University of Utah students can apply by January 28, 2022, for awards up to $18,000 in tuition funding, plus stipends, for studying an underrepresented language.

The Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) scholarship, a program of the U.S. Department of Education, provides financial support toward tuition and fees to eligible undergraduate students interested in studying Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, Ecuadorian Quechua, Hindu-Urdu, Japanese, Korean, Nahuatl, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Samoan, or Vietnamese.

• Undergraduate awards provide up to $10,000 in tuition and a $5,000 stipend for the academic year.
• Graduate awards provide up to $18,000 in tuition and a $15,000 stipend for the academic year.
• Summer awards provide up to $5,000 in tuition and a $2,500 stipend.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents of the United States. Undergraduate applicants must demonstrate at least second-year proficiency of their selected language at the beginning of the award period. Both undergraduate and graduate students in any major are encouraged to apply.

While a student’s reasons for studying a foreign language may vary– preparing for research and graduate study, connecting to their heritage, sheer curiosity, and love of learning–the benefits are the same and far-ranging. Students who take time to study another language reap cognitive benefits, deepen their connection to world cultures and obtain a competitive advantage in the job market.

“As a Brazilian-American, FLAS has helped me improve my Portuguese as a heritage speaker. It has helped me better communicate with my family members and understand more about my own culture. FLAS has changed my life and opened a new part of me that has always been there, but I didn’t know how to connect with. Because of FLAS, I feel more like myself and have become more in tune with my culture, something I will cherish forever,” said Giselle Fagundes-Draper, who is majoring in Accounting and Latin American Studies with a Minor in Portuguese and Brazilian Studies.

“I hope to use Portuguese in my future career and to one day work in Brazil. I encourage anyone who is considering applying to just do it. Start the application process early, and get to know the faculty and staff in your department, it will go a long way.”

FLAS Scholarships are part of a four-year U.S. Department of Education program that in 2018 awarded the University of Utah and Brigham Young University $6.8 million in support of language study and international education. 60 University of Utah students received FLAS fellowships during Summer 2020 and Academic Year 2020-21. The Asia Center and the Center for Latin American Studies administer the scholarships and have awarded up to $648,000 in combined scholarship support to undergraduate and graduate students each year the program has been available at the U.

Learn more by visiting the department of International & Area Studies.

Applications are due January 28, 2022.