You’re at SIPA but want to learn another language

There’s a Columbia University fellowship available for SIPA students who are interested in advancing their language proficiency.

The Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship program is predicated on the belief that the well-being of the United States, its economy, and its long-range security depend on proper education and training of Americans in international and foreign language studies. FLAS fellowships strengthen the nation’s ability to compete effectively in the modern world by promoting foreign language competence and area and international knowledge and by ensuring the continuation of area expertise in a variety of fields.
The FLAS fellowship competition is open to both undergraduate and graduate students of Columbia University who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents who are enrolled in a full-time program that combines modern foreign language training with international studies or area studies. The FLAS award offers fellowship assistance to students undergoing beginning, intermediate, or advanced training in modern foreign languages and related international or area studies.

AWARD

FLAS Fellowships are contingent upon funding from the U.S. Department of Education.

The Estimated FLAS grant amount is:  Graduate students tuition grant is $18,000 and the stipend is $15,000

Remaining tuition, health service fee and medical insurance (basic coverage only) can be covered by the students’ school of enrollment within Columbia University (ex. GSAS, SIPA, TC). Please check with your school’s financial aid offices.  The FLAS fellowship does not cover any miscellaneous fees, such as computer lab fee, student activity fee and university facility fee, etc.

USE OF FUNDS FOR OVERSEAS FELLOWSHIP

With the approval from the United States Department of Education, Academic Year FLAS awards may be used for full-time dissertation research provided that the student is at the advanced level of language proficiency. The use of the foreign language in dissertation research must be extensive enough to be able to consider the language improvement facilitated by the research equal to improvement that would be obtained from a full academic year’s worth of formal classroom instruction. Please note that since the FLAS program is for language acquisition. Use of the FLAS fellowship for dissertation research is not encouraged by the U.S. Department of Education. The U.S. Department of Education prefers that students apply to the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad.

All overseas programs of study must be at the intermediate or advanced level of language proficiency and must be approved by the United States Department of Education at least thirty (30) days prior to the start of the program.

SUMMER:

The Summer FLAS Fellowship competition is open to undergraduate (including Barnard College) and graduate students, including Ph.D. candidates, who are U.S. citizens, nationals, or permanent residents who are accepted for enrollment or enrolled in a formal program of intensive language study.

The Summer FLAS fellowship tuition grant is up to $5,000 and a $2,500 stipend for undergraduate and graduate students.  Combined tuition and fees cannot exceed $5,000.

The summer language course studied under the Summer FLAS fellowship must be the equivalent of an academic year course, at least 140 credit or contact hours (120 at advanced level), and a minimum of six (6) weeks in length. All overseas programs of study must be at the intermediate or advanced level (graduate students) of language proficiency or at the beginning level if an appropriate beginning level is not available in the United States and all overseas language programs must be approved by the United States Department of Education at least thirty (30) days prior to the start of the program. Please provide any relevant program brochures, web sites and/or documentation with your application. Summer FLAS is not available for dissertation research.

The application deadline for the FLAS fellowship is Friday, February 28, 2014, at 11:59 p.m. EST. For more information, see the GSAS website, or contact GSAS at [email protected].