Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

Open to ASU undergraduate students at an intermediate or advanced level of language study, for these languages:  Albanian, Armenian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (BCS), Kazakh, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Tatar, Turkish, Ukrainian, or Uzbek.

Students agree to take at least one language course and one area studies course per semester.

Covers up to $10,000 in tuition and fees at ASU, plus an annual stipend of $5,000. The stipend is disbursed in two installments, at the beginning of fall and spring semester.

Optional charges (such as health insurance) are not covered by FLAS.

Used for intensive summer language programs at the intermediate or advanced level, domestic or abroad, for these languages:  Albanian, Armenian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (BCS), Kazakh, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Tatar, Turkish, Ukrainian, or Uzbek.

Open to ASU and non-ASU students.

Covers up to $5,000 in tuition and fees and provides $3,500 stipend for room/board/maintenance.  Note that many overseas programs include the cost of room/board in their fees.

Travel grants of up to $1,000 may be awarded at the program’s discretion if allotted federal FLAS funds are not expended in tuition and stipends.  All travel must be Fly America compliant and receive prior TAR approval.

Open to ASU graduate students at an intermediate or advanced level of language study for these languages:  Albanian, Armenian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (BCS), Kazakh, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Tatar, Turkish, Ukrainian, or Uzbek.

Graduate students may use FLAS funds for beginning language study IF the graduate student possesses advanced proficiency in another language related to field of study.  Proof will be requested.

Students agree to take at least one language course and one area studies course per semester.

Covers up to $18,000 in tuition and fees at ASU, plus an annual stipend of $20,000.  The stipend is disbursed in two installments, at the beginning of fall and spring semester.

Optional charges (such as health insurance) are not covered by FLAS.

Used for intensive summer language programs at the intermediate or advanced level, domestic or abroad, for these languages:  Albanian, Armenian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (BCS), Kazakh, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Tatar, Turkish, Ukrainian, or Uzbek.

Open to ASU and non-ASU students.

Graduate students may use FLAS funds for beginning language study IF the graduate student possesses advanced proficiency in another language related to field of study.  Proof will be requested.

Covers up to $5,000 in tuition and fees and provides $3,500 stipend for room/board/maintenance.

Travel grants of up to $1,000 may be awarded at the program’s discretion if allotted federal funds are not expended in tuition and stipends.  All travel must be Fly America compliant and receive prior TAR approval.

Must be a US citizen, US national, or permanent resident of the United States.

Minimum 3.0 GPA

Proof (via transcript) of at least one academic year’s study.  Self-study not permissible.

Must enroll in Albanian, Armenian, Bosnian, Croatian, Kazakh, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Tatar, Turkish, Ukrainian, or Uzbek at an intermediate or advanced level. 

Incoming graduate students must show proof of matriculation for the fall.  Graduate students wanting to qualify for first-year study must also show proof of advanced proficiency in another language related to their field.

A review and selection committee ranks applicants based on academic merit.

Additionally, per Department of Education guidelines, financial need is recognized as a primary preference category.  Students wishing to be considered under this category must upload their FAFSA by January 31, 2024.

Note that ALL eligible students are encouraged to apply for FLAS, regardless of whether or not there is demonstrated financial need.  We prioritize those with need, and do not exclude those without.

Students who choose not to upload a FAFSA are communicating that they do not wish to be considered under this priority category.

Questions?  Email theresa.zimm@asu.edu

FLAS funds are disbursed as two parts:  stipend and tuition/fees.   

• Tuition and fees are limited to actual costs. 
• Room/board are not included in those tuition/fees.

Scenario 1:  

A graduate student with advanced proficiency in Macedonian is awarded a summer FLAS fellowship to study beginning Turkish in Arizona.  CLI’s domestic fee is $1750.  This student will receive $1750 plus a $3500 stipend. 

While FLAS allows up to $5000 in tuition and fees for a summer program, the program cost is only $1750, therefore FLAS only pays $1750.

The student receives 100% of the stipend.

Scenario 2:  

A summer FLAS overseas program charges $6,900 for the entire program, which includes room and board. The value of the program’s room/board is $2,000.  Cost of program minus room/board is $4900.

In this case, the following payment would be appropriate:

• Center pays $4,900 program fee directly to the organizing institution AND
• Center deducts $2,000 from the normal FLAS stipend amount to pay for room/board. Student receives an adjusted stipend amount of $1500.

Scenario 3:

A summer FLAS overseas program costs $9,500, including room and board.  The value of the program’s room/board is $2,500, leaving $7,000 cost for tuition and fees.

• Center pays $5,000 towards tuition and fees, leaving a balance of $2,000.
• Center pays $2,500 of $3,500 stipend towards program’s room/board.  Student receives an adjusted stipend amount of $1,000.
• Student may apply the $1,000 stipend towards airline tickets or other expenses.  The student will have out-of-pocket expenses above what FLAS funds can cover.

IMPORTANT:  FLAS stipends and travel awards (if any) will be issued AFTER you have purchased your travel and likely arrive AFTER the bill for your airline ticket is due.  Please plan accordingly.  It is not uncommon for students to have to 'foot the bill' until the stipend/travel award arrives.  ASU strives to issue all awards as expediently as possible.  However, due to circumstances often beyond our control, stipends sometimes arrive either just prior to, or after, the student has left for their program.

Each student is obligated to take at least one LCTL language course at the intermediate or advanced level PLUS one area studies course per term.  

LCTL languages include Albanian, Armenian, Bosnian, Croatian, Kazakh, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Tatar, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Uzbek.

Area studies courses provide between 25%-100% course content related to international or area studies.  A full list of undergraduate courses can be found HERE.  Graduate courses are eligible on a case-by-case basis.

Not usually.  A strong case must be made for why study outside of ASU and the USA is necessary to achieve your goals.  Please discuss your situation with the FLAS Coordinator.

FLAS fellows may pursue employment opportunities during their fellowships, provided that the employment does not interfere with the student’s responsibilities as a FLAS fellow.  The FLAS fellowship is intended to provide support to help the student focus on their studies and achieve high performance in language and area studies. Other opportunities should not interfere with FLAS.  Additionally, internships/jobs may not be used to count toward FLAS coursework requirements.

It depends.  If other federal funding is present, fellows may not receive the full amount of the FLAS stipend.  This is because federal guidelines prohibit the duplication of federal funds (i.e. double-dipping).

Some scholarships can be used in addition to FLAS.  See examples below.

Example 1:  A graduate student receives a National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship and is selected to receive an academic year FLAS as well. The NSF fellowship covers $12,000/year in tuition/fees and provides a $37,000/year stipend. In this case, FLAS could cover up to $18,000 in tuition/fees (limited to actual costs) but would not provide a stipend.

Example 2:  An academic year undergraduate student receives an outside scholarship that offers $3,000 toward tuition/fees and a $2,000 stipend. In this case, the student may receive up to $10,000 FLAS funds toward tuition/fees (limited to actual costs) and a full FLAS undergraduate stipend of $5,000/year.

Example 3:  An academic year graduate student receives a Teaching Assistantship from the institution that covers 100% of tuition/fees and provides a $10,000/year stipend. In this case, the student would receive $0 of FLAS funding for tuition/fees and a full FLAS stipend of $20,000/year.

A summer FLAS fellow must be enrolled in a for-credit, intensive language program that meets the following criteria:

• at least 140 contact hours for beginning or intermediate level of study
• at least 120 contact hours for advanced study
• minimum 6 weeks in duration
• offers the equivalent of one full year of academic instruction
• provides an official transcript with a letter grade

Study may be in the US or overseas.  

Graduate students may take 100-level language courses overseas if there is no comparable program stateside. 

CLI offers several FLAS language programs in Arizona:  Albanian, Armenian, BCS, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Russian, Tatar, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Uzbek.  

FLAS stipulations preclude undergraduate students from using FLAS funds to pay for beginning level instruction.

Note:  Intensive language instruction requires much time and focus.  We strongly advise against working during your program to maximize your return on investment of FLAS funds.

Not yet.  FLAS fellows receive US government funds, therefore all travel must be Fly America Compliant.  Only certain airlines (US Flag carriers/codeshare partners) and routes are compliant, and your itinerary must be pre-approved before purchase.  Submit your travel itinerary for approval and keep receipts for documentation. Further stipulations apply, and exceptions are rare.  Note: ticket cost and convenience are NOT exceptions to the Fly America Act. 

If you were offered a FLAS travel award, your FLAS Coordinator will submit a Travel Approval Request (TAR) on your behalf at least 30 days prior to your program start date.  Final approval (or rejection) is the responsibility of the Dept. of Education.  IFLE does not approve retroactive travel.

The Critical Languages Institute receives a certain amount of money each year for FLAS awards.   If some of this money is not expended in FLAS tuition payments and stipends, it may be used to award travel money, up to $1000 for each fellow, at CLI's discretion.  

If awarded, FLAS travel funds will be disbursed to fellows after their program start date.   

To be eligible, a fellow's itinerary must be Fly American compliant, with full itinerary provided at least 30 days in advance of travel to allow time for a Travel Approval Request (TAR) to be generated.  

If a student's travel is funded by a FLAS travel award, the travel should take place within two weeks of the official program start/end date.  The travel must be directly associated with the student's participation in the FLAS program. 

The Oral Proficiency Testing/Interview, or OPI, measures oral lingual proficiency in a target language.  OPI testing is mandatory for all FLAS recipients, both pre-and post-program, and provides official documentation of your progress according to the ACTFL proficiency scale.  Many students advance one or more levels in proficiency over the summer, so OPI testing a great way to measure progress! 

CLI will schedule your OPI tests, which are provided at no additional cost to FLAS fellows.  Fellows are expected to make themselves relatively available for these tests as they can be difficult to schedule/re-schedule across time zones. 

Independent study or directed reading may be used to fulfill FLAS area studies or language course requirements.  However, approval must be requested at least 30 days prior to course start date.  Data provided must include justification, detailed course syllabus, and instructor's CV.  Contact your FLAS Coordinator for details.

Distance education/online learning courses must be synchronous, providing real face-to-face interaction with instructors.  Approval must be requested unless the course is an established synchronous course with an approved course number and curriculum.

In theory, yes.  However, permission is needed for this type of award.  Only doctoral candidates at an advanced level of the language of study proposed qualify and candidates must use the language(s) in their dissertation research or writing.  Candidates may consider applying for Fulbright-Hays instead. 

FLAS Dissertation Approval Requests (DAR) must be submitted at least 30 days prior to travel date.  See your FLAS Coordinator for more details.

There is no limit on the number of FLAS awards a student may receive over his/her lifetime.

A student may receive both a summer and academic year fellowship in the same calendar year.  Two separate applications must be submitted.

FLAS recipients may reapply each grant cycle, but a new application must be submitted, and fellowships are competitive.  All applicants are ranked afresh by our review committees, and previous FLAS applicants do not receive preferential treatment.

A fellowship may be terminated if: 

• the fellow is not making satisfactory progress, is no longer enrolled, or is no longer in good standing with Arizona State University or other institution in which they are enrolled.   
• the fellow fails to follow the course of study, including modern foreign language study, for which he or she applied, unless a revised course of study is otherwise approvable under FLAS regulations. 

Repayment decisions are made on a case-by-case basis.  Beyond extenuating circumstances, the student must repay to the institution any fellowship funds that have been disbursed. 

Contact the Critical Language Institute's FLAS Coordinator by email or phone: 480-965-7705

Visit the US Department of Education's FLAS webpage.