Opportunities for Language Study

Boren Scholarship***

  • Provides up to $20,000 to undergraduate students to study abroad in areas of the world critical to US. interests, in exchange for at least one year of government service following graduation
  • Preferred areas of the world include Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East; the Boren may not be used for domestic language study or study abroad in Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand
  • Applicants should be able to demonstrate how their study and future career goals will contribute to US. national security, to include traditional concerns of protecting and promoting the US., as well as global security, sustainable development, environmental degradation, disease and hunger, etc.
  • Usual deadline: early-February
  • Available to: US. citizens enrolled in an accredited undergraduate degree program
  • More information

***Requires institutional evaluation

Boren Fellowship

  • Provides up to $30,000 for graduate study focused on geographic areas, languages, or fields of study deemed critical to US. interest, in exchange for at least one year of government service after graduation from graduate school
  • Sponsored by the National Security Education Program to enhance specialization in area study, language study, or increased language proficiency, both through domestic and overseas study
  • Applicants must show how their study programs and future goals will contribute to US. national security
  • Usual deadline: late January
  • Available to: US. citizens enrolled in graduate study
  • More information

Critical Language Scholarship Program

  • Offers fully funded intensive summer language institutes in thirteen critical foreign languages (Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Punjabi, Turkish, Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Japanese, and Russian)
  • All disciplines are welcome, but applicants must demonstrate how the selected language relates to their field and future career goals
  • Sponsored by the US. Department of State
  • Usual deadline: mid-November
  • Available to: US. citizens enrolled in a degree-granting program at the time of application
  • More information at clscholarship.org

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS)

  • Offers funding for language study combined with area studies in a wide range of languages
  • The FLAS is awarded to specific schools each year and the schools then choose their recipients; applicants must apply to or from an institution with current FLAS funding
  • Usual deadline: Varies
  • Available to: undergraduates and graduate students applying for an academic year’s worth of study or a summer study program
  • More information

Qatar Scholarship

  • Offers the opportunity to master their skills in an intensive Arabic language program at Qatar University in Doha
  • Provides tuition, room and board in university dorms, round-trip airfare, local transportation and books
  • Applicants must have intermediate or advanced Arabic skills
  • Usual deadline: mid-December
  • Available to: US citizens aged 18-40 who have completed at least a bachelor’s degree and who have already taken at least two years of formal Arabic study
  • More information