Posted by The Critical Language Scholarship Program is an immersive summer opportunity for American college and university students to learn languages essential to America’s engagement with the world. Critical Language Scholarship Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by American Councils for International Education. In this article, we’ll explore the Critical Language Scholarship Program in detail.
Quick Navigation
About the Program
The Critical Language Scholarship Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion group-based program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. Students spend eight to ten weeks abroad studying one of 14 critical languages. The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains.
The program also includes cultural, sports, and professional exchanges, as well as public-private partnerships. Critical Language Scholarship recipients are among the more than 30,000 exchange program participants that are overseen by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Program Overview
The CLS Program offers instruction in fourteen critical languages: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu. The program is open to all eligible U.S. undergraduate and graduate students in every field. The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains. The program also includes cultural, sports, and professional exchanges, as well as public-private partnerships.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the Critical Language Scholarship Program, applicants must be U.S. citizens enrolled in a U.S. degree-granting program at the undergraduate or graduate level. Applicants must also be in good academic standing and have a minimum GPA of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale. Applicants must also be at least 18 years old by the start of the program.
Read Also: List Of 12 Best Universities for Computer Sciences in the World
Application Process
The application process for the Critical Language Scholarship Program is highly competitive. Applicants must submit an online application, which includes personal information, academic transcripts, and essays. Applicants must also provide two letters of recommendation. The application deadline is typically in November, and finalists are notified in the spring.
Program Structure
The Critical Language Scholarship Program is an eight to ten-week program that includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains. The program also includes cultural, sports, and professional exchanges, as well as public-private partnerships. The program is conducted in an immersive environment, which means that students are expected to speak the target language at all times.
Key Benefits
The Critical Language Scholarship Program provides its scholars with intensive language and cultural instruction in an environment designed to maximize their language gains at every level. The program also provides career-ready skills, including cross-cultural communication, leadership, and teamwork. The program also provides opportunities for students to network with professionals in their field and to gain valuable experience in their chosen career path.
FAQs about Critical Language Scholarship Program
The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion group-based program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains.
The CLS Program is part of a wider government initiative to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering foreign languages that are critical to national security and economic prosperity.
Read Also: 30 Effective Tips for Success in Law School: Networking
Here are some frequently asked questions about the CLS Program:
Eligibility
To be eligible for the CLS Program, applicants must:
– Be a U.S. citizen or national at the time of application.
– Be at least 18 years old by May 15, 2024.
– Be enrolled in an accredited U.S. degree-granting program at the undergraduate (associate’s, bachelor’s) or graduate level.
– Meet the language requirements of the program to which they apply.
– Applicants may only apply once, for one language program, each summer. Applicants who submit multiple applications will be considered ineligible.
– Employees of the U.S. Department of State who work in offices under the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Academic Programs are not eligible.
Application
The CLS Application for the 2024 Summer Program is now closed. Applicants will be notified of their status as a scholarship recipient, alternate, or non-recipient by early March.
Selection
CLS applications are reviewed by a broad range of professionals, including language faculty, area specialists, study abroad professionals, and fellowship advisors as part of the selection process. During the first round of review, all applications are read by two outside reviewers. During the second round, top applications are submitted to selection panels. Award recipients will be selected on the basis of merit with consideration for the following: commitment to language learning, academic record and potential to succeed in a rigorous academic setting, and relevance of the CLS Program to the applicant’s academic and career goals.
Read Also: List Of Top 10 Best Online Courses for Teens
Languages
CLS offers instruction in critical languages at a variety of levels. No previous study is required for some languages, while others require one or two years of prior study. The languages offered by the CLS Program include:
- Azerbaijani
- Bangla/Bengali
- Chinese (Mandarin)
- Hindi
- Indonesian
- Japanese
- Korean
- Persian
- Portuguese
- Punjabi
- Russian
- Swahili
- Turkish
- Urdu
Program Benefits
The CLS Program covers the following costs: travel to and from the student’s U.S. home city and program location, a mandatory Washington, D.C. pre-departure orientation, applicable visa fees, language instruction, room, board, program-sponsored travel within the country, and all entrance fees for CLS Program cultural enhancement activities. U.S. passport fees and the cost of medical exams will not be covered by the scholarship.
If you have questions about the CLS Program that are not addressed in the FAQs, you can reach out to the program at [email protected] or at 202.833.7522.
The Critical Language Scholarship Program is an immersive summer opportunity for American college and university students to learn languages essential to America’s engagement with the world. The program is highly competitive and provides intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains.
The program also provides career-ready skills, including cross-cultural communication, leadership, and teamwork. The program has been highly successful in helping American students learn critical languages and gain valuable experience in their chosen career path.
Read Also: 10 Best Colleges in Cincinnati 2024
See also:
Trust you found our article on the Critical Language Scholarship Program 2024 helpful. Follow our website for more informative articles.