Fulbright University Vietnam (FUV), one of the country’s first private, nonprofit institutions of higher education, has commenced its co-design school year with 54 students recruited from across the nation.

The school year opening ceremony was organized on Sunday at the university’s campus in District 7, Ho Chi Minh City, with the attendance of Nguyen Thien Nhan, secretary of the municipal Party Committee, and Caryn McClelland, Deputy Chief of Mission in Vietnam.

The co-design school year 2018-19 consists of 54 students from provinces and cities throughout the Southeast Asian country.

The recruitment was conducted carefully with multiple rounds of interviews.

The co-design year is a one academic year when leading faculty members and staff from around the world are to be joined by the students to experience and refine Fulbright’s undergraduate program.

These 54 students will receive the FUV Founding Scholarship and be guaranteed a spot in FUV’s inaugural class in the fall of 2019.

The school is now searching for 70 additional students for its inaugural class next year.

“The 54 students are among the best of Vietnam. Now they have an opportunity to study in one of the best environments,” secretary Nhan said at the ceremony.

They will play a significant role in the country’s development in the future, he added.

Fulbright University Vietnam is invested in by the Trust for University Innovation in Vietnam (TUIV), an NGO based in Boston, U.S.

The Vietnamese government officially licensed FUV on May 16, 2016.

The launch of the school was announced in a speech by former U.S. President Barack Obama in Hanoi the same month.

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