Skip to main content

Critical Language Scholarship

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program partners with universities and nonprofits around the globe to provide cohorts of U.S. students an opportunity to study the language and culture in a country/location where the target language is commonly spoken.

The U.S. Department of State sponsors and oversees the CLS Program, as part of a larger U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering foreign languages that are critical to our national security, economic prosperity, and engagement with the world. CLS provides opportunities to a diverse range of students from across the entire United States at every level of language learning.

Most languages offered by the CLS Program do not require applicants to have any experience studying critical languages. The CLS Program seeks participants with diverse interests, and from a wide range of fields of study and career paths, with the purpose of representing the full diversity of the United States.

The CLS Program offers instruction in 13 critical languages

  • No previous study required – Azerbaijani, Hindi, Indonesian, Persian, Portuguese, Swahili, Turkish, Urdu
  • One Year of Previous Study Required – Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Russian
  • Two Years of Previous Study Required - Japanese

FELLOWSHIP OVERVIEW

A campus nomination is not required, but prospective applicants are encouraged to consult with the OSFA several months in advance of the national deadline if seeking assistance.

Applicants must be:

  • A U.S. citizen or national at the time of application.
  • At least 18 years old by May 15 of the year in which one will be applying.
  • Enrolled in an accredited U.S. degree-granting program at the undergraduate or graduate level at the time of application.
  • In an undergraduate program – must complete at least one full year of study (two semesters) by the beginning of the CLS program.
  • Must meet the language requirements of the program to which they apply.

UTEP Office of Student Fellowships and Awards

studentfellowships@utep.edu

 

VISIT THE CRITICAL LANGUAGE SCHOLARSHIP WEBSITE