Undergraduate Academic-Year East Asia FLAS Fellowships 2022-23
Undergraduate Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships provide partial funding to students to encourage the study of critical and less commonly taught foreign languages in combination with area studies, international studies, or international aspects of professional studies. These fellowships are funded with grants from the U.S. Department of Education under Title VI of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, and the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008. The purpose of the FLAS program is to promote the training of students who intend to make their careers in college or university teaching, government service, or other employment where knowledge of foreign languages and cultures is essential. Stanford petitions the Department of Education for FLAS fund allocations, and CEAS administers the funds awarded for East Asia-related grants. Stanford Undergraduate Academic-Year East Asia FLAS Fellowships support students enrolled at Stanford in intensive language study at the intermediate (2nd year) or advanced (3rd year+) level.
FLAS fellowships, authorized under Title VI of the Higher Education Act of 1965 and administered by the U.S. Department of Education, provide tuition and stipend to students undergoing advanced training in designated foreign languages in combination with area studies, international studies, or international aspects of professional studies. Stanford petitions the Department of Education for FLAS fund allocations, and CEAS administers the funds awarded for East Asia-related grants. Most FLAS fellowships are awarded for foreign language training at Stanford; however, with specific approval of the Department of Education, fellowships may be used in support of other U.S. or overseas language study programs, or for dissertation research abroad.
Academic-year FLAS Funding Amount
Undergraduate academic-year FLAS recipients will receive $10,000 in tuition, plus a stipend of $5,000. In some cases, FLAS awards made to students with existing Stanford aid packages may offset existing funding sources as outlined in your Stanford aid package and not increase your overall aid amount. However, it often may reduce or even eliminate loan and/or work obligation. Check with the Stanford Financial Aid Office for details of how this award will affect your overall aid profile.
- Intensive language study
To be considered for a Stanford FLAS fellowship, an applicant must:
- Be a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. or a permanent resident of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands.
- Be a currently-registered undergraduate student in good standing at Stanford during the award period.
- Be eligible for at least $15,000 in financial aid as determined by the Stanford Financial Aid Office.
- File a financial aid application with the Stanford Financial Aid Office by the April 15 preceding the award year.
In East Asian Studies, eligible program languages are Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, Tibetan, and Vietnamese. Additional languages may be petitioned on a case-by-case basis. Recipients must agree to:
- be enrolled in language and area studies courses, as outlined in your application, during the entire period of the award;
- not accept other employment if it will prolong the period of time within which you expect to receive your degree;
- undergo pre- and post-award language evaluations to be arranged by the Stanford Language Center (more information about these will be available shortly);
- submit pre- and post-award performance evaluations through the Department of Education online reporting system.
- provide CEAS with a valid non-Stanford email and agree to complete a FLAS recipient survey every 2 years for 8 years. This requirement is mandated by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008, Section 601. You may view the HEOA mandate online at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-110publ315/pdf/PLAW-110publ315.pdf (pp. 257-258).
Selection Criteria
FLAS Fellowships are awarded competitively on a merit basis through an annual fellowship competition administered by the Center for East Asian Studies. Applications are judged first by a faculty committee at the Center, and then approved by the Department of Education. All awards are subject to final Department of Education approval. Current Department of Education selection guidelines state that:
- High priority is given to applicants in a wide variety of humanities and social sciences disciplines, as well as all professional schools, who are likely to pursue government service or enter a profession.
- Priority is given to language study as opposed to dissertation research/writing.
- Lower priority is given to students who already possess language fluency equivalent to educated native speakers in the language for which the award is sought.
- Lowest priority is given to students who have taken fewer than 12 semester hours (or 18 quarter hours) or the equivalent in Chinese, Japanese, or Korean.
Stanford selection committee priority will be to support advanced language training (3rd year or higher). Financial need may also be considered as part of the review process.
Open to currently-registered Stanford undergraduate students in any school.
To apply, complete the online application form including:
1. Upload of Statement of Purpose. Maximum 2 pages single spaced, describing the benefit of language training to your course of study or future career. Be specific about the courses you plan to enroll in during the award period.
2. Upload Current Unofficial Transcript
3. Request Recommendation Letter. Request one letter from your primary advisor or other faculty member with close knowledge of your interests and abilities via the online system.
4. Request a Langauge Instructor Evaluation. Fill out Section 1 of the CEAS language evaluation form and provide it to your language instructor for them to finish and return to CEAS. Completed evaluation forms should be emailed or delivered directly to CEAS by the language instructor.
5. Complete a Stanford CSS Profile. File a CSS Profile online at http://profileonline.collegeboard.com by the required university deadline. Stanford's school code is 4704.
6. Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the required university deadline
