Awards for Language Learning

There is no better way to learn a language than to be immersed in it! If you're looking to kickstart your language learning, or you want the opportunity to hone your skills with the help of native speakers, here are a few programs focused on language acquisition you might want to consider.
 
Critical Languages Scholarship Program
http://www.clscholarship.org/
Funded by the Department of State, this scholarship pays for undergraduate students to spend seven to ten weeks at one of thirteen different critical language institutes. And what is a "critical language," you may ask? It's a language deemed critical to the protection of American security interests (i.e., not enough Americans speak it and it's important that we have more who do). Here are the languages listed on the website:

• 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.

The application period is generally from mid-September to mid-November for the following summer. For this program, you must be fully enrolled at the time of application, but this does mean that you can complete your summer program in the summer following senior year. Both undergraduates and graduate students are welcome to apply.

Boren Awards 

http://www.borenawards.org/boren_scholarship

The Boren Award is a bit like the Critical Languages Scholarship but longer (unless you're in a STEM discipline) and with a job built in. Funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), undergraduate students are given up to $20,000 to study for up to a year abroad (preference given to those who plan to study abroad for two or more semesters). Programs of study must include an intensive language learning component, and like our friend CLS, must be oriented toward a less commonly taught language that is deemed of interest to the protection of national security. The list of languages is longer for the Boren (click here). Applicants must also specify how their program of study will contribute to U.S. national security, but national security is defined quite expansively in this case. 

The Boren is part of a group of awards that provide funding in exchange for service. In this case, recipients are required to work for a year within three years of graduation for a federal agency, with the Departments of State, Defense, and Homeland Security, or an agency within the intelligence community, having preference. So... if you're interested in working for the feds post-graduation, this is your chance to get a foot in the door!

Applicants for this award must apply through Temple, so check with Study Abroad or Fellowships Advising for the internal deadline for this award. It's generally sometime in the fall. Applicants must be fully matriculated for the duration of the program abroad, meaning that the year abroad can't follow graduation. This award is also open to undergrads and grads, though there are separate applications for each.

Boren Awards Special Initiative for STEM Majors

http://www.borenawards.org/boren_scholarship/stem.html

See above, but shorter. Up to $8,000 for language study abroad during the summer. Programs may be as short as eight weeks and applicants must be STEM majors. 

DAAD German Academic Exchange Service University Summer Course Grant

https://www.daad.org/summercourse

DAAD has an impressive array of opportunities for undergrads, graduate students and professionals, so please go and click around their site, but this grant in particular funds summer study of German language and various aspects of German culture. DAAD is sponsored by a consortium of German universities, so there's a broad range of courses available under this program. The grant funds tuition, room and board in whole or in part so be sure to check the cost against the value of the award. A travel subsidy is also provided.

For many of the DAAD awards, German is not required, but for the summer study grant, applicants must have at least four semesters of college German, or the equivalent level of proficiency gained elsewhere. Part of the application is a language evaluation form that must be completed by a member of the German department or the Goethe-Institut.

Applicants must be at least a sophomore at the time of application.

Middlebury Language Schools
http://www.middlebury.edu/ls/finaid/
Middlebury doesn't really belong here as it is in Vermont, which only counts as an international location for the most southerly oriented among our fellow Americans, and so doesn't offer an immersive experience of the kind we're focusing on here, and it is a private, for-profit language school. Nonetheless, it offers first-class language acquisition programs, attempts to create an immersive experience through the "language pledge", and does have a number of scholarships and fellowships available to help with the cost of attending.

Additional Tools
Finally, a few search tools that may help you identify other sources of funding for your language immersion experience:

IIE's scholarship database: http://www.studyabroadfunding.org/

IIE's study abroad program database: http://iiepassport.org/

University of Minnesota study abroad scholarship database: http://umabroad.umn.edu/funding/index.php

 

Guest post: Eva Cohn on winning the Boren Undergraduate Scholarship

Eva Cohn, an Anthropology major at Temple University, won the Boren scholarship and used it to travel to China during this academic year for two semesters of intensive language study. Here, she writes about the award, the application process, and what happens when you win.

Quick Glance:

Boren is a competitive scholarship that gives undergraduates the chance of a lifetime to not only study abroad but also learn a critical language and land a job with the federal government focusing on national security issues.  Through the National Security Education Program (NSEP), Boren will fund up to $20,000 for you to study abroad for one academic year to soak in your country’s language.  Upon graduation, Boren Scholars have up to three years to satisfy the one year NSEP service requirement (finding that federal government job).  Don’t worry, if you plan on attending graduate school or wonder how you can get your foot into the door of the federal government work force, Boren has you covered!  You can extend the three year grace period for fulfilling the NSEP service requirement if you continue on to higher education and there are laws (yes, laws!) that give Boren Scholars advantages over other applicants in securing a job.

Wow, that’s a lot of information.  Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed yet? Don’t fret because there are people at Temple whose job it is to help you through the application process. 

A Helping Hand:

In all honesty, I applied to the Boren to understand what the application process was like for a competitive scholarship.  I worked hard to meet and work with Temple staff to strengthen my application but never did I dream of actually becoming a Boren Scholar.  Therefore, I highly encourage you to meet with all of these people at least once (but you should probably aim for a dozen times) while completing the application.

First and foremost, Temple has a Boren representative located right in the Study Abroad office.  If you have specific questions concerning your application, Maureen Gordon is the expert.  Also talk to your language department chair.  They can provide information about learning your language abroad as well as give advice about specific study abroad programs.  Last but not least, make frequent visits to Dana Dawson, director of Fellowships Advising.  She is the scholarship and fellowship expert at Temple and assisted me every step of the way when it came to brainstorming, writing, and editing my essays. 

The Application Process:

Has the Boren Scholarship peaked your interest?  There are a few details you may want to know about the application process itself.  For me, I began the application process in October to meet the Temple deadline in December/January.  I received a notification that I would have an interview in February then Boren announces winners in April/May.  Therefore, this is not a quick process so you want to be organized.

Temple has its own deadline for applications before the official Boren deadline.  The application has two main parts along with supplemental sections.  Boren requires two statements of purpose: a detailed description of your chosen study abroad program and the significance of your study abroad experience to U.S. national security.  (Hint: You should know what study abroad program you want to apply for before starting the Boren application.)  The second question is quite daunting but think about how learning your critical language and studying abroad in the country of your choice can assist the federal government now and in the future.  Be specific, as specific as possible!  Go on USAjobs.com and look up potential careers you may be interested in exploring.  You aren’t locking yourself into the job you described in your essay but it shows you have seriously thought about this aspect of the scholarship. You will also have to submit a budget proposal including tuition, airfare, etc.

The supplemental section contains the following: 2 letters of recommendation, transcript, language self-assessment, and a language proficiency form.  If you win a scholarship, there will also be addition forms you need to complete.

Receiving a Boren Scholarship:

You received the good news and you are now a Boren Scholar!  Here is what comes next!

You will attend a mandatory orientation meeting in Washington DC.  Boren will cover transportation and lodging but you must attend the whole orientation so save the date! Before you leave to go abroad, you will have a language proficiency test over the phone.  (Note: It does not matter what skill level you are at with the language.)  This is to provide a base assessment so when you return Boren can measure your progress.  Lastly, the monetary award will be given to you through a dispersement plan.  You will receive 4-5 checks throughout the academic year so keep that in mind.

That is the Boren Scholarship in a nutshell!  Please read over the official Boren website as well as talk with the staff at Temple.  If you are interested in China or studying Mandarin feel free to check out my blog at setcourseforchina.wordpress.com.

Good luck!