Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

Types of fellowships & amounts

FLAS fellowships will provide a portion of institutional tuition and fees, as well as a stipend.

• UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC YEAR AWARD – $10,000 tuition, $5,000 stipend
• GRADUATE ACADEMIC YEAR AWARD – $18,000 tuition, $15,000 stipend
• UNDERGRADUATE & GRADUATE SUMMER AWARD – $5,000 tuition, $2,500 stipend

Academic Year fellowships for foreign language and area studies

Study on FLAS fellowships during the Academic Year must be at Portland State University. Applicants for Academic Year fellowships are responsible for contacting the World Languages & Literatures Department to confirm that their requested level of language instruction will be offered.

Summer fellowships for intensive language training

Intensive summer language study must be the equivalent of one academic year of modern foreign language study. Summer courses must be for a minimum duration of 6 weeks and include at least 140 contact hours of classroom instruction for beginner and intermediate levels, or 120 contact hours for advanced level instruction, to be eligible, subject to approval. Students of Arabic should be aware of post study abroad requirements.

Domestic

A number of domestic summer intensive language programs may be FLAS-eligible:

• Boston University
• Brandeis Hebrew Language Program
• Columbia University
• Hunter College
• Jewish Theological Seminary
• Language Acquisition Resource Center
• Ohio State University
• U.C. Berkeley
• University of Chicago
• University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne
• University of Michigan
• University of Texas
• University of Wisconsin

Overseas

Priority for overseas language study is given to students who intend to undertake advanced language study, but who have not yet achieved native language competence. Graduate students at the beginning level will be considered for overseas language study only if an appropriate equivalent beginning language instruction program is not available in the U.S..

A number of overseas summer programs coordinated by the University’s Education Abroad Office may be FLAS-eligible, pending individual final approval by the U.S. Department of Education. All study abroad should be coordinated through the Education Abroad office.

Arabic students enrolled in overseas programs not on the Education Abroad Office’s list will be required to take a placement test to determine equivalency achievement.

Eligibility

FLAS fellowships are available to students in any department who are pursuing a course of study which requires advanced foreign language and area studies training and who plan to use the training and language skills for graduate study or a career in an international field. Only U.S. citizens, nationals or permanent residents are eligible for FLAS Fellowships. Applicants must be enrolled full-time or accepted for full-time enrollment at Portland State University as degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate students. Undergraduates must be at the intermediate level of proficiency or higher as determined by a language instructor in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian or Turkish. Native speakers are not eligible for this fellowship. Priority is given to students who have strong academic records in their major and their language area of study.

Application process

Review the appropriate eligibility and procedures:

• Summer 2013
• Academic Year 2013-14

Submit a complete application packet, including the following:

• Completed FLAS Application Form
• Statement of intent
• Official up-to-date transcript, (first year graduate students should also include undergraduate transcripts)
• Relevant graduate examination scores, e.g., GRE, GMAT, LSAT (graduate students only)
• Two letters of recommendation using the FLAS Recommendation Form

Application deadline for both summer and academic year fellowships:
Friday, February 22, 2013; 5 p.m.

FAQs

I plan to apply for both Summer and Academic Year awards. Do I need to submit two separate applications? Do my recommenders need to prepare separate recommendation letters?

Please submit separate application forms for each fellowship. You may use the same letters of recommendation and transcripts for both applications; please indicate this clearly within your application and to your recommenders. Consider writing different specific Statements of Intent for each fellowship. 

I am an undergraduate student planning to graduate after the spring term. Can I apply for a summer FLAS immediately following graduation?

Applicants must be enrolled full-time or accepted for full-time enrollment at Portland State University as degree-seeking undergraduate or graduate students. Applicants may choose to stay enrolled for the course of a fellowship, including delaying graduation. Applicants are not eligible for FLAS following graduation. 

I have taken classes at a few different universities, but they are all shown as transfer credits on my main transcript. Do I need to submit official transcripts from all institutions I've attended?

Your transcript should provide an accurate and complete account of your post-secondary studies. It is not necessary to submit official transcripts from every institution you’ve attended if coursework undertaken elsewhere is reflected as transfer credit on a main transcript. 

As an undergraduate student, do I need to be currently enrolled in classes for the language I intend to study for the summer or academic year on FLAS?

While current enrollment in the fellowship language is not required, successful applicants will demonstrate commitment to the subject area and to a course of study that requires advanced foreign language and area studies training. 

Are there restrictions on what country I can go to on a summer FLAS?

The International and Foreign Language Education office of the U.S. Department of Education reviews Overseas Program Requests for each FLAS fellow who proposes to study abroad. The office reviews these requests for compliance and, if necessary, consults with U.S. embassies. 

Can I travel outside of my main country during the summer FLAS period?

The primary purpose of travel abroad on a FLAS fellowship should be intensive language study. 

Do I need to be accepted to a summer program to before submitting my summer FLAS application?

FLAS applicants are encouraged to consider summer program options as early as possible, however it is not necessary to be accepted to a summer program before submitting an application. 

Can the FLAS help me cover travel costs to and from my program country?

Depending on available funding, summer fellows may be eligible to receive travel awards to support travel to and from the student’s summer program site. Travel awards are $1,000 or the actual cost of travel whichever is less. Travel awards may cover costs of travel to either a domestic or overseas program site. Note that international travel with travel award funds is subject to the Fly America Act.  

My total tuition is less than the FLAS tuition amount. Will I get the remainder as a refund?

No. Any institutional payment monies in excess of the actual tuition and fees will be used to fund additional fellowship awards. 

I have already taken the highest classes offered at PSU in my language. Can I use FLAS funds to do an independent study?

No. For each quarter, Academic Year fellows are required to pursue at least one classroom-taught, 4-credit hour language course in the FLAS award language (in addition to one non-language course with a Middle East focus). 

Can I apply for more than one language?

Good question! No.

Contact

 For more information contact Middle East Studies Center FLAS coordinator, Tam Rankin or (503)725-5811

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