FLAS Fellowships
Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships support both undergraduate and graduate students who study African language and area studies courses during the academic year or who enroll in intensive African language study during the summer. Support is also available for PhD students who are previous FLAS awardees and who have completed all required coursework, to be used for dissertation research abroad or for writing their dissertation.
We have the opportunity to grant one undergraduate FLAS fellowship for the Spring 2026 semester. This fellowship would consist of a $5,000 tuition award and a $2,500 stipend and would be only available for the Spring 2026 semester.
The application deadline for the 2026 Spring Semester FLAS Cycle is November 19, 2025. The application is now available here.
For questions that are not answered below, please consult the 2024 info session slideshow here.
- Fellowship Application Helpful Tips
- How do I write a strong fellowship application? Learn tips and tricks for writing strong applications for any grants, fellowships, or other competitive opportunities, including but not limited to FLAS.
- Please review these slides for more information
Eligibility Requirements
- Only US citizens or permanent residents are eligible, according to federal regulations.
- Candidates must be enrolled or accepted and intending to enroll in a Boston University degree program during their award period.
- Must enroll in a qualifying African language during the award period:
- Academic year FLAS awards are eligible to students studying Akan Twi, Amharic, Arabic, Igbo, Mandinka, Swahili, Wolof, isiXhosa, and isiZulu.
- Summer FLAS awards may support students in additional African languages. If you are interested in studying a language that is not listed, please contact this email (FLAS Coordinator).
- All applicants for academic year awards must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Be sure Boston University is selected to receive your FAFSA data when submitting.
- Students must apply for the FLAS Fellowship annually, even if they have been a previous awardee.
Additional specific requirements are listed below for undergraduate, graduate, or summer awards.
Application Materials
Prior to submitting your FLAS application, you will need:
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- A copy of your current official or unofficial transcript.
- An essay (500 words or fewer) answering the following:
- What are your motivations for studying your target African language? How does the study of this language fit in with your academic and career aspirations? The strongest essays will demonstrate commitment to the language and a clear rationale for studying it.
- For PhD students who have completed their coursework and are applying for support for dissertation research abroad: your statement should discuss your progress toward your degree, your research plans (both an abstract of your dissertation as well as practical considerations for research abroad), and an anticipated date of graduation.
- Two letters of recommendation, to be emailed from your referees directly to the ASC FLAS Committee at ascflas@bu.edu.
- Letters should come from people familiar with your academic work. If possible, one letter should be from an instructor in your target language.
- These letters should speak to your academic work, the relevance of your language studies to your academic or career goals, and your preparation for intensive study and work in your target country in the US or abroad.
Undergraduate Academic Year FLAS
Undergraduate Academic Year FLAS Fellowships are available to students who will be studying at the intermediate (2nd year) level or higher of an African language during the fellowship period. Students who have not yet begun study of the target language are not eligible, but should apply during their first year of study to be funded for their second year.
Recipients are required to enroll in both one African language course and one African area studies course each semester of the award period. The undergraduate fellowship includes $10,000 tuition scholarship and $5,000 living stipend for the award year.
Graduate Academic Year FLAS
Graduate Academic Year FLAS Fellowships are available to students who are engaged in pre-dissertation level study, preparation for dissertation research, dissertation research abroad, or dissertation writing at BU. Students who will be studying at the intermediate (2nd year) level or higher of an African language during the fellowship period are strongly preferred.
Recipients who have not yet completed all coursework or advanced to candidacy are required to enroll in both one African language course and one African area studies course each semester of the award period. Recipients pursuing dissertation research abroad are expected to be substantively engaging with the target language through their research.
Graduate FLAS awardees receive $20,000 stipends along with an $18,000 tuition scholarship from the African Studies Center. Additionally, the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences (GRS) will supplement the FLAS tuition scholarship award, making it a full tuition scholarship (up to 18 credits per semester for courses required for your degree and your FLAS fellowship), and cover the cost of the basic student health insurance premium for all graduate awardees. For GRS PhD students, GRS will furthermore supplement the living stipend to align with its standard stipend of $30,900 for the academic year (AY2025-26 rate). The fellowship also extends the awardee’s eligibility for funding after admission by one semester from 5 to 5.5 years for PhD students in GRS.
Summer FLAS
Summer FLAS fellowships are available for undergraduate and graduate students to study African languages through domestic or overseas intensive language programs.
Summer FLAS Fellowships are available to students who will be studying an African language at the intermediate (2nd year) level or higher. Exceptions may be made for graduate students applying for beginning level summer FLAS in a less commonly taught language if they have achieved advanced proficiency in another African language and there is a demonstrated need for the student to learn the second language for their overall training and expertise.
At the beginning or intermediate level, intensive language programs must last at least six weeks and offer a minimum of 140 contact hours; at the advanced level, intensive programs must last at least six weeks and offer a minimum of 120 contact hours of instruction.
The Summer FLAS covers up to $5000 in tuition and related fees paid directly to the host institution, and provides a $2500 stipend paid to the fellow for living expenses such as housing, food, and travel. For students studying overseas, the African Studies Center may be able to provide additional travel funds to cover transportation costs up to $1000; this is contingent on availability of funds after initial awards are made and is not guaranteed.
