Scholarships and internships
External funds
Federal grants and scholarships
The U.S. Department of State’s Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship is a grant program that enables students of limited financial means to study or intern abroad, thereby gaining skills critical to our national security and economic competitiveness. The Gilman Scholarship Program is open to U.S. citizen undergraduate students who are receiving Federal Pell Grant funding at a two-year or four-year college or university to participate in study and intern-abroad programs worldwide.
Boren Scholars and Fellows study a wide range of , including Arabic, Chinese, Portuguese and Swahili. Boren Awards are available to undergraduate and graduate students of all proficiency levels, who are committed to enhancing their skills. In exchange, scholars agree to work for the federal government for at least one year after graduation.
A program of the U.S. Department of State, the CLS Program is a fully funded overseas summer immersion program promoting the study of critical languages. Languages currently offered include: Azerbaijani, Bangla, Brazilian Portuguese, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Punjabi, Swahili, Turkish, Urdu, Arabic, Persian, Chinese, Japanese and Russian. The CLS Program is administered by American Councils for International Education.
A program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright Student Program offers recent college graduates, post-graduate scholars and young professionals grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant Programs, in over 140 countries to recent graduates and graduate students.
A Department of Defense initiative administered by the Institute of International Education, Project GO provides funding to ROTC students for critical language study both at home and overseas.
Funded by the U.S. Department of State, the Fellowship provides funding for the final year of undergraduate study and first year of graduate study in a field related to the Foreign Service (including specialization in a language). Successful completion leads to employment by the Foreign Service.
Private sector grants and scholarships
The Joan Nelson Study Abroad Scholarship is a $5,000 award given to a Golden Key International Honor Society member to be used toward overseas study.
QFI offers college undergraduates a variety of scholarships involving Arabic language and Arab societies and cultures.
The Society awards 75 study-abroad grants of $1,000 to students on campuses with a Phi Kappa Phi chapter who have earned a GPA of at least 3.75 on a 4-point scale. Applicants do not have to be society members but must attend an institution with an active Phi Kappa Phi chapter.
The Society provides a variety of grants to Sigma Delta Pi graduate and undergraduate students to support research and study abroad in Spanish-speaking countries, as well as awards to outstanding graduate and undergraduate students.
Foreign languages teacher grants and scholarships
The U.S. Department of Education sponsors the Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program to provide up to $4,000 to education majors who agree to teach in a high-need field, including foreign language and bilingual education. Recipients must work as full-time teachers for at least four years in a low-income school.
The AATF awards one $2,000 scholarship annually to a future French teacher to help fund his or her long-term study-abroad experience.
The AATSP awards $1,000 Robert G. Mead Jr. Scholarship annually to full-time college students who have been AATSP members for two years and have no experience living in a Luso-Hispanic country.
Each year, the National German Honorary Society awards $500 and a student membership to the American Association of Teachers of German to undergraduate or graduate members seeking certification.
JLSF provides $3,000 and round-trip airfare for current and future Japanese language teachers and graduate students wishing to complete a project of their choice in Japan.
ACL scholarships awarded to league members may be applied to Latin certification class expenses, among other costs.
The CSC offers a scholarship for future Latin teachers preparing for certification. Society membership is not required for consideration.
Internships and training
Career opportunities in government
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