2025-26 Graduate Academic-Year East Asia FLAS Fellowships
Department of Education Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships provide tuition and stipend for students in M.A. or Ph.D. programs who plan to undertake intensive advanced language study in Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, Thai, Tibetan, or Vietnamese during the academic year, either at Stanford or an approved overseas institution, in conjunction with area studies courses. Students must enroll in both advanced language and area-studies courses during the entire period of award, as well as complete specific testing and reporting requirements. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident to apply. Grants subject to final approval from the Department of Education.
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 fellowships support students enrolled in:
- formal domestic programs of intensive language study at the beginning, intermediate or advanced level; or
- formal overseas programs of intensive language study at the intermediate or advanced level; or
- formal overseas programs of intensive study at the beginning level of languages for which appropriate equivalent instruction is not available in the United States.
Academic-year FLAS Funding Amount
Academic-year FLAS recipients will receive program tuition (Stanford 8-10 unit rate or full overseas program tuition) for their intended program (usually paid directly to the institution), plus a stipend of $21,000. In most cases, students may also combine outside grants and fellowships with FLAS awards, and applicants are highly encouraged to look for additional sources of funding in addition to applying for the FLAS fellowship. Preference given to CEAS MA students. Doctoral students in their first five years may be subject to restrictions on eligible stipend amount.
- Intensive language study
To be considered for a Stanford East Asia 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 enrolled in an advanced degree program at Stanford University (or on approved leave) during the award period.
- Be a masters or doctoral student in the school of Humanities and Sciences, Earth Sciences, Education, Engineering, or Law. Students from the GSB and School of Medicine must check with the program administrator for eligibility.
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).
Academic Year Fellowship Requirements
- An AY fellowship may be used to enroll in a domestic or an overseas program of study.
- AY courses, whether taken at the home institution or at an overseas institution, or both, must be in compliance with the student’s home institution area studies and language training requirements, in addition to meeting the FLAS program requirements.
- AY courses work supported by a FLAS fellowship must include at least one language course and one area studies course during each academic quarter, semester, or trimester.
- Intensive language instruction means instruction of at least five contact hours per week during the academic year.
- All courses must be taken for a letter grade.
Selection Criteria
FLAS Fellowships are awarded competitively on a merit basis. 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.
Application and Selection Process
Applications will be judged on a combination of academic achievement, clarity and feasibility of goals, and relevance to future plans.
Application Instructions
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 Language 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 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the application deadline. Once the FAFSA is completed, generate a Student Aid Report (SAR) and send a PDF copy via email no later than the application deadline to John Groschwitz, CEAS Associate Director. The PDF file should be labeled "Lastname, Firstname-SAR". Include the word "SECURE" in the subject of your message.
