Foreign Language and Area Studies Awards

Grants

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships provide funding to students to encourage the study of critical and less commonly taught foreign languages in combination with area studies, international studies or international aspects of professional studies. These fellowships are funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Education under Title VI of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, and the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008. The purpose of the FLAS program is to promote the training of students who intend to make their careers in college or university teaching, government service, or other employment where knowledge of foreign languages and cultures is essential.

Academic Year and Summer awards are available for graduate and undergraduate students.

  • Languages offered include: Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Modern Greek, Irish Gaelic, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Welsh, Yiddish

IES gives absolute priority to applications for its priority languages Portuguese and Turkish as well as for the less commonly taught languages Catalan, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Modern Greek, Irish Gaelic, Norwegian, Swedish, Welsh, and Yiddish. Students who are pursuing advanced level language proficiency German, French, Italian and Spanish can also apply. 

Applications for summer study of other Northern, Western or Southern European languages are possible, pending approval of the language program by the U.S. Department of Education. 

  • Eligible students in any discipline and department may apply for FLAS fellowships, including students in professional schools and the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. 
  • Past FLAS recipients may apply for subsequent FLAS funding.
  • Priority is given to applications by students from under-represented groups (economically disadvantaged students, student parents, transfer students, students pursuing degrees in the professional schools and STEM fields) and applicants demonstrating likelihood of pursuing government service and/or pursuing Master’s degrees in a professional school or program. Jury members look for commitment to the area and field when deciding on applications.

Applications are due February 6, 2024

NOTE: FLAS fellowships for Slavic languages and other Eastern European languages are awarded through the Institute of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies. Students applying for fellowships for Turkish can also do so through the Center for Middle Eastern Studies.

For more information, visit http://grad.berkeley.edu/flas/

Academic Year

Graduate Students

Eligibility: Eligible graduate students in any discipline and department may apply for FLAS fellowships, including students in professional schools and the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Graduate students must have completed at least two semesters of study of the target language by the start of the fellowship. 

FLAS grants cannot  be awarded for beginning level language training. However, an exception might be made for the beginning level of a less commonly taught language (i.e. all European languages with the exception of French, German, Spanish and Italian) if a graduate student has achieved advanced proficiency in another European language, and if the student can demonstrate that learning a second European language is required for his/her overall training and expertise. Low priority is given to applicants for dissertation research abroad and to applicants who already possess native fluency in the target language.

Undergraduates

Eligibility: Undergraduate students must have completed at least two semesters of study of the target language by the start of the fellowship. FLAS grants cannot  be awarded to undergraduates for beginning level language training. Eligible students in any discipline and department may apply for FLAS fellowships, including students in professional schools and the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

FLAS fellowships may be used to fund academic year study abroad pending approval of the study abroad program by the U.S. Department of Education. Please contact IES Associate Director Akasemi Newsome for specifics if you wish to consider using an Academic Year FLAS for study abroad.

Summer Awards

Graduate Students

Eligibility: Graduate students must have completed at least two semesters of study of the target language by the start of the fellowship. FLAS grants cannot  be awarded for beginning level language training. However, an exception might be made for the beginning level of a less commonly taught language (i.e. all European languages with the exception of French, German, Spanish and Italian) if a graduate student has achieved advanced proficiency in another European language, and if the student can demonstrate that learning a second European language is required for his/her overall training and expertise. 

Students wishing to use an award for an overseas language program must be at the intermediate or advanced level of language proficiency, or at the beginning level if a beginning language program in the target language is not available in the U.S.

Summer FLAS for language study abroad requires U.S. Department of Education approval of the instructional program and travel itinerary.

Undergraduates

Eligibility: Undergraduate students must have completed at least two semesters of study of the target language by the start of the fellowship. FLAS grants cannot  be awarded for beginning level language training.

Students wishing to use an award for an overseas language program must be at the intermediate or advanced level of language proficiency.

Summer FLAS for language study abroad requires U.S. Department of Education approval of the instructional program and travel itinerary.

Apply

Questions?

Please contact IES Associate Director Akasemi Newsome at akasemi@berkeley.edu

Topics

Grants & Fellowships - Graduate Students topic page, Grants & Fellowships - Undergraduates topic page