The Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships are federally funded academic

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholarsh ...

s designed to provide support and funding to graduate and undergraduate students studying the languages and cultures of specific foreign countries, in particular those in the strategic interest of the

United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

. Prior to the 1970s, the fellowships were called National Defence Foreign Language Fellowships, funded by the National Defense Education Act. American universities are allotted funds from the federal government, and then the individual schools hold their own competitions to determine the recipients for both summer and year-long grants. FLAS fellowships cover tuition, school fees, medical insurance, and provide an additional living

stipend A stipend is a regular fixed sum of money paid for services or to defray expenses, such as for scholarship, internship, or apprenticeship. It is often distinct from an income or a salary because it does not necessarily represent payment for work pe ...

. The stipends for 2009-2010 were $15,000 for an academic-year award and $2,500 for summer. Eligibility for year-long grants is limited to graduate students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Undergraduates may receive summer funding. As part of the program, fellows are required to take one language class and another academic class in their FLAS area. A language evaluation is given at the beginning and end of the program. Additionally, fellows are expected to write a summary of their FLAS achievements at the end of the fellowship period.

External links

US Government Site, Foreign Language and Area Studies
Student financial aid in the United States Language education in the United States Scholarships in the United States Fellowships {{US-edu-stub