The Boren Fellowship is for graduate students (U.S. citizens) who want to study abroad for a minimum of six months in 2021-22 in non-traditional regions and countries, and who are interested in learning the languages and cultures of those areas. Alumni are committed to public service, working in positions critical to U.S. national security throughout the Federal Government.
Eligible regions include Africa, South Asia, East and Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and former Soviet Republics, Latin America, and the Middle East. Boren Fellowships MAY NOT be used for study in Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand.
In addition to self-designed study programs in eligible countries, the Boren Awards program offers four regional language initiatives. These include:
- Turskish Flagship Language Initiative (TURFLI) to study Turskish in Azerbaijan;
- Indonesian Flagship Languages Initiative (IFLI), to study Bahasa Indonesia;
- South Asian Flagship Initiative (SAFLI) for the study of Hindi or Urdu; and
- African Flagship Languages Initiative (AFLI) for the study of French, Portuguese, Swahili, Akan/Twi, Wolof, or Zulu.
Important: The Boren Fellowship is a U.S. Government-funded award that seeks applicants who have a strong interest in future Federal Government service; the award carries a one-year service requirement.
All UMD applicants for the Boren Fellowship are encouraged to participate in a campus application process, which is designed to help you strengthen your application. We typically have a 50% acceptance rate!
If you are interested in learning more, please contact us at nsepboren@umd.edu.
National Deadline: January 27, 2021 at 5:00 pm EST