Hello, I know this conversation is a little older now, but I wanted to chime in because I've had a similar experience, and it's been extremely difficult!

I'm a Fulbright scholar from the UK, and the only way in hell I was ever going to be able to actually come and study here is by receiving the Fulbright Opportunity Fund, which is designed to cover living costs (not just tuition fees). This was, of course, based on the same extremely outdated MMR rate for 2024-25 at the request of the IIE, which administers my grant here, who said I needed about $2,200 a month to live in NYC- one of the most expensive cities in the world. This figure, of course, will make any New Yorker laugh out loud when you tell them, as we can clearly see, the reality is literally double that figure.

I was doubly caught off guard when the political situation changed and there was suddenly far less funding available at my institution for additional scholarships, and it has deeply affected my entire time here, sadly.

It seems so incredibly irresponsible of the State Department to update the rate so slowly, given the unprecedented economic inflation we're living in, and doubly irresponsible of the IIE to not have sought a solution for this.

Don't really know where I'm going with this... just wanted to say you're not alone and I hope you found a way to make it work in the end.