News
On August 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education published a Notice of Final Rule with important updates to the regulations that govern the Title VI National Resource Centers (NRC) and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships programs. IFLE will host a series of webinars over the coming months to review these regulatory changes.
PDF of Upcoming Webinars - PDF (1M)
- October 24, 2024
Overview of Revised Regulations: 34 CFR parts 655, 656, and 657- Recording Link
- Slide Deck: PDF (705K)
- November 14, 2024
Geographic World Area Requirement and Allowable Costs for NRC and FLAS- Recording Link
- Slide Deck: PDF (2M)
- December 12, 2024 – 2:00 pm ET
FY 2026 Selection Criteria for NRC and FLAS
Click here to register for the December 12 webinar - January 23, 2025 – 2:00 pm ET
FLAS Eligibility and Administrative Planning Considerations
Click here to register for the January 23 webinar
Description
FLAS Program Press Kit: PDF (4.79M)
Are you a student interested in the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships program? To apply for a FLAS award, you must first be enrolled at an institution that has received an allocation of FLAS fellowships for your language/world region of interest. Visit our Google map of grantee institutions to find out which universities currently offer FLAS awards for your area and language of interest, and to learn more about our other grant and fellowship programs.
The Title VI Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships program provides allocations of academic year and summer fellowships to institutions of higher education or consortia of institutions of higher education to assist meritorious undergraduate students and graduate students undergoing training in modern foreign languages and related area or international studies. Eligible students apply for fellowships directly to an institution that has received an allocation of fellowships from the U.S. Department of Education.
The FLAS program contributes to the purposes of the programs authorized by part A of title VI of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, especially the development of a pool of international experts to meet national needs.
FLAS grants (allocations of fellowships) are awarded to institutions for a four-year project period. Institutions conduct competitions to select eligible undergraduate students and graduate students to receive fellowships, in accordance with FLAS program eligibility requirements and the institutions' FLAS selection procedures. Students must apply through an institution that has received an allocation of fellowship funding. Students should contact institutions directly for information about their application process.
Each fellowship includes an institutional payment and a stipend. Fellowship amounts depend on the type of student (undergraduate vs. graduate), the term of the FLAS fellowship (academic year or summer), and the actual costs of a fellow’s education. Estimated amounts are as follows:
| Academic Year Graduate | Academic Year Undergraduate | Summer (Graduate and Undergraduate) | |
| Institutional Payment (Tuition and Fees, limited to actual costs) | $18,000 max | $10,000 max | $5,000 max |
| Stipend | $20,000 | $5,000 | $3,500 |
| TOTAL | $38,000 max | $15,000 max | $8,500 max |
Contact
E-mail: NRC-FLAS@ed.gov
| Staff Contact | Portfolio | Phone # |
| Sarah Beaton | Advanced Training and Research Division Director | (202) 453-7221 |
| Carolyn Collins | Western Hemisphere (Canada, Latin America and Caribbean) | (202) 453-7854 |
| Brian Cwiek | East Asia/Pan-Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Pacific Islands | (202) 987-1947 |
| Tim Duvall | Middle East, Western Europe | (202) 453-7521 |
| Tanyelle Richardson | Africa, International | (202) 453-6391 |
| Dana Sapatoru | Russia/East Europe/Eurasia | (202) 987-1944 |
U.S. Department of Education
Office of Postsecondary Education
International and Foreign Language Education
FLAS Fellowships Program
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Washington, DC 20202
Program Classification
Program Office: International and Foreign Language Education
Assistance Listing Number (ALN): 84.015B
Program Type: Fellowships
Also Known As: FLAS
|| Competition Timeline || Application Materials || Tips & Assistance || Eligibility ||
Competition Timeline
The Title VI Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships program operates on a four-year grant cycle and competitions are announced in the Federal Register. To learn about future FLAS program competitions, please check this website and subscribe to the International and Foreign Language Education office newsletter listserv to receive updates.
Last competition: FY 2022
Next competition: FY 2026
Application Materials
The FY 2022 competition is closed. The deadline to apply was February 14, 2022. All information below regarding the FY 2022 competition is for reference only.
Applications for the FLAS program must be submitted online through Grants.gov. Institutions interested in applying for both NRC and FLAS grants are required to submit two separate applications (one for each program).
- Notice Inviting Applications for New Awards for FY 2022 dated December 16, 2022 | PDF
- FY 2022 FLAS Application Instructions: MS Word (478K)
Tips & Assistance
On August 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education published a Notice of Final Rule with important updates to the regulations that govern the Title VI National Resource Centers (NRC) and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships programs. IFLE will host a series of webinars over the coming months to review these regulatory changes.
- October 24, 2024
Overview of Revised Regulations: 34 CFR parts 655, 656, and 657- Recording Link
- Slide Deck: PDF (705K)
- November 14, 2024
Geographic World Area Requirement and Allowable Costs for NRC and FLAS- Recording Link
- Slide Deck: PDF (2M)
- December 12, 2024 – 2:00 pm ET
FY 2026 Selection Criteria for NRC and FLAS
Click here to register for the December 12 webinar - January 23, 2025 – 2:00 pm ET
FLAS Eligibility and Administrative Planning Considerations
Click here to register for the January 23 webinar
PRIOR COMPETITION MATERIALS
IFLE hosted a pre-application webinar for the FY 2022 FLAS competition on November 10, 2021. The webinar covered a variety of topics, including NRC and FLAS program requirements, selection criteria, updates to the application process, as well as time for questions and answers.
- CLICK HERE to stream the FY 2022 Application Technical Assistance Webinar on YouTube
- Webinar Slide Deck: PowerPoint (3.7M)
- FAQs: PDF (371K)
IFLE also developed a crosswalk document to accompany the Technical Review Form used by panel reviewers to evaluate and score how well applicants responded to program selection criteria. Applicants were able to use this document to better understand the specific language and the similarities and differences of each criterion for the NRC and FLAS competitions.
- Crosswalk for FY 2022 NRC and FLAS Technical Review Form: MS Word (34K)
Eligibility
Eligible Applicants: Institutions of higher education and consortia of institutions of higher education submit applications to the U.S. Department of Education to request FLAS grants (allocations of fellowships).
Fellowship Recipients: Eligible undergraduate students and graduate students apply directly to an institution that has received an allocation of fellowships from the U.S. Department of Education.
A student is eligible to receive a fellowship if the students satisfy the following criteria during the fellowship period:
- Is a citizen, national, or permanent resident of the United States;
- Is accepted for enrollment, is enrolled, or will continue to be enrolled in the institution receiving an allocation of fellowships;
- Demonstrates commitment to the study of a world area relevant to the allocation of fellowships and the potential for high academic achievement;
- Engages in in modern foreign language training or instruction in a language that is relevant to the student's educational program for which the institution or program has developed or is developing performance goals for foreign language use;
- Engages in the type of training appropriate to their degree status, such as the study of a less commonly taught language at the intermediate or advanced level for undergraduate students;
- (for academic year fellows only) Pursues an appropriate educational program that meets all requirements in the program regulations.
For a complete description of eligibility requirements for students, please view the program regulations in 34 CFR § 657.4.
NOTE: Students do not apply to the U.S. Department of Education. Students must apply directly to grantee institutions.
Fellowship Duration: An institution may award a fellowship to a student for one academic year or one summer session if the summer session provides the fellow with the equivalent of one academic year of modern foreign language study.
Use of Funds for Overseas Fellowships
Before awarding a fellowship for use outside the United States, an institution shall obtain approval from the U.S. Department of Education. A fellowship may be approved for use outside the United States if the student is:
- Enrolled in an overseas foreign language program approved by the institution at which the student is enrolled in the United States for study at an intermediate or advanced level or at the beginning level if appropriate equivalent instruction is not available in the United States; or
- Engaged during the academic year in research that cannot be done effectively in the United States and is affiliated with an institution of higher education or other appropriate organization in the host country.
FY 2024
Appropriation: $31,236,116
Number of New Awards: 0
Number of Continuation Awards: 112 institutional awards
Average Continuation Award: $278,894
List of FY 2022-2025 Grantees and Funding Amounts: MS Excel (123K)
Google Map of FY 2024 IFLE Grantees
FY 2023
Appropriation: $31,236,116
Number of New Awards: 0
Number of Continuation Awards: 112 institutional awards
Average Continuation Award: $278,894
List of FY 2022-2025 Grantees and Funding Amounts: MS Excel (123K)
Google Map of FY 2023 IFLE Grantees
FY 2022
Appropriation: $31,236,116
Number of New Awards: 112 institutional awards
Number of Continuation Awards: 0
Average New Award: $278,894
List of FY 2022-2025 Grantees and Funding Amounts: MS Excel (123K)
Narratives of Funded FY 2022-2025 FLAS Applications: Coming Soon
Google Map of FY 2022 IFLE Grantees
FY 2021
Appropriation: $31,236,116
Number of New Awards: 0
Number of Continuation Awards: 106 institutional awards
Average Continuation Award: $294,680
List of FY 2018-2021 Grantees and Funding Amounts: MS Excel (68K)
Funded FY 2018-2021 NRC/FLAS Applications
FY 2020
Appropriation: $30,489,116
Number of New Awards: 0
Number of Continuation Awards: 106 institutional awards
Average Continuation Award: $287,633
List of FY 2018-2021 Grantees and Funding Amounts: MS Excel (68K)
Funded FY 2018-2021 NRC/FLAS Applications
FY 2019
Appropriation: $30,343,000
Number of New Awards: 0
Number of Continuation Awards: 106 institutional awards
Average Continuation Award: $286,255
List of FY 2018-2021 Grantees and Funding Amounts: MS Excel (68K)
Funded FY 2018-2021 NRC/FLAS Applications
Useful Links
- Notice of Final Rule (August 27, 2024) with regulatory updates to the NRC program (see “Regulations” section below for a list of upcoming technical assistance webinars)
- Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (February 22, 2024) regarding regulatory updates to the NRC program
- Program Administration Manual for FY 2022-2025: PDF (2.63M)
- International Resource Information System (IRIS) -- a performance reporting system and searchable database for 14 international education programs
- Related Site: National Resource Centers Program (NRC)
- OPE - Other Applicant and Grantee Resources
- FY 2022-2025 NRC/FLAS Project Directors Meeting: Click here for full list of links and resources
The Higher Education Act requires that the Secretary consult with federal agency heads in order to receive recommendations regarding areas of national need for expertise in foreign languages and world regions.
Areas of national need identified by the Secretary, consisting of priority languages that are less commonly taught and the world regions - Consultation with Federal Agencies on Areas of National Need
Legislation
- Consultation with Federal Agencies on Areas of National Need – The Higher Education Act requires that the Secretary consult with federal agency heads in order to receive recommendations regarding areas of national need for expertise in foreign languages and world regions.
- Title VI, Part A, Section 602(b) of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended
- 20 USC Section 1122 and Sections 1132-1137
Regulations
- On August 27, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education published a Notice of Final Rule with important updates to the regulations that govern the Title VI National Resource Centers (NRC) and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships programs. IFLE will host a series of webinars over the coming months to review these regulatory changes.
- October 24, 2024
Overview of Revised Regulations: 34 CFR parts 655, 656, and 657- Recording Link
- Slide Deck: PDF (705K)
- November 14, 2024
Geographic World Area Requirement and Allowable Costs for NRC and FLAS- Recording Link
- Slide Deck: PDF (2M)
- December 12, 2024 – 2:00 pm ET
FY 2026 Selection Criteria for NRC and FLAS
Click here to register for the December 12 webinar - January 23, 2025 – 2:00 pm ET
FLAS Eligibility and Administrative Planning Considerations
Click here to register for the January 23 webinar
- October 24, 2024
- 34 CFR 655 and 657
- Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), Parts 75, 76, 77, 79, 82, 84, 86, 97, 98, and 99
- On August 29, 2024, the U.S. Department of Education published a Notice of Final Rule with updates to the EDGAR provisions.
- The Office of Management and Budget Guidelines to Agencies on Governmentwide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) in 2 CFR part 180, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3485.
- The Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards in 2 CFR part 200, as adopted and amended as regulations of the Department in 2 CFR part 3474.
Performance Reporting
FLAS Tracking Survey Results
- FLAS Tracking Survey Results: 2018-2022 Cohort PDF (2M)
- FLAS Tracking Survey Results: 2010-2018 Cohort PDF (697K)
- FLAS Tracking Survey Results: 2010 — 2014 Cohort PDF (688K)
- FLAS Tracking Survey Results: 2010 — 2012 Cohort PDF (717K)
FLAS SURVEY RESULTS WEBINAR
IFLE hosted a special webinar on November 6, featuring a presentation on the results of the most recent FLAS Alumni Survey. The presentation highlighted principal survey findings and shared insights on languages studied, proficiency gains, the use of language and area studies skills in current jobs, employment outcomes, and more.
- Recording Link
- Slide Deck: PDF (2M)
Annual Performance Report
Grantees under this program are required to submit an annual performance report (APR) through the International Resource Information System (IRIS). The Department provides grantees with the required password and other information needed to access the IRIS system. IRIS also includes a publicly accessible searchable database of abstracts of projects funded under OPE's international education programs.
Frequently Asked Questions for the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships Program may be found on the National Resource Centers Program Web site. These FAQs apply to both programs.