Boren Scholarships are offered by the United States Government to undergraduate students who wish to pursue intensive language study abroad. Awards are up to $20.000 for a full academic year of study.
Boren Scholarships are offered by the United States Government to undergraduate students who wish to pursue intensive language study abroad. Awards are up to $20.000 for a full academic year of study. The list of eligible languages is long: it includes Arabic, Chinese and Japanese, and French when studied in an African context. Many other Eastern European, African, and Asian languages are also eligible, including Korean and Cantonese. No prior study of the targeted language is required except for French. Spanish and German do not qualify for the program. The program includes a “service requirement to work for the federal government in the national security arena,” but the definition of “national security” is broad enough to include such agencies as the Peace Corps and the EPA, in addition to Defense, State, and intelligence agencies. Recipients must work for the government for at least a year, but many elect to continue beyond that.
There are special initiatives for “flagship” African languages, including Swahili, Zulu, and French or Portuguese in the African context, and for STEM fields (8-week summer intensive language programs). There is also a special program for Hindi and Urdu, covering a summer intensive program in the U.S. and a fall semester in South Asia.
It is impossible to present all the relevant information in an email, so anyone who is interested in learning more about this program is encouraged to visit the Boren website:
If you are interested in learning more about this program, please get in touch with me (Matthew Mizenko
mmizenko@ursinus.edu) by
Friday, December 2, if at all possible. The deadline for applications to reach the Boren office is
February 9, 2017. There will be a
campus deadline of January 25, 2017, for applications to submitted for vetting at Ursinus before being sent to Boren.
Students considering applying to study abroad in 2017-2017 are especially encouraged to look into this program if it is relevant to your interests. Please note that summer study can be funded only under the special initiatives for African and South Asian languages, and STEM fields. If you are a current senior and interested in the program, please get in touch with me.
Matthew Mizenko
Campus Representative for Boren Scholarship Program
