Sales Cloud, Experience Cloud), providing students with conversational AI assistance for service requests and information access. The university has launched the Fulbright AI Institute (2025) for AI research and education, and maintains specialized centers including the Vietnam Studies Center, Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management. New majors include Business, Policy, and Society, and Artificial Intelligence for the Class of 2029.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Undergraduate Liberal Arts Programs Four-year American-style undergraduate liberal arts, science, and engineering degree program with an interdisciplinary two-year Core Curriculum followed by flexible major selection, designed for Vietnamese and international high-school graduates seeking world-class U.S.-style higher education in Vietnam with international exchange opportunities.
• Fulbright School of Public Policy and Management (FSPPM) Graduate-level program providing Master of Public Policy and Management education (formerly the Fulbright Economics Teaching Program), targeting mid-career professionals and public-sector managers seeking leadership development in policy and management.
• One-Stop Student Services Portal AI-powered student services portal for current Fulbright students, providing a conversational AI assistant for natural-language queries, service requests, and policy access, with personalized responses based on consolidated student lifecycle data.
• NướcGPT (Nước GPT) AI Chatbot Generative-AI chatbot for managing salinity intrusion in the Mekong Delta, co-developed with Nước Solutions and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, supporting local decision-making on water management and mitigation strategies with AI tailored for Vietnam's context.

Quantifiable outcome

• Leading universities in US and Europe have accepted Fulbright graduates into PhD and Masters programs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability7 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Patrick Leahy Honors College, University of VermontmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026MoU for bilateral exchange programs, interdisciplinary research engagement, global academic networks, and access to diverse knowledge resources. Brings together two educational environments committed to interdisciplinary approaches.
• Salesforce VietnamcoreTechnology or Integration · 10 February 2026Salesforce positions Fulbright as an early adopter of Agentforce platform for enterprise-grade AI adoption, deploying Agentforce AI, Data Cloud, Sales Cloud, and Experience Cloud for student services transformation.
• SUNY Buffalo State UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 20263+2 Program in Data Science and Analytics offering high-achieving Fulbright students an accelerated pathway to earn both a Bachelor of Science and a Master's degree.
• International College of Innovation (ICI), National Chengchi University (NCCU), TaiwanminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 December 2025Student exchange partnership where two Fulbright students study at NCCU each semester while Fulbright welcomes two students from ICI.
• The Olympia Schools (TOS)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2025Co-founder of Vietnam Business Innovation Challenge (VBIC), a platform for high school students aged 14-18 to explore business innovation.
• Google DeepMindcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2025Dr. Le Viet Quoc, Senior Researcher at Google DeepMind, serves as advisor to Fulbright AI Institute for AI research and academic program development.
• Dr. Le QuancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 May 2025Faculty member in Human-Centered Engineering at Fulbright, leads Fulbright AI Institute to shape Vietnam's leadership in artificial intelligence through teaching, research, and thought leadership.
• University of BirminghammajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 March 2025Student exchange program ranked 80th in QS World University Rankings 2025 and 12th among UK universities, promoting academic and cultural collaboration.
• Reed CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 February 2025Student exchange agreement with renowned liberal arts institution ranked #1 in Best Colleges in Oregon, #4 in US for per capita production of future PhDs, and Top 30 Best Liberal Arts Colleges.
• Fourth Industrial Revolution Center in Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC C4IR)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 December 2024MoU for cooperation in policy research and development, high-quality human resource training, and collaboration on Fourth Industrial Revolution initiatives.
• Ben Tre Province Cultural Heritage AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2024Framework for research, education, experiential learning, practical training, cultural exchange, and heritage preservation activities.
• Hai Van Educational and Ecotourism Co., Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2024Partnership for experiential learning and heritage preservation activities with Ben Tre Province.
• Dartmouth CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Collaboration on 'Developing Vietnam' course offering comprehensive view of Vietnam including history, religion, environment, and economy, with cross-cultural student research trips.
• Nước SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 August 2023Co-development partner for NướcGPT AI chatbot project for Mekong Delta salinity management, working with Fulbright University Vietnam on AI technology tailored for Vietnam's context.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• VinUniversity: Private not-for-profit university in Vietnam backed by Vingroup, offering American-style undergraduate and graduate programs. Direct peer to Fulbright as a high-end, well-funded private university competing for the same top-tier Vietnamese students and faculty.
• RMIT University Vietnam: Vietnam campus of an Australian public university offering undergraduate and graduate programs with an international, applied-learning curriculum. Direct peer to Fulbright in target student segment, international degree model, and English-language delivery.
• British University Vietnam (BUV): Private Vietnamese university delivering British-style degrees with international partner-university validation. Comparable to Fulbright in positioning as a premium private institution with foreign-degree pathways and scholarship-supported access.
• NUS College (formerly Yale-NUS College): Liberal-arts-focused residential college within the National University of Singapore, originally launched with Yale as a partner. Direct peer to Fulbright in its American-style liberal arts model, international partnership DNA, and selective admissions in Asia.
• Ashesi University: Private, not-for-profit liberal arts university in Ghana founded by a Ghanaian-American partnership. Highly comparable to Fulbright in not-for-profit structure, liberal arts mission, scholarship-supported access, and emerging-market context.
• Habib University: Private, not-for-profit liberal arts university in Pakistan backed by the Habib family. Comparable to Fulbright as a not-for-profit, scholarship-supported liberal arts institution operating in a price-sensitive emerging market.

Broad incumbents

• FPT University: Larger private Vietnamese university with a strong technology and engineering focus. Comparable as a domestic competitor for STEM and AI talent, though it operates at much higher scale and with a for-profit structure unlike Fulbright's not-for-profit model.
• VNU-Hanoi / Vietnam National University, Hanoi: Vietnam's flagship public research university system. A broader incumbent competing for top Vietnamese students and faculty, offering scale and a much larger research footprint than Fulbright.

Emerging players

• Minerva University: Private, not-for-profit US university focused on interdisciplinary, technology-enabled liberal arts education with global rotation across cities. Comparable to Fulbright in its not-for-profit, interdisciplinary, technology-forward model for international students.

Regional players

• Singapore Management University (SMU): Private not-for-profit university in Singapore with a business and policy orientation. Comparable to Fulbright's FSPPM graduate school and broader interdisciplinary, professionally oriented curriculum, though it serves a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC6eXN2T7P2sc7fh4e5AourA
• Facebookfacebook.com/FulbrightUniVN
• Instagraminstagram.com/fulbrightuniversity

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fulbright University Vietnam