FLAS Information

FLAS Online Application [Application deadline was 5:00 pm E.S.T on February 2, 2009]

A Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship provides tuition and a stipend to students studying designated foreign languages in combination with area studies or international aspects of professional studies. The priority is to encourage the study of less commonly taught languages. FLAS Fellowships are administered by the University of Michigan Area Studies Centers and are awarded competitively through annual fellowship competitions. The U.S. Department of Education (US/ED) funds these awards under the provisions of Title VI of the Higher Education Act. The amount of funding and number of awards granted is contingent upon annual US/ED program approval, federal regulations, as well as continued congressional funding, all of which may change from year to year.

Academic Year FLAS awards are for graduate and professional school students to study modern foreign languages and related area or international studies. FLAS recipients receive full tuition, mandatory fees, and a stipend during the academic year fall and winter terms. FLAS awards cannot be deferred. The Academic Year FLAS award for 2009-2010 covers full tuition, mandatory fees, and a $15,000 stipend. The stipend is dispersed in 10 equal payments over an eight-month period. Summer FLAS awards are designed to support summer modern language study. These awards are given only for intensive language classes that teach the equivalent of a University of Michigan academic year language class. Authorization must be obtained in order to take a course not offered in approved U.S.-based programs. Summer FLAS awards are to be used during summer 2009 and cannot be deferred. The Summer FLAS covers full tuition for a summer language program and a $2,500 stipend. In some cases, a travel award may also be made. The summer award is dispersed as a lump sum.The Center for Southeast Asian Studies does not award Summer FLAS fellowships. Please contact CSEAS for information about options for summer language study and funding.

Eligibility Information: Each FLAS grantee must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and an applicant to or continuing student in a full-time University of Michigan graduate degree or professional school program that combines modern foreign language training with international or area studies or with the international aspects of professional training or other fields of study. A student who already possesses language fluency equivalent to an educated native speaker in the language for which the award is sought will be assigned the lowest consideration in the selection of fellows. Although exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis, FLAS fellowships are generally not tenable for dissertation research or writing.

Application Information: Complete the online FLAS Application and arrange for all of the supporting materials to arrive at the relevant Area Studies Center by 5:00 pm on February 2, 2009. Late applications will not be considered. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all FLAS application materials have arrived at the Center. This means applicants must check with Center fellowship representatives personally, prior to the February 2 deadline, to confirm that an application is complete. Incomplete applications will not be considered for awards. Please also note that you should check with your respective Center to be sure that the correct level of your language of choice is offered during the academic year 2009-2010. If you are applying for the Summer FLAS, you must request and complete admission materials for the institution at which you hope to use the Summer FLAS. Note: Center staff may have information about summer language programs, but it is the fellow's responsibility to identify and choose a program that meets FLAS requirements. Each applicant is responsible for making sure that the following materials are on file with the appropriate Area Studies Center by 5:00 pm on February 2, 2009:

1. FLAS Online Application (including Statement of Purpose and C.V.) [Application deadline was 5:00 pm on February 2, 2009]
2. Two Academic Letters of Recommendation (PDF)
3. Language Instructor Report (PDF)
4. Your application to the University of Michigan Rackham Graduate School, Law School, Business School, or other professional school or program
5. Official Transcripts of all college-level work
6. Your GRE, GMAT, and/or LSAT Score Report Form/s (a photocopy is acceptable)

If you are a Master's student applying for admission to the Center, or if you have applied for a FLAS in the past, contact your Center to see what is already on file. If you have not submitted an application to the Center in the past, contact your home department to see what they can forward to the Center on your behalf.

Contact:
Latin American & Caribbean Studies (LACS)
734.763.0553
lacs.office@umich.edu
Portuguese, Quechua, Spanish

Middle Eastern & North African Studies (CMENAS)
734.764.0350
cmenas@umich.edu
Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, Turkish

Russian & East European Studies (CREES)
734.764.0351
crees.fellowships@umich.edu
Armenian, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, Uzbek, Yiddish

South Asian Studies (CSAS)
734.647.8216
csas-flas@umich.edu
Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Tibetan, and Urdu

Southeast Asian Studies (CSEAS)
734.764.0352
cseas.flas@umich.edu
Indonesian, Filipino, Thai, Vietnamese (Academic Year awards ONLY)

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