Friday, October 11, 2013

Critical Language Scholarships for intensive summer institutes - UW info sessions

Undergraduate and graduate students in all fields interested in studying critical languages may be interested in applying for the Critical Language Scholarships for intensive summer institutes offered by the US Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The CLS Program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. Students of diverse disciplines and majors are encouraged to apply. Participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period, and later apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers in any field.

Last year, 10 UW students were selected to participate and studied languages in Jordan, China, Indonesia, South Korea, Tajikistan, India and Russia.

Languages offered:
·         Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Punjabi, Turkish, and Urdu: Beginning, advanced beginning, intermediate and advanced levels;
·         Arabic and Persian: Advanced beginning, intermediate and advanced levels;
·         Chinese, Japanese, and Russian: Intermediate and advanced levels.

Eligibility requirements:
·         Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
·         At the time of application, applicants must be enrolled at an accredited U.S. degree-granting program at the undergraduate (associate’s, bachelor’s) or graduate (master’s, doctoral, or professional degree) level. 
·         Applicants must be enrolled in an accredited degree-granting institution that is physically located in the United States or its territories. U.S. students enrolled in a degree-granting program at a foreign college or university are not eligible for the scholarship. Students currently on a semester or yearlong program abroad are eligible as long as they are still currently enrolled as a degree-seeking student at their home college or university, or if they intend to return to their degree-granting program and institution in the U.S.
·         Undergraduate students must have completed at least one academic year of study at the college level by the program start date (two semesters or three quarters).
·         Applicants must be at least 18 years old by the start of the summer program.
·         Applicants must be in acceptable mental and physical health. Grantees will be required to submit a satisfactory Medical Information Form and Physician’s Statement.
·         Ability to participate in the CLS Program is contingent upon an applicant’s ability to receive a visa to the CLS institute host country. Although the CLS Program will work with awarded students to secure a visa for the CLS institute host country, the program cannot be held responsible for other countries’ visa requirements and/or the denial of a student’s application for a visa. CLS awards are contingent upon the participant securing a host-country visa, and all awardees must meet deadlines and host country requirements set for obtaining a visa.

The Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards supports undergraduate students applying for this program and will hold information sessions for interested students on:


Deadline to apply for summer 2014 programs is Nov. 15, 2013! Complete details and the online application are available at http://clscholarship.org/.