Deadline: November 19, 2019
The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is a summer study abroad opportunity for American college and university students to learn languages essential to America’s engagement with the world.
Students spend eight to ten weeks abroad over the summer studying one of 15 critical languages: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu.
The CLS Program, a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is part of a U.S. government initiative to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering foreign languages that are critical to national security and economic prosperity. CLS plays an important role in preparing American students for the 21st century’s globalized workforce and increasing national competitiveness.
· The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences
· Full scholarship covers all travel, tuition, housing, and a living stipend
· Participants may receive undergraduate academic credit for the equivalent of one year of language classes
· Language gains certified with the widely recognized ACTFL OPI test
· Non-competitive eligibility for U.S. government jobs for up to three years after program completion