Boren Awards for US students

Intensive Language Study - https://www.borenawards.org/eligible-programs

All Boren Awards-funded programs must include language study as a core element for the duration of the grant. Applicants are encouraged to select or design programs that will provide an immersive environment both in the classroom and through extracurricular activities in order to demonstrate their commitment to language study.

Boren Scholars should seek study abroad programs that have a serious language component. Although such programs may include some coursework, unpaid internships, or volunteer opportunities conducted in English, the strongest applicants will make every effort to immerse themselves in language study. Language study should comprise the majority of overseas coursework. Beyond the classroom, language immersion may take place in university housing with local students, in homestays with local families, or through research or volunteering conducted in the local language.

Boren Fellows must have a serious language component in their overseas study proposals. This is the only required element, so proposals to enroll in a traditional language program will be sufficient. Graduate students are encouraged to simultaneously pursue research relevant to their degrees, additional academic coursework, and/or internships. If these activities are conducted in the target language, they may be considered part of the language component of the proposal. Graduate students may also supplement their overseas study with private tutoring.

The Boren Awards do not have a minimum proficiency requirement for most languagesǂ. We recognize that courses in many of the preferred languages listed below are not available at most colleges and universities. There is also no maximum proficiency limit for the Boren Awards; many grantees begin their Boren Awards-funded study at an already-advanced level. Whatever their starting proficiency level, applicants should select language programs appropriate to their level and set realistic goals for improving their proficiency.

Languages should be studied in a preferred country where they are spoken by a significant portion of the population.

In very few cases, Boren Awards may be granted to applicants studying non-preferred languages indigenous to preferred countries. Applicants seeking such awards must make an especially strong argument for the value of their language study to U.S. national security and public service in their application essays.

Boren Awards Preferred Languages

*Boren Awards funding for these languages is also available outside of AFLI, IFLI, SAFLI, or TURFLI.
**All languages indigenous to preferred countries in Africa are preferred languages for the Boren Awards

Preferred Countries

Boren Awards fund study in Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand (colored grey in the map below) are always ineligible for Boren Awards funding.

All countries marked on the list and map below are preferred Boren Awards destinations:

• Countries in green are unrestricted. Applicants need only select eligible program(s) based in those countries.
• Countries in blue or marked with an asterisk (*) are destinations that will likely not be approved for Boren Awards travel in 2021. Applicants to these countries must include a viable alternate program in another, unrestricted country appropriate for immersive study of the same language.

Regardless of the Boren Awards restriction, grantees may only study in a country with a Level 3 U.S. State Department Travel Advisory if they and their U.S. home institution are willing to sign a waiver. The Boren Awards reserve the right to further restrict or prohibit grants to certain countries at any time. In such cases, IIE will work with affected grantees to find an alternate program.

Languages should be studied in a country where they are spoken by a significant portion of the population.

In very few cases, Boren Awards may be granted to applicants studying in non-preferred countries. Applicants seeking such awards must make an especially strong argument for the value of their language and country of study to U.S. national security and public service in their application essays.

Boren Awards Preferred Countries

Field of Study

The Boren Awards give preference to applicants who will be matriculated in degree programs (i.e. majoring or double-majoring) in the following fields of study. These fields of study are summary categories -- applicants should choose the field of study that most closely resembles their major subject(s) of study.

Note that only undergraduates majoring in subjects marked as STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) are eligible for summer-only awards of at least eight weeks’ duration.

The Boren Awards are available to students from other fields of study than those listed below. Applicants from other fields of study will need to explain clearly how they will make competitive applicants for specific public service careers in their second application essay.

Boren Awards Preferred Fields of Study

Overview of Eligible Programs

The majority of eligible students will apply for Boren Awards to fund overseas language study programs that they have identified themselves. Program design guidelines differ slightly where noted for undergraduate Boren Scholars and graduate Boren Fellows.

All applicants must be:

• U.S. citizens at the time of the national application deadline
• A high school graduate, or have earned a GED
• Planning an overseas program in a country outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand
• Planning to study in a country of which they are not a citizen
• Matriculated for the duration of their Boren Awards-funded program in an undergraduate or graduate degree program located within the United States and accredited by a body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education
• (For ROTC cadets and midshipmen and members of the military Reserves or National Guard) In inactive, non-drilling status for the duration of their Boren Awards-funded program

In addition to these basic eligibility criteria, the Boren Awards give preference to programs based on their duration, focus on intensive study of a preferred language in a preferred country, and the applicant’s field of study.

Boren Fellows have additional guidelines for self-designed research, internship, and study programs. They are also eligible to receive funding for domestic summer language programs immediately prior to their overseas study.

A specific subset of Boren Scholarships applicants already enrolled in The Language Flagship may receive funding for their Capstone year abroad. They use the same application as other applicants.

Duration & Maximum Awards

The Boren Awards promote long-term linguistic and cultural immersion. Proposed programs of two or more semesters are strongly encouraged. Preference will be given to Boren Awards applicants proposing overseas programs of at least 25 weeks’ duration. The minimum duration of an eligible program is 12 weeks for most Boren Awards applicants. (A special exception to this rule exists for undergraduate STEM majors, who may propose summer programs of 8 weeks or longer -- see below).

Boren Awards funding in the 2021 application cycle may be applied to programs starting as early as June 1, 2021 or as late as March 1, 2022.

Boren Awards funding must cover a continuous period of overseas study. Short mid-program trips out of the country of study are allowed but will need to be pre-approved by IIE. Multiple, sequential programs in the same language and country are eligible for Boren Awards funding and may be necessary to reach the desired award threshold.

Study tours of several countries, such as a semester at sea, are not eligible for Boren Awards funding.

Boren Scholarships Maximum Award Amounts:

• 8-11 weeks: $8,000 for a summer program (STEM majors only)
• 12-24 weeks: $12,500
• 25-52 weeks: $25,000

Boren Fellowships Maximum Award Amounts:

• 12-24 weeks: $12,500
• 25-52 weeks: $25,000

Boren Fellows have the option to apply for up to $12,000 for domestic summer intensive language courses. If requested, the maximum total combined domestic and overseas award amount is $30,000. See further guidance below.

Total actual award amounts are based on the amounts listed in the budget section of the application. Financial aid from other sources applied to the overseas study program must be reported and may affect the total Boren Awards grant. Student loans will not affect the grant. See the Boren Scholarships application instructions and Boren Fellowships application instructions for additional guidance.

Intensive Language Study

All Boren Awards-funded programs must include language study as a core element for the duration of the grant. Applicants are encouraged to select or design programs that will provide an immersive environment both in the classroom and through extracurricular activities in order to demonstrate their commitment to language study.

Boren Scholars should seek study abroad programs that have a serious language component. Although such programs may include some coursework, unpaid internships, or volunteer opportunities conducted in English, the strongest applicants will make every effort to immerse themselves in language study. Language study should comprise the majority of overseas coursework. Beyond the classroom, language immersion may take place in university housing with local students, in homestays with local families, or through research or volunteering conducted in the local language.

Boren Fellows must have a serious language component in their overseas study proposals. This is the only required element, so proposals to enroll in a traditional language program will be sufficient. Graduate students are encouraged to simultaneously pursue research relevant to their degrees, additional academic coursework, and/or internships. If these activities are conducted in the target language, they may be considered part of the language component of the proposal. Graduate students may also supplement their overseas study with private tutoring.

The Boren Awards do not have a minimum proficiency requirement for most languagesǂ. We recognize that courses in many of the preferred languages listed below are not available at most colleges and universities. There is also no maximum proficiency limit for the Boren Awards; many grantees begin their Boren Awards-funded study at an already-advanced level. Whatever their starting proficiency level, applicants should select language programs appropriate to their level and set realistic goals for improving their proficiency.

Languages should be studied in a preferred country where they are spoken by a significant portion of the population.

In very few cases, Boren Awards may be granted to applicants studying non-preferred languages indigenous to preferred countries. Applicants seeking such awards must make an especially strong argument for the value of their language study to U.S. national security and public service in their application essays.

Graduate-Level Research (Boren Fellows Only)

The Boren Fellowships are designed to give graduate students maximum flexibility to pursue their academic goals alongside their study of the target language. As noted above, Boren Fellows may concentrate only on language study during their time abroad -- such an application will be given equal consideration. Language study throughout the duration of the grant may be supplemented with any or all of the following activities:

• Academic Internship: Boren Fellows may conduct internships related to their degree programs while abroad. Internships conducted during the period of a Boren Awards grant may not be remunerated, nor may they be conducted with the U.S. or a foreign government. If you have questions about an internship with an organization with ties to the U.S. or a foreign government, please contact us at [email protected] or 1-800-618-NSEP (6737). Boren Fellows also may not work as journalists while abroad, even if the work is freelance or unpaid.
• Classroom Study: Boren Fellows may enroll in or audit courses in their academic disciplines at host-country institutions while abroad.
• Research: Boren Fellows are encouraged to conduct research related to graduate theses or dissertations while abroad.

Boren Fellows with sufficiently advanced skills in the target language may be able to conduct any of the above activities in that language. They are also encouraged to supplement those activities with languages courses or tutoring. If advanced language immersion or supplemental tutoring are part of the proposed program, applicants should make this explicit in the study program description.

Applicants proposing internships, other classroom study, or research are strongly advised to secure letters of affiliation from overseas host institutions or faculty and attach them to their applications.

All elements of the proposed program -- language study, internships, other classroom study, or research -- should be tied to U.S. national security and public service in the application essays.

Summer Domestic Option (Boren Fellows Only)

The Boren Fellowships offer up to $12,000 for summer intensive language study. If requested, the maximum total combined domestic and overseas award amount is $30,000. Domestic study is entirely optional, but may be useful preparation for Boren Fellows whose overseas program requires that they arrive in country with strong language skills.

Domestic funding is limited to the summer immediately before the applicant’s proposed program overseas. Therefore, in order to be eligible for domestic funding, the applicant must have an overseas program that starts no later than September 30. Additional rules for domestic study include:

• Boren Fellows may receive domestic funding for study at their own institution or other U.S. academic institutions.
• Domestic funding must be for the primary language the applicant plans to study while overseas.
• Domestic funding for tutors, commercial services, and/or self-study guides will not be provided.
• Domestic funding is for language classes only. Boren will not fund other academic coursework, internships, or research conducted in the United States.
• Applicants planning on taking language classes at their home university or in their local area are eligible to receive funding for tuition and fees only. Applicants planning domestic summer intensive language study in a different geographic area will also be eligible for room and board funding. The Boren Fellowship does not cover travel or relocation expenses associated with domestic funding.