All eligible applicants have the option to either apply for a Regional Flagship Language Initiative or select/design their own study program. Study a wide range of critical languages, including Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese, and Swahili. Boren Awards are available to students of all proficiency levels who are committed to enhancing their skills. Boren Awards alumni are committed to public service, working in positions critical to U.S. national security throughout the Federal Government.

Fellowship website: https://borenawards.org/

Level of study: Undergraduate or graduate

General location of study: Abroad

Specific location, if applicable (country and/or institution): Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East

Requires campus endorsement/nomination?: No

Campus application deadline (if applicable): Mid-January (for optional campus evaluation)

Final application deadline (check fellowship website for specific yearly date): Early February

General fields of study/professional interests: Languages, Study Abroad, Public Service

Other specific criteria: You should make a specific, detailed, and focused argument for why you want to study a specific language in a specific place, as it relates to national security, and you should show commitment to language study before, during and after Boren. Applicants must commitment to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation (longer term commitment preferred). You should possess flexibility, cultural sensitivity, and maturity and have appropriate expectations for language proficiency attainment. 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.