Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship

FLAS

PLEASE NOTE: FOLLOWING THE LOSS OF FEDERAL TITLE VI FUNDING IN 2022, THE MIDDLE EAST CENTER IS NO LONGER ABLE TO OFFER FLAS FELLOWSHIPS. WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO RESUME FLAS FELLOWSHIPS IN 2026. TEXT BELOW IS MAINTAINED FOR INFORMATIONAL AND REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY.

FLAS APPLICATIONS DUE FEBRUARY 7, 2022. 

CLICK HERE FOR SUMMER 2022 FLAS APPLICATION

CLICK HERE FOR ACADEMIC YEAR 2022-2023 FLAS APPLICATION

 

Check out an article featuring Penn's FLAS Fellows in Penn News! Click here

The Middle East Center is now accepting applications for FLAS Fellowships for the academic year 2022-2023 and Summer 2022 from undergraduate and graduate students. 

Please click here to learn more about FLAS fellowships. 

For eligibility requirements and other questions please visit our FAQs page here.

The Middle East Center is accepting applications for Arabic, Armenian, Azeri, Balochi, Berber, Dari, Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, Tajik, Turkish, and Turkmen during the current US Department of Education FLAS Grant cycle of 2018-2022.

For instructions, see here.

For further information, contact: mec-info@sas.upenn.edu

Elibigility:

  • Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent residents
  • Must be admitted to or enrolled in a full-time undergraduate or graduate program of study
  • Must have research or career plans that require the use of a Middle Eastern language 
  • Must show potential for superior academic achievement based on academic record
  • Undergraduate and Graduate applicants must have minimum of intermediate-level proficiency in the FLAS language​ in which you are applying by the beginning of the fellowship
  • Graduate applicants at the beginner-level of a language may apply for a FLAS fellowship if they have reached a higher level of proficency in a similar language to the one applied for with the fellowship

Summer FLAS Fellowship:

  • Summer FLAS Fellowships allow current Penn undergraduate and graduate students to complete the equivalent of one academic year of Arabic, Armenian, Azeri, Balochi, Berber, Dari, Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, Tajik, Turkish, or Turkmen during the summer
  • The FLAS Fellowship may be used for both domestic or international study
  • Programs should be a minimum of six weeks long and should include 140 contact hours for students at the intermediate level and 120 contact hours for students at the advanced level.
  • Both undergraduate and graduate will receive up to $5,000 toward tuition and a stipend of $2,500
  • The deadline for the summer 2021 FLAS Fellowship is February 7, 2022

Academic Year Fellowship:

  • FLAS awards may be used for the study of intermediate, advanced, and post-advanced Arabic, Armenian, Azeri, Balochi, Berber, Dari, Hebrew, Kurdish, Persian, Tajik, Turkish, or Turkmen
  • Beginners in any of these languages may apply for a FLAS Fellowship, but must be able to place into an intermediate-level course at the beginning of the Fellowship period (or have reached a higher level of proficency in a similar language to the one applied for with the fellowship -- Graduate Students Only)
  • FLAS Fellows are required to take an area studies and a language course each semester of the fellowship
  • Successful applicants to the Academic Year program must then enroll both semesters of the Fellowship year in a modern Middle Eastern language and an area-studies or professional studies course related to the Middle East. 
  •  AY graduate student FLAS fellows will receive $18,000 toward tuition and a $15,000 stipend
  • Undergraduate FLAS fellows will receive $10,000 toward tuition and a $5,000 stipend
  • The deadline for the academic year 2021-2022 FLAS fellowship is February 7, 2022.