The application period is now open! The deadline has been extended to Friday, March 11, 2022.

CERS is organizing a competition for 2022-2023 Academic Year Foreign Language and Area Studies (AY FLAS) Fellowships. Eligibility criteria, application procedures, and fellowship requirements are outlined below. The application period is open and will close on March 11, 2022 at midnight. The selection process will be completed by mid-April 2022.

Note: Funding for these awards is contingent on the receipt of a Title VI institutional grant from the Department of Education. CERS will inform prospective recipients of the status of this funding by June 2022.

The FLAS program supports training in modern foreign languages and related area studies for entering and continuing undergraduate and graduate students in any disciplinary area whose studies focus on Europe. Graduate awards provide up to $18,000 for tuition and fees and a $20,000 stipend. Undergraduate awards provide up to $10,000 for tuition and fees and a $5,000 stipend.

The fellowship requires that students take one language and one pertinent area studies course for a letter grade every quarter for the entire academic year while enrolled full-time and in residence at UCLA. Graduate students are allowed to take independent study courses if advance approval is obtained. AY awards may be used for dissertation research abroad or dissertation writing for students who have completed their degree coursework and are at the advanced level of language proficiency, but this must be approved in advance and are of low priority for consideration in the selection process.

CERS will seek Department of Education approval for the following languages offered at UCLA: Basque, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Catalan, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Yiddish.

FLAS fellowships can be awarded to undergraduate and graduate students studying the target language at the intermediate or advanced level (2nd year or above). Preference is given to applicants who propose to study a less commonly taught language (i.e. any European language with the exception of French, German, and Spanish). The following restrictions and exceptions apply:

• FLAS fellowships cannot be awarded to undergraduate students for the study of French, German, and Spanish (i.e. commonly taught languages) at any level.
• FLAS fellowships cannot be awarded for the study of a language at the beginning level. However, exceptions can be made for graduate students studying a less commonly taught language at the beginning level if the students have already achieved advanced proficiency in another European language and if the students can demonstrate that learning a second European language is required for their overall training and expertise.

To apply for a FLAS fellowship, students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Since the purpose of the program is to enrich the nation's pool of area and international specialists, applicants must intend to use their training to teach, to serve in government or international agencies, or to engage in private sector or non-profit work that advances American understanding of other countries. Fellowship recipients must be engaged in full-time study for the duration of their awards and must agree to submit quarterly reports on their progress, submit before and after language assessments to the U.S. Department of Education, take a before and after oral proficiency examination with a designated instructor, and provide reports to the Department of Education on employment and use of the target language every two years for a minimum of eight years after graduation.

Application Procedures

All FLAS applications must be submitted online using this application form. All application materials, including letters of recommendation, must be received by the deadline. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered for funding.

Required information:

• Online application form
• Statement of purpose of no more than two pages (double-spaced, 12-point font) describing your research and language study plans and explaining how language study will enhance your research project and/or academic training and career goals. Note that preference is given to applicants who demonstrate how the combination of their language study and research/training will advance knowledge of modern European societies, histories, or cultures.
• Two academic letters of recommendation
• Unofficial UCLA transcripts and transcripts from other institutions for graduate and transfer students
• CV or resume

Note: Preference is given to applicants who demonstrate financial need by competing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If students want their financial need to be considered in the selection process for this fellowship, students can give authorization to CERS to have this financial aid information verified through the UCLA Financial Aid Office.               

Read the FLAS FAQs HERE. More information on FLAS dissertation awards is available HERE.

Contact

• Fellowship information and application procedures: Liana Grancea, CERS Executive Director, lgrancea@international.ucla.edu or 310-825-8030.
• Technical assistance only with document upload or online application portal access: UCLA International Institute, IT Support Team, support@international.ucla.edu. All other questions should be directed to Liana Grancea at above contact.

APPLY HERE