Critical Language Scholarship
The CLS Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and offers students the opportunity to learn a language designated as critical for its strategic importance to the national security and economic prosperity of the United States. The program offers immersive language-learning experiences in the summer for these critical need languages: Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, and Swahili.
Students apply for this opportunity in the fall and, if selected, complete their experience
the following summer. A campus nomination is not required, but prospective applicants
are encouraged to consult with External Fellowships for assistance with preparing
their applications.
Applicants must be U.S. citizens or nationals and enrolled in a U.S. degree granting
program (graduate or undergraduate) at the time of their application. Each language
program has specific requirements in terms of expertise; please consult the website
for details.
