Language Scholarships

Study a Foreign Language and Study Abroad

Foreign language studies in a college setting traditionally included Spanish, French, German, and the Classical languages of Latin and Greek. More recent developments in global politics and a new emphasis on multiculturalism and diversity opened up the language departments to more uncommon tongues such as Russian, Mandarin, and Arabic. Today, even classes in frankly exotic languages like Catalan and Swahili regularly draw students to U. S. universities.

After the experience of World War II, the federal government joined the drive to educate students in foreign languages and cultures in order to train new employees to work in fields and countries considered vital to national security. There is no surer route to understanding a country than living there and speaking its language, so sending students abroad to learn languages also introduces them to disciplines like political science and economic development.

College Scholarships

Note: Language departments at most universities provide scholarships, and the following are a few of many examples.

The Foreign Language Center at Ohio State University (Columbus) administers the Huntington National Fellowship, which is designed to let students who wish to enter careers in international business develop familiarity with foreign languages and cultures. Applicants must have sophomore or junior standing, two complete years of foreign language study, and a demonstrated interest in trade and industry.

You can find an application form here.

Valparaiso University (Indiana)’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures has posted a page of information on language scholarships. Here are several possibilities:

• First year students majoring in French, German, Spanish, or Classics may apply for annually renewable $1,000 scholarships. Applicants must take an online language exam, send in a reference letter, and submit an application form plus an essay on your plans for school and career.
• The page of scholarships reserved for upperclassmen lists several Classics scholarships, two scholarships in French, and two in German.

The University of Alabama (Birmingham)’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures offers a number of scholarships for studying various languages. The department has a scholarship page describing these awards, including:

• The Le Club F and L’Alliance Française de Birmingham French Language Study Abroad Scholarship in the amount of $500 is given to students with a major or minor in French who have achieved academic excellence.
• The Portia Foxx Brooks and Hazel Ruth Boswell Foxx Study Abroad Scholarship, also for $500, goes to a student who has shown a love for Italian language and culture.
• Other language scholarships currently awaiting funding are the Foreign Language Advisory Committee Scholarship and the Vargas-Overbach Spanish Pre-Med Scholarship.

Students in East Carolina University’s Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures can apply for one of two language scholarships:

• The Fleming/Perry Scholarships are awarded to students majoring in Spanish, French, or German. Applicants must maintain a GPA of 3.0, participate in department activities, and show an interest in diversity and multiculturalism. Funding varies.
• The Jane Mitchell/Manolita Buck FLANC Honorary Scholarship recognizes a senior in the language department who has committed to teaching a foreign language in North Carolina and has a GPA of 3.0.

The Department of Languages and Culture Studies at the University of North Carolina (Charlotte) has a scholarship page with links to information on scholarships awarded for studies in German and Spanish. There are five different German scholarships, and one Spanish scholarship.

Carnegie Mellon University’s Modern Languages department has ten scholarships for foreign study designated for undergraduate language students only. They are described in detail here, and they range from $1,000 to $3,000 in amount.

The Federal Government Will Pay You to Learn a Foreign Language

The government is interested in educating students in languages it considers important to national security, including Arabic, Mandarin, Hindi and Urdu, and Russian. There are three ways to obtain government funding for language studies:

• The Boren Awards program, consisting of the David L. Boren Scholarships and Fellowships, requires a language study component. The National Security Education Program (NSEP) underwrites the Borens, and the languages it finds valuable are listed on this page. If you wish to study Spanish or French, you must either be at an advanced level or majoring in technical fields (a science or branch of mathematics).The Borens pay only for study abroad; scholarships range up to $20,000 and fellowships to $30,000.
• The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers the Critical Language Enhancement Award (CLEA), which is an addition to Fulbright grants that provides up to six months of intensive study in a language. The language must be one the grantee will use in both a Fulbright project and later in a career, and a list of permitted languages appears here.
• The Language Flagship, formerly the National Flagship Language Program, focuses on teaching American students languages throughout their academic years, sending them to study at foreign universities when they reach college age. The Language Flagship partners with educational institutions that offer language instruction, and a list of universities at which Flagship funding is provided to academically superior undergraduates in language programs is posted here.