Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program
Encyclopedia
The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is a United States Department of State
cultural and educational exchange
program which offers 575 students from the United States
the opportunity to participate in an intensive language study abroad. This nationally competitive program funds students who study one of the 13 critical need foreign languages, and is part of the National Security Language Initiative
. The 13 critical languages include Arabic, Azerbaijani
, Bengali
, Chinese
, Hindi
, Indonesian
, Japanese
, Korean
, Persian
, Punjabi
, Russian
, Turkish
and Urdu
.
.
Students in all disciplines, including business, engineering, law, medicine, sciences, and humanities are encouraged to apply.
The U.S. Department of State and CAORC welcome all eligible applications and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, or disability.
See the CLS Website for more information on eligibility requirements.
, Indonesian
, Korean
, Punjabi, Turkish
, Urdu
: Beginning, intermediate or advanced level; Arabic, Persian
: Advanced beginning, intermediate or advanced level; Chinese
, Japanese
, Russian
: Intermediate or advanced level.
The equivalent of one year of college-level language study includes but is not limited to: a summer of intensive language study, two semesters of study (audited or for credit), or a year of private tutoring. A typical academic year is 9 months (36 weeks). A typical language course is 3-5 hours per week or 108-180 hours per academic year of language instruction. Applicants who have completed the CLS Program may count each summer of participation as one year of language study. Applicants must choose to apply for only one language offered by the CLS Program.
All applicants are initially read by two outside academic readers, and the top applications are reviewed by panels of academic and experts in the area and language. Applicants recommended for selection are forwarded to the U.S. Department of State for final approval. After notification, selected participants will be required to complete a language evaluation. Selected applicants will be assigned to a CLS institute site by mid to late April based on language evaluation results along with information provided in the online application.
pre-departure orientation, applicable visa fees, room, board, group-based intensive language instruction, program-sponsored travel within country, and all entrance fees for CLS Program cultural enhancement activities.
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
cultural and educational exchange
United States Cultural Exchange Programs
United States cultural exchange programs, particularly those programs with ties to theBureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State, seek to develop cultural understanding between United States citizens and citizens of other countries...
program which offers 575 students from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
the opportunity to participate in an intensive language study abroad. This nationally competitive program funds students who study one of the 13 critical need foreign languages, and is part of the National Security Language Initiative
National Security Language Initiative
The National Security Language Initiative is a program introduced by United States President George W. Bush on January 5, 2006 at the U.S. University President's Summit to develop the foreign language skills of American students, especially in "critical-need" foreign languages such as Arabic,...
. The 13 critical languages include Arabic, Azerbaijani
Azerbaijani language
Azerbaijani or Azeri or Torki is a language belonging to the Turkic language family, spoken in southwestern Asia by the Azerbaijani people, primarily in Azerbaijan and northwestern Iran...
, Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
, Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, Punjabi
Punjabi language
Punjabi is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by inhabitants of the historical Punjab region . For Sikhs, the Punjabi language stands as the official language in which all ceremonies take place. In Pakistan, Punjabi is the most widely spoken language...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
and Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
.
Program Administration
The selection process is administered by the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC) with awards approved by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The CLS Program is administered by CAORC and American Councils for International EducationAmerican Councils for International Education
American Councils for International Education is an international, non-profit, educational organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices and / or representative branches in over 25 countries, including most of the countries of the former Soviet Union .-Mission:American Councils for...
.
Eligibility Requirements
All applicants must be U.S. citizens. Applicants must be currently enrolled in a U.S. degree-granting program at the undergraduate or graduate level. Current undergraduate students must have completed at least one year of general college course-work by program start date (one year is defined as two semesters or three quarters). Be in acceptable mental and physical health. Grantees will be required to submit a satisfactory Medical Information Form and Physician’s Statement. Applicants must be 18 by the beginning of the 2011 CLS Program.Students in all disciplines, including business, engineering, law, medicine, sciences, and humanities are encouraged to apply.
The U.S. Department of State and CAORC welcome all eligible applications and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, or disability.
See the CLS Website for more information on eligibility requirements.
Language Levels and Prerequisites
Azerbaijani, Bangla/Bengali, HindiHindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
, Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, Punjabi, Turkish
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
: Beginning, intermediate or advanced level; Arabic, Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
: Advanced beginning, intermediate or advanced level; Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
, Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Intermediate or advanced level.
The equivalent of one year of college-level language study includes but is not limited to: a summer of intensive language study, two semesters of study (audited or for credit), or a year of private tutoring. A typical academic year is 9 months (36 weeks). A typical language course is 3-5 hours per week or 108-180 hours per academic year of language instruction. Applicants who have completed the CLS Program may count each summer of participation as one year of language study. Applicants must choose to apply for only one language offered by the CLS Program.
Selection Process
Award recipients will be selected on the basis of merit with consideration for: Academic record and potential to succeed in a rigorous academic setting; Ability to adapt to a different cultural environment; Diversity; Plan for continuation of study of the language; and Plan to use the language in future career.All applicants are initially read by two outside academic readers, and the top applications are reviewed by panels of academic and experts in the area and language. Applicants recommended for selection are forwarded to the U.S. Department of State for final approval. After notification, selected participants will be required to complete a language evaluation. Selected applicants will be assigned to a CLS institute site by mid to late April based on language evaluation results along with information provided in the online application.
Program Details
The program begins with a two-day pre-departure orientation in Washington D.C.. Immediately following the orientation program, students are flown to their respective locations where they delve into the intensive language programs. The program itself involves approximately 20 hours a week of formal language instruction. In addition, CLS participants engage in a variety of language enhancement activities, including conversation partners, guest lectures, film viewings, host family visits (some sites), and cultural excursions. Some institutes require students to take a language pledge, which requires students to speak in the target language at designated times. Upon completion the program, students are asked to provide feedback and participate in post-program language testing.Grant Benefits
All CLS Program costs are covered for participants including: travel to and from the student's U.S. home city and program location, a mandatory Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
pre-departure orientation, applicable visa fees, room, board, group-based intensive language instruction, program-sponsored travel within country, and all entrance fees for CLS Program cultural enhancement activities.