Application deadline: January 31, 2025

Undergraduate application | Graduate application

Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships support undergraduate and graduate study in modern foreign languages in combination with area studies, international studies, or international or area aspects of professional studies. The purpose of the FLAS program is to train students to integrate global knowledge into a future career, particularly in areas of national need, such as college or university teaching, government service, and business. As part of the EU Center's wider cohort of students, FLAS fellows have the opportunity to participate in professional development and join a growing community of EU Center FLAS alumni who work in federal and state government, international business, higher education, law, and more. Both undergraduate and graduate students from all departments and professional schools are encouraged to apply. 

Funding for these fellowships is provided by the U.S. Department of Education’s Title VI Program. FLAS Fellowships are administered by University of Illinois Area Studies Centers (including the EU Center) and are awarded through an annual competition.

FLAS recipients must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents and enrolled full-time. During the academic year, fellows must take a language course and an area studies course each semester. During the summer, fellows must complete the equivalent of one year of language study. FLAS fellowships can be used to study abroad or on campus. 

ELIGIBLE LANGUAGES

Arabic, Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Czech, French (graduate students only), German (graduate students only), Modern Greek, Modern Hebrew, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish (graduate students only), Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian

Applications for other languages, including sign languages, are also welcome provided that the application reflects disciplinary studies on Europe/EU and/or EU-U.S. relations. If you wish to apply for FLAS to study a language not on this list, please contact the EUC FLAS Coordinator Sydney Lazarus (lazarus5@illinois.edu). 

For undergraduate applicants: Please note that undergraduate fellowships are not available for 1st-year language study or for the study of French, German, or Spanish. Undergraduate applicants must be able to take their language courses at the 2nd-year or higher level during the term of the fellowship. 

For graduate applicants: Please note that graduate students might apply to study any one of the languages listed above at the 1st-year level if they already have proficiency in another language listed above. Otherwise, graduate applicants must be able to take their language courses at the 2nd-year or higher level during the term of the fellowship. Summer FLAS fellows studying a language at the 1st-year level may not study abroad unless instruction is not offered in the U.S.

FLAS ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-25

  • Graduate FLAS fellows receive up to $18,000 towards tuition and fees and a $20,000 stipend paid in monthly installments over the course of the academic year. 
  • Undergraduate FLAS fellows receive up to $10,000 towards tuition and fees and a $5,000 stipend paid in monthly installments over the course of the academic year. 

FLAS SUMMER 2024

  • Both graduate and undergraduate FLAS fellows receive up to $5,000 towards tuition and fees and a $3,500 stipend. 

SELECTION CRITERIA

  • Academic performance and recommendation letters
  • Impact of a FLAS fellowship on the applicant's academic and professional goals (please see here and here for examples of a strong statement of purpose)
  • Degree to which the proposal reflects disciplinary studies on Europe/EU and/or EU-U.S. relations
  • Competitive preference is given to applicants studying a U.S. Department of Education-designated priority language (Arabic, Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian, Bulgarian, modern Hebrew, Polish, Portuguese, Turkish, and Ukrainian) and to applicants studying non-priority Less Commonly Taught Languages (Catalan, Czech, modern Greek, Italian, and Swedish)
  • Competitive preference is given to applicants with financial need as demonstrated by the FAFSA

APPLICATION DOCUMENTS 

  1. Online application form (undergraduate applicants should apply here; graduate applicants should apply here)
  2. Statement of purpose (max 2 pages) describing how the proposed language study fits in with your thesis, dissertation research project or degree program and how it relates to European/EU Studies as a field of study. The statement should also illustrate how you intend to use the language and how the language and area study will contribute to your ultimate career goals. Please also describe your previous language learning experiences, both formal and informal.
  3. Two recommendation letters (letters from the applicant's academic advisor and language instructor are preferred)
  4. Official or unofficial transcript(s) 
  5. (Optional) Page 1 of the FAFSA Student Aid Report (SAR)

Deadline for applications and letters of recommendation*: Friday, January 31, 2025 at 11:59 P.M. CST

*Please note that applicants are responsible for providing recommenders with instructions on how to submit a letter of recommendation. Letters should be submitted here.

ONLINE APPLICATION FORM for Academic Year 2025-26 and Summer 2025 can be found on the University of Illinois FLAS Fellowships website. 

For more information, to apply for FLAS Fellowships, and to see the list of Centers awarding FLAS fellowships and eligible languages through other Centers please visit the
University of Illinois Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship website.

QUESTIONS?
Contact the EU Center FLAS Coordinator, Sydney Lazarus (lazarus5@illinois.edu).

To see current and past FLAS Fellows, please visit this webpage.