FLAS Fellowships for Graduate Students

Funding for academic year and summer intensive language study.*

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships, authorized under Title VI of the Higher Education Act and administered by the U.S. Department of Education, are awarded to graduate students for the study of a Less-Commonly-Taught-Language (LCTL) of Latin America. Such languages include Brazilian Portuguese, Quechua, Nahuatl, and Haitian Creole, as well as other indigenous languages. FLAS fellowships are available for Academic Year study at Stanford University and for intensive FLAS-eligible summer language programs in the U.S. or Latin America.

Academic Year FLAS Fellowships

Summer FLAS Fellowships

Academic Year FLAS Fellowships for Graduate Students

Award

Academic year fellowships provide a $15,000 subsistence allowance and $18,000 tuition assistance for eligible graduate students undergoing advanced training in designated foreign languages in combination with Latin American Studies and international aspects of professional studies (law, education). CLAS might provide additional assistance based on financial aid need. The term of a fellowship is for one academic year (autumn, winter, spring).

Students must enroll in both language and area-studies courses each quarter during the entire period of the award (A,W,S), as well as complete specific testing and reporting requirements. Language courses should be at the intermediate level (2nd year) or higher, but preference is given to students pursuing advanced language training (3rd year or higher); first-year language courses may be considered in cases where applicants have already attained advanced proficiency in one language and the second language is necessary to fulfill degree requirements. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to apply. Grants subject to final approval from the Department of Education.

Selection Criteria

Department of Education guidelines include the following:

  • Awards may be made to applicants in a wide variety of humanities and social science graduate and undergraduate degree programs, as well as professional fields
  • High priority is given to qualified students who demonstrate financial need.
  • Low priority is given to applicants whose fluency in the proposed language of study approaches that of a native speaker.
  • Low priority is also given to applicants who have not completed the equivalent of at least one academic year of college-level study of the proposed LAS language of study prior to the FLAS award period.

CLAS priorities include the following:

  • Graduate students in the professional schools (except Medicine and Business Schools).
  • Qualified students who demonstrate financial need.
  • Students at intermediate and advanced levels of Portuguese, Quechua, Nahuatl, or Haitian Creole.

The selection of awardees is made annually by the CLAS FLAS fellowship selection committee, composed of Stanford-affiliated faculty.

M.A. in Latin American Studies Applicants

Eligible Applicants

  • Incoming M.A. in Latin American Studies (LAS) applicants.
  • Citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States.

Application Period

The 2023-24 application period is December 5, 2022, to January 15, 2023.

Application and Letter Submitting Instructions

  1. Gather the following documents and upload through the M.A. in Latin American Studies AY FLAS Fellowship online application form:
    1. Letter of intent. No more than 500 words double-spaced. The Letter of Intent should outline the relevance of the study of Nahuatl, Quechua, Portuguese, or Haitian Creole to the applicant’s academic training and career goals.
    2. Student Aid Report (SAR). Complete a Free Application for Federal StudentAid (FAFSA). Once the FAFSA is completed, generate a Student Aid Report (SAR). Applicants MUST delete or black out social security numbers and date of birth on any materials submitted to CLAS.

      If you are unable to get the SAR by the application deadline, instead submit the confirmation email that you submitted a FAFSA. Once the SAR is available to you, please email a copy to clas-admin [at] stanford.edutarget="_blank".

Questions about the M.A. in Latin American Studies Academic Year FLAS Fellowship should be directed to the CLAS Academic and Student Services Officer at latinamerica [at] stanford.edu.

Professional Schools Students

Eligible Applicants

  • Stanford professional schools students (except the Schools of Medicine and Business).
  • Citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States.      

Application Deadline

June 1, 2023

Application and Letter Submitting Instructions

  1. Provide recommenders with a signed
    1. One letter of recommendation, with waiver form, from a Stanford faculty. (Letters from instructors in LAS disciplines are encouraged.)
    2. A second letter of recommendation, with waiver form, from your Stanford language instructor (if applicable).

       Upload letter of recommendation here
  2. Gather the following documents and upload through the AY Professional Schools FLAS Fellowship online application form:
    1. Letter of intent. No more than 500 words double-spaced. The Letter of Intent should outline the relevance of the study of Nahuatl, Quechua, Portuguese, or Haitian Creole to the applicant’s academic training and career goals.
    2. Academic transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
    3. Student Aid Report (SAR). Complete a Free Application for Federal StudentAid (FAFSA). Once the FAFSA is completed, generate a Student Aid Report (SAR). Applicants MUST delete or black out social security numbers and date of birth on any materials submitted to CLAS.

      If you are unable to get the SAR by the application deadline, instead submit the confirmation email that you submitted a FAFSA. Once the SAR is available to you, please email a copy to clas-admin [at] stanford.edutarget="_blank".

      Professional schools students apply here for the AY 2023-24 FLAS Fellowship

Questions about the Professional Schools Students Academic Year FLAS Fellowship should be directed to clas-flasfellowship [at] stanford.edu. 

Summer FLAS Fellowships for Graduate Students

Award

The Summer FLAS Fellowship provides a $2,500 stipend and up to $5,000 tuition for a FLAS-approved intensive language course taken in the U.S. or abroad.*

Summer FLAS Application Deadline

The application period for the 2023 Summer FLAS Fellowship has ended. Applications for summer 2024 fellowships will open in fall 2023. 

Program Requirements

  • Summer FLAS Fellowship awardees are required to participate in an intensive language program that has been approved by the U.S. Department of Education for FLAS. A list of  FLAS eligible summer 2023 approved programs will be available in the fall; summer 2022 programs can be found here.
  • NOTE: FLAS Fellowships provide funding to attend a program; students must apply to and be accepted by the program separately. For more guidance on eligible programs as well as language preference/selection, applicants are encouraged to contact clas-admin [at] stanford.edutarget="_blank". 
  • The summer program must provide a minimum of 140 language contact hours of instruction at the beginning or intermediate level or 120 language contact hours at the advanced level.
  • Programs outside the U.S.: Graduate students who wish to participate in a program outside the U.S. must be at the intermediate or advanced level of proficiency. Recipients who are at the beginning level of proficiency are required to study at a U.S.-based program unless there is no program offered in the chosen language in the U.S. 
  • Travel Requirements: Due to U.S. Department of Education guidelines, awardees who do attend a program outside of the U.S. are required to abide by the “Fly America Act” and travel on a U.S. air carrier.

Eligible Applicants

  • Applicants must be full-time Stanford or non-Stanford graduate students in any discipline who are focusing on the study of Latin America. 
  • Applicants must be accepted to a FLAS-eligible program (see above).
  • Non-Stanford applicants must be accepted in a summer language program administered by a Title VI granting institution or be enrolled in a Title VI granting institution (see most current institution: 
    Current Title VI Awardee Institutions Here 
  • Applicants must be citizens, nationals, or permanent residents of the U.S.
  • Graduate students may study a LCTL at the beginning, intermediate, or advanced level.
  • Students at a very advanced level are welcome to apply, but preference will be given to students who have not approached near-native proficiency.
  • Ph.D. students at the dissertation phase are discouraged from applying.
  • Students with or without financial need are encouraged to apply; however, preference will be given to those who demonstrate financial need.
  • Students planning a career in U.S. government service are highly encouraged to apply.

Selection Criteria

Department of Education guidelines include the following:

  • Awards may be made to applicants in a wide variety of humanities and social science graduate programs, as well as professional fields.
  • High priority is given to qualified students who demonstrate financial need.
  • Low priority is given to applicants whose fluency in the proposed language of study approaches that of a native speaker.
  • Low priority is also given to applicants who have not completed the equivalent of at least one academic year of college-level study of the proposed LAS language of study prior to the FLAS award period.

CLAS priorities include the following:

  • Preference is given to students undergoing studies of Portuguese, Quechua, Nahuatl, and Haitian Creole who plan to continue their study during the 2023-2024 academic year.
  • Preference is given to qualified students who demonstrate financial need.

The selection of awardees is made annually by the CLAS FLAS fellowship selection committee, composed of Stanford-affiliated faculty.

Application and Letter Submitting Instructions

  1. Provide recommenders with a signed   
    1. One letter of recommendation, with waiver form, from a Stanford faculty. (Letters from instructors in LAS disciplines are encouraged.)
    2. A second letter of recommendation, with waiver form, from your Stanford language instructor (if applicable).
               
  2. Gather the following documents and upload through the Summer FLAS Fellowship online application form (link below):    
    1. Letter of intent. No more than 500 words double-spaced. The Letter of Intent should outline the relevance of the study of Nahuatl, Quechua, Portuguese, or other indigenous language to the applicant’s academic training and career goals.
    2. Academic transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable.
    3. Student Aid Report (SAR). Complete a Free Application for Federal StudentAid (FAFSA). Once the FAFSA is completed, generate a Student Aid Report (SAR). Applicants MUST delete or black out social security numbers and date of birth on any materials submitted to CLAS.

      If you are unable to get the SAR by the application deadline, instead submit the confirmation email that you submitted a FAFSA. Once the SAR is available to you, please email a copy to clas-admin [at] stanford.edutarget="_blank".

*Summer travel is contingent upon Stanford University travel restrictions.

Questions about Summer FLAS Fellowships should be directed to clas-flasfellowship [at] stanford.edu.