Boren Fellowships

The Office of Global Affairs advises graduate students interested in applying for Boren Fellowships. Please contact Eve Duffy for more information.

Undergraduate students interested in Boren Scholarships should contact Anna Bernard-Hoverstad from the Nationally Competitive Scholarships team for advising and support.

Boren Fellowships for Graduate Students

Funded by the National Security Education Program, Boren Fellowships support graduate students pursuing the study of languages, cultures and world regions that are critical to U.S. interests. Boren Fellowships are intended to provide or add to the international component of U.S. graduate students’ education providing support for overseas study, domestic study or a combination of both.

Signature of Program

Program to enhance critical language skills among graduate students. Awards for one semester up to two years. In exchange for the fellowship funding, all Boren Fellows must agree to the NSEP Service Requirement.

Eligibility Requirements

U.S. citizen at the time of application. Non-citizen of destination country. Enrolled in or applying to a graduate program in the United States. Planning to study a foreign language intensively in an eligible world region (not Western Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand).

Application Deadline

The application deadline for the Boren Fellowship is Jan. 25, 2024 at 5pm ET.

Resources

Below are links to Boren webinars to reference as you prepare an application. You can browse all of the Boren webinars here.

• Introduction to the Boren Awards (6 min)
  Your Boren application should reflect your aspirations of becoming a federal government employee in a position related to national security. Understanding the national security implications of your study and the many career opportunities available to you is critical to a successful application.

• The Flagship Language Initiatives (13 min)
  The structure of the Flagship Language Initiatives: African Flagship Languages Initiative (AFLI), the Indonesian Flagship Language Initiative (IFLI), the South Asian Flagship Language Initiative (SAFLI), and the Turkish Flagship Language Initiative (TURFLI).

• Self-Designed Research & Language Programs (13 min)

How to design an eligible program that incorporates language study along with optional research, internships or other academic study opportunities.

• Crafting Competitive Essays (27 min)
  A deep dive into the critically important Boren Awards application essays. It covers the concept of national security discussed in Essay # 1 and how to describe career plans with the federal government in Essay # 2. This info and links to U.S. government careers websites is available at borenawards.org/essays.
   
• Understanding the NSEP Service Requirement
  An overview of the process for seeking federal employment after receiving a Boren award, and the numerous advantages that alumni have in that process.