Boren Awards are funded by the National Security Education Program (Department of Defense) and provide U.S. undergraduate and graduate students with the resources to pursue study abroad experiences focused on languages, fields of study, and geographic areas deemed critical to U.S. interests. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded.
Boren scholarships and fellowships offer undergraduates and graduate students up to $25,000 for 6-12 months of language study abroad. In exchange for funding, Boren award recipients agree to work in the federal government for a period of at least one year. This award is an excellent “in” for students who wish to pursue careers in the federal government that require skills in critical languages.
Students who receive a Boren scholarship or fellowship have demonstrated keen understanding of national security challenges and commitment to gaining the linguistic and cultural skills needed to support the critical missions of agencies throughout the federal government.
The Boren Awards national deadlines are in late January (fellowship) and early February (scholarship). Students applying for a Boren scholarship or fellowship must meet an internal campus deadline (early January) in order to receive a campus evaluation for their application, which will share valuable insight into their preparation, maturity, and commitment.
Students should contact Elizabeth Hughes, student affairs advisor and Boren Awards campus representative, at [email protected], in early fall to begin working on their applications.
Elizabeth also advises students applying for other language and foreign affairs-focused scholarships with fall deadlines: CLS (Critical Language Scholarship), Pickering, Rangel, and Payne programs.