Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

For CU-Boulder Graduate Students

Program Description

FLAS fellowships administered by the Center for Asian Studies (CAS) are awarded competitively to students studying modern Asian languages. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) funds and oversees these awards, under the provisions of Title VI of the Higher Education Act. Funding is contingent upon annual ED program approval, Federal regulations, and continued Congressional funding, all of which may change from year to year. FLAS awards cannot be deferred.

CAS is offering summer and academic year fellowships to CU-Boulder graduate and professional school students beginning in summer 2023 and academic year 2023-24.

Eligible Languages

All modern Asia languages offered on the CU-Boulder campus; additional Asian languages can be considered for summer awards pending additional approval.

  • Arabic
  • Chinese
  • Hindi/Urdu
  • Indonesian*
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Nepali*
  • Tibetan*

* Additional approval required after selection; consult with CAS for information.

Program Eligibility

Graduate Awards

Students are eligible to receive an Academic Year or Summer fellowship if they meet all of the following criteria:

  • Incoming or continuing CU graduate student (or will be enrolling in an intensive Asian language course at CU in the summer and are applying for a summer award)
  • Citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States
  • Will be enrolled in a formal modern Asian language course during the period of the fellowship (native speakers of the language to be studied are not eligible)
  • Will enroll in at least one Asian area studies course each semester if they receive an AY fellowship
  • Have completed at least one year of study of the Asian language they will study during the period of the fellowship, or already have advanced proficiency in a different Asian language. (Alternatively, advanced proficiency may be in a non-Asian language if it is directly relevant to applicant’s interest in Asian studies, such as advanced proficiency in French related to an interest in Vietnam.)
  • Will pursue full-time study in accordance with CU requirements

Summer Fellowship Program Requirements

  • Intended to provide the equivalent of one AY of intensive language study
  • All programs require approval prior to program start; CU’s for-credit summer Asian language offerings are pre-approved
  • Advanced programs must offer a minimum of 120 contact hours
  • Beginning (only allowed for graduate students studying a second Asian/related language, as described above) or Intermediate programs must offer a minimum of 140 contact hours
  • Field trips or other cultural content does not count toward contact hours
  • Program duration must be at least 6 weeks
  • Domestic and overseas intensive language programs can receive approval, provided that they meet above criteria
  • Students should receive grades and credit for all FLAS coursework

Summer Language Program Opportunities

Award Benefits

2023 Summer FLAS Fellowship (Graduate and Undergraduate Awards)

  • Tuition: FLAS will cover up to $5,000 of tuition and fees. 
  • Stipend: FLAS will provide a stipend of $2,500. 

2023-24 Academic Year FLAS Fellowship (Graduate Awards Only)

  • Tuition: FLAS will cover up to $18,000 of tuition and fees ($9,000/semester). 
  • Stipend: FLAS will provide a stipend of $20,000 ($10,000/semester). 

FLAS Fellows may receive additional funding from other sources to support their study as long as they do not duplicate what is covered by FLAS. For example, a student who receives funding from other sources to cover 100% of tuition and fees costs will not receive the tuition portion of the FLAS award, but may still receive the full associated stipend. FLAS Fellows will be required to report all other awards to the FLAS Coordinator.

Application Materials:

Download Graduate FLAS application form here.

In addition to the application form, the following materials will need to be submitted to CAS:

  • Statement of Purpose (2-3 pages double spaced) 
  • Transcripts of all College-Level Work  (including graduate school as appropriate)
  • Two Academic Letters of Recommendation, including one from a language professor/instructor if possible
  • Letter of Nomination (incoming graduate students only)
  • Copy of full Graduate School Application (incoming graduate students only)
  • Documentation of Expected Family Contribution (for incoming graduate students who want need to be taken into consideration)

Application Deadline: February 15, 2023

Complete all forms and collect all supporting documents (with the exception of the letters of recommendation) and send one PDF to the Center for Asian Studies at cas@colorado.edu.

Contact CAS Executive Director Danielle Rocheleau Salaz (salaz@colorado.edu) with any questions.

If you are an undergraduate who would like to apply for a FLAS fellowship, please click here