The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program provides an immersive summer opportunity for American college and university students to acquire languages that are critical to America’s global participation.
Every summer, American undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in colleges and institutions across the country spend eight to 10 weeks learning one of fourteen languages at an intense study abroad institute. The CLS Program is intended to encourage quick language acquisition and vital intercultural skills in regions critical to US national security and economic growth.
Qualified Languages
- Arabic
- Azerbaijani
- Chinese
- Hindi
- Indonesian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Persian
- Portuguese
- Russian
- Swahili
- Turkish
- Urdu
Selection Criteria
- Academic excellence
- Potential to succeed in a rigorous academic setting
- Commitment to language learning
- Clear connection between target language and career/academic goals described in the essays
- Ability to adapt to an intensive program and a challenging cultural environment
- Potential contributions to the CLS program and program goals
- Preference may be given to candidates with limited or no previous study abroad experience
Eligibility Criteria
- Be a U.S. citizen or national at the time of application.
- Be at least 18 years old by May 15, 2026.
- Be enrolled in an accredited U.S. degree-granting program at the undergraduate (associate, bachelor’s) or graduate (master’s, doctoral, professional degree) level at the time of application.
- Applicants in an undergraduate program (associate or bachelor’s) must complete at least one full year of study (two semesters or three quarters) by the beginning of the CLS Program in Summer 2026.
- Applicants may only apply once, for one language, each year. Applicants who submit multiple applications will be considered ineligible.
- More details on eligibility: clscholarship.org/applicants/eligibility
The program begins with a virtual pre-departure orientation in the weeks preceding the program. Students are flown to their respective sites, where they begin intense language lessons. The program itself consists of around 15 hours per week of formal language teaching.
CLS participants also participate in a variety of language-enhancing activities, such as discussion partners, guest lectures, film screenings, host family visits (at some sites), and cultural excursions.
Some institutes ask students to sign a language promise, which obligates them to communicate in the target language at specific times. After finishing the program, students are requested to offer comments and take post-program language tests.
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