9 Language Study Fellowships for Undergraduates and Graduates

Dec 29, 2017

9 Language Study Fellowships for Undergraduates and Graduates

Whether you are interested in learning your first foreign language or foreign language, it is already your joie de vivre, and we have a fellowship for you. Below you’ll find programs that boast language study, travel, and the opportunity to explore new cultures. If one of these fellowships catches your eye, bookmark the program to your ProFellow account!

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

The Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships program provides allocations of the academic year and summer fellowships to institutions of higher education or consortia of institutions of higher education to assist meritorious undergraduate students and graduate students undergoing training in modern foreign languages and related areas or international studies. Eligible students apply for fellowships directly to an institution that has received an allocation of fellowships from the U.S. Department of Education. Each fellowship includes an institutional payment and a subsistence allowance. Apply through your university.

Critical Language Scholarship Program

Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) institutes provide fully-funded group-based intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences for 7-10 weeks for U.S. citizen undergraduate, Master’s, and Ph.D. students. Countries may include Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Russia, South Korea, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, or others where the target languages are spoken. Apply in November for a fellowship the following summer.

Fulbright Critical Language Enhancement Award (CLEA)

The Critical Language Enhancement Award (CLEA) is a feature of the U.S. Student Fulbright Program, which provides an opportunity for some Fulbright U.S. Student grantees to receive 3-6 months of intensive language study as an enhancement to their Fulbright grants. They must be approved by local Fulbright Commissions/Foundations or U.S. Embassies in the host countries. CLEA is offered to students once they have been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student grant, which requires that they use one of the eligible languages for their Fulbright project and beyond. Eligible countries include China (mainland China program only), Egypt, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Morocco, and Russia.

Boren Fellowships

Boren Fellowships provide up to $24,000 to U.S. graduate students to add an important international and language component to their graduate education through specialization in area study, language study, or increased language proficiency. Boren Fellowships support study and research in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests, including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East, with a focus on studying less commonly taught languages. Boren Fellowship awards are made for a minimum of 12 weeks and a maximum of 24 months.

Boren Scholarships

Boren Scholarships provide funding to U.S. undergraduate students to study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad. Boren Scholarships support study and research in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests, including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East, with a focus on studying less commonly taught languages. Maximum awards are determined by duration abroad up to $25,000 for 25-52 weeks. Boren Scholars commit to working in the federal government for at least 1 year after graduation and receive exclusive opportunities and preferential consideration for government careers.

Blakemore Freeman Fellowships

Blakemore Freeman Fellowships are awarded for one academic year of full-time, intensive language study at the advanced level in East or Southeast Asia in approved language programs. Applicants must have a well-defined career objective involving Asia in which regular use of the language is an important aspect; the potential to make a significant contribution to a field of study or area of professional or business activity in an Asian country; prior experience in the Asian country or involvement or participation in activities related to the country; and a good academic, professional, or business background appropriate to the career program. The fellowship covers tuition or tutoring fees, plus a stipend for travel, living, and study expenses.

Richard U. Light Fellowship Program

The Richard U. Light Fellowship Program fully funds Yale undergraduate, graduate, and professional school students pursuing intensive language study in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean for terms ranging from a single summer to a combined summer plus academic year. Light Fellows undertake rigorous language training alongside intense cultural immersion that prepares them for a lifelong engagement with East Asia. Candidates must have achieved a basic proficiency (at least one year of intensive study at Yale or an equivalent program by the time of departure) in the target language. Light Fellowships are awarded twice yearly.

Project Global Officer (Project GO) Scholarships

Project Global Officer (Project GO) is a Department of Defense initiative aimed at improving the language skills, regional expertise, and intercultural communication skills of future military officers. Project GO provides institutional grants to U.S. institutions of higher education with large ROTC student enrollments, including the Senior Military Colleges. In turn, these institutions provide language and culture training to ROTC students from across the nation, funding domestic and overseas ROTC language programs and scholarships.  Working in support of the Army, Air Force, and Navy ROTC Headquarters, Project GO facilitates collaborative efforts both among universities and ROTC leadership.

Chinese Language Fellowship Program

The Chinese Language Fellowship Program (CLFP) is a nationwide initiative to support American Ph.D. students with a fellowship of up to $50,000 so that they can devote one year to intensive Chinese language training at an institution of the fellow’s choice, generally in China or Taiwan. Fellows must be Ph.D. students with a focus on China and policy. Fellows must also demonstrate an intermediate Chinese language ability.

Qatar Scholarship Program

This program offers Arabic language students from the U.S. who have already developed their Arabic at the intermediate and advanced levels the opportunity to master their skills in an intensive Arabic language program at Qatar University in Doha for an entire academic year. The scholarship includes tuition, room and board, RT airfare, local transportation, and books. All applicants must apply directly through Qatar University.

University Summer Course Grant

This program provides scholarships to attend a broad range of 3- to 4-week summer language courses at German universities which focus mainly on the German language and literary, cultural, political and economic aspects of modern and contemporary Germany. Extensive extracurricular programs complement and reinforce the core material. Undergraduate and graduate students are invited to apply. A number of the University Summer Course Grants are made possible by the DAAD Alumni Association of the US, including one that is specially earmarked for an applicant in the fine arts.

American Institute of Indian Studies Language Programs

The AIIS Language Program offers a nine-month academic year, summer, and semester courses at elementary to advanced levels in many languages, including several that are rarely taught outside of India. The eligibility requirements vary depending on the particular program. Academic-year program students may compete for full fellowships funded through the U.S. Department of Education; summer program applicants should seek funding from their home institutions or through the Critical Language Scholarships program (for Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu), but may also be considered for a limited number of partial scholarships from AIIS.

ARIT Summer Fellowships For Intensive Advanced Turkish Language Study

The American Research Institute in Turkey will offer 15 fellowships for advanced students to participate in the summer program in intensive advanced Turkish language at Boğaziçi University in Istanbul. This intensive program offers the equivalent of one full academic year of study in Turkish at the college level. The fellowships cover round-trip airfare to Istanbul, application and tuition fees, and a maintenance stipend. Applicants must be a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States and be currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate level academic program, or be faculty.

Mobility Grant for Norwegian Language and Literature

Mobility Grant for Norwegian Language and Literature shall facilitate shorter study/research stays in Norway for foreign students. The grant must be used for fieldwork in Norway in connection with the thesis for a Master’s or PhD in Norwegian language and/or Norwegian literature.  The scholarship is awarded for a study stay of 1-3 months at a Norwegian higher education/research institution. The mobility grant is awarded as a fixed-rate travel stipend and fixed-rate residence stipend. The Residence stipend is NOK 12,500 per month.

Title VIII Combined Research and Language Training (CRLT) Program

For U.S. graduate students, faculty, and independent scholars seeking to complete overseas, policy-relevant research and increase language proficiency. Lasting three to nine consecutive months, it can include international travel; housing and living stipends; visa support; overseas health insurance; archive access; and logistical support. Administered by American Councils, awards range from $9,000 to $26,000 depending on the duration of the overseas research period. Programs are available in the Balkans, the Baltics, The Caucasus, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. Research takes place between June and August of the following year.

Middlebury Language Schools Fully Funded Master’s in Modern Languages

Middlebury Language Schools, based in Middlebury, Vermont offers a fully funded master’s in Modern Languages. Students can complete the MA in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, or Spanish over four six-week summers in Vermont. Middlebury College offers generous financial aid through several merit-based fellowships and scholarships for graduate students for the language schools. Middlebury Language Schools may meet up to 100% of your demonstrated need. During the summer of 2019, 86% of the graduate students received need-based financial aid. The average grant for graduate students was approximately $7,968.

© Victoria Johnson 2017, all rights reserved.