The Office of Policy and Evaluation of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State contracted with SRI International to conduct a series of assessments of outcomes and impacts of various specialized exchange programs under the overall umbrella of the Fulbright Educational Exchange Program, the U.S. government's flagship international educational program. The objective of the Outcome Assessment of the Visiting Fulbright Scholar Program is to document the contribution of the "Fulbright experience" to the professional and personal lives of Program alumni and to demonstrate--in quantitative and qualitative terms--the Program's effectiveness in achieving its legislative goal of fostering mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. To achieve this end, the Fulbright Program supports international exchanges and a series of bi-national, regional and international collaborative initiatives. More than 100 countries around the world are represented in the Visiting Fulbright Scholar Program. From these, 16 countries were selected by the Department of State for inclusion in the study, based upon geographic representation, political salience, longevity of the Program, and type of program administration. The assessment was further limited to Scholars who were awarded grants between 1980 and 2001. The SRI assessment team conducted initial interviews with Fulbright Program sponsors and program administrators whose perspectives were used to inform the design of a single questionnaire for Visiting Scholar alumni from all countries. SRI received 1,894 valid completed questionnaires (a 57% response rate) for analyses. The findings of this assessment are based primarily on the quantitative results of the survey, but they are supplemented by qualitative information obtained in open-ended questions in the survey as well as through individual interviews and focus groups. The main body of this assessment is devoted to analyzing the results of the Visiting Fulbright Scholar Program according to three categories of outcomes related to mutual understanding: (1) educational/professional and cultural learning; (2) effects on behaviors; and (3) linkages, ties, and institutional changes. The overall conclusion of this assessment of the Visiting Fulbright Scholar Program is that there is strong quantitative and qualitative evidence showing that the Program is meeting its legislative mandate of increasing mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries. Visiting Scholars who participated in the Program between 1980 and 2001 give ringing endorsements to the Program. Scholars believe their Fulbright experiences have furthered the Program's goals through: immersion in American society for both scholars and their families, dispelling many preconceived notions; the development of long-lasting friendships on both a personal and professional level; the sharing of information and experiences about their home countries with Americans; and the sharing of American cultural, social, and political viewpoints with colleagues and students from their home institutions. The following are appended: (1) U.S. and Visiting Fulbright Scholar Experiences; (2) Visiting Fulbright Scholar Program Survey Topline Results; (3) Selected Answers to Open Ended Questions; and (4) Data Tables. (Contains 24 tables and 5 figures.) [This report was prepared by Center for Science, Technology and Economic Development, SRI International for the Office of Policy and Evaluation, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.]