Overview

The National Security Education Program ("NSEP") David L. Boren Fellowships are funded by the United States government to offer U.s. graduate students the opportunity to enhance their understanding of geographic areas and countries whose languages and cultures are ctitical to U.S. national security but less frequently studied ( i.e., areas of the world other than Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand). The program was created to address the need to increase the ability of U.S. citizens to communicate and compete globally by knowing languages and cultures of other nations.

The program recognizes that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting U.S. well being, but also the new challenges of a global society, including sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness.

Eligibility

NSEP welcomes applications from U.S. citizens enrolled in or applying to a graduate degree program in an accredited U.S. college or university. NSEP David L. Boren fellowship recipients must provide evidence of admission to a U.S. graduate school and intent to enroll in that program before an award can be made. All fellowship recipients agree to work either for a U.S. government agency involved in national security affairs, or in U.S. higher education, in that order of precedence.

Criteria

NSEP David L. Boren fellowship award recipients are selected on the basis of merit in a two-stage national merit review process. The selection process includes consideration of the relationship between the applicant's proposed study to U.S. national security and how the applicant proposes to use knowledge and expertise gained from NSEP support to contribute to U.S. national security, among other selection criteria.

Application Process

Persons interested in applying for an NSEP David L. Boren Fellowship should submit an application directly to the Academy for Educational Development. Applications, which are available online, are due in mid-January. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted. Applicants design their own programs and are encouraged to combine domestic language and cultural study with overseas study. All fellowships must include formal study of a modern language other than English and the study of an area and culture. (Note: NSEP David L. Boren fellowship support may not be used for study of French or Spanish unless such language instruction is at an advanced level or combined with study of applied sciences or engineering.)

Award Value and Conditions

NSEP David L. Boren fellowship awards are made for a minimum of one academic semester and a maximum of 24 months. The basic grant for domestic language or area study is $2,000 per semester. The maximum award is $10,000 per semester for overseas study for up to two semesters ($20,000).

All NSEP David L. Boren fellowship recipients incur an obligation to enter into an agreement to work for an agency of the federal government with national security responsibilities or to work in the field of higher education, in that order of precedence. Eligible federal agencies include, among others, the Departments of Commerce, Defense, Energy, Justice, and State and the Intelligence Community, as well as more than 25 committees and subcommittees of the U.S. Congress. For more information about the agreement, please visit the NSEP service obligation page.

All NSEP David L. Boren fellowship recipients must agree to a language proficiency test prior to and after the NSEP-supported language study. The results of the proficiency testing will be used to assess the program; they will not be used to evaluate individual student performance. The pre-test requirement will be waived in cases where a fellowship recipient has no previous language training in the language to be studied under the NSEP David L. Boren fellowship.

Additional information is available from the NSEP web site.