Scholarships, Awards, and Study Abroad

Scholarships

Critical Language Scholarship (Full Scholarship and Study Abroad Program)

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is a summer intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. Students spend eight to ten weeks abroad studying one of 15 critical languages. The CLS Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government. It is administered by American Councils for International Education.

The CLS Persian Program is held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Students take courses in the Farsi and Tajiki dialects. No prior study of the language is currently required.

Boren Awards

The Boren Awards fund the intensive study of language and culture abroad by U.S. undergraduate or graduate students. All eligible applicants have the option to either apply for a Regional Flagship Language Initiative or select/design their own study program. For Persian, students must propose and apply separately to a study abroad program, such as the American Councils Eurasian Regional Language Program in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Boren Scholarships are for U.S. undergraduate students. Maximum awards are determined by duration abroad:

  • Up to $20,000 for 25-52 weeks (preferred)
  • Up to $10,000 for 12-24 weeks
  • Up to $8,000 for 8-11 weeks (STEM majors only)
  • Boren Fellowships are for U.S. graduate students. Maximum awards are determined by duration abroad:
  • Up to $24,000 for 37-52 weeks abroad (preferred)
  • Up to $20,000 for 25-36 weeks abroad (preferred)
  • Up to $12,000 for 12-24 weeks
  • + Up to $12,000 for domestic language study (optional)

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS)

Summer FLAS Fellowships are available to U.S. undergraduate and graduate students for domestic or international study in Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, and Turkish. The FLAS Fellowship provides up to $5,000 in tuition and fees and a $2,500 stipend for the summer.

Academic-year FLAS Fellowships are available to U.S. graduate students for the study of intermediate, advanced, and post-advanced Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, and Turkish. Academic-year FLAS Fellowships provide $18,000 for tuition/fees and a $15,000 stipend.

For more information on the Summer and Academic-year FLAS Fellowships and how to apply, please visit here.

Fulbright-Hayes Fellowships

Provided by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by American Councils, Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad fellowships are available to advanced-level Persian language speakers who plan to participate in the American Councils Eurasian Regional Language Program in Dushanbe. Eligible participants must have a strong commitment to teaching Persian in universities or in K-12 schools, or to applying their language skills in government, international development, or other professional fields.

Fulbright-Hays fellowships are awarded on the basis of financial need and academic merit; fellowship awards are made in the amount of $9,000 for the semester and $5,000 for the summer.

Title VIII Language Fellowships

Applicants who hold a Bachelor’s degree or higher and plan to participate in the Eurasian Regional Language Program are eligible to apply for a Title VIII Language Fellowship, provided by the U.S. Department of State and administered by American Councils. Title VIII fellowships are awarded on the basis of financial need and academic merit, and may cover up to 75% of the program cost.

Awards and Prizes

Dr.  Mehrdad Mashayekhi Foundation Research Paper Prize

The Mashayekhi Foundation is delighted to launch its second annual prize competition, in collaboration with Persian Language Program at Georgetown University.

This is an opportunity developed specifically for students participating in different levels of the Persian Language Program at Georgetown University. The winner of the competition will receive a $150 prize. The subject of Research Paper changes annually and should promote the Critical Social Sciences.

Paper submissions for consideration of the prize should be original, English-Language papers with a video presentation of the research paper in Farsi Language. The Research Paper should be at least 5 pages, not exceed a length of 1,500 words and Farsi video presentation should be presented within 3 to 5 minutes.

Please address all questions to Professor Farima Mostowfi.

Study Abroad Programs

In addition to the following programs, students in Persian Studies have also studied abroad during the academic year at UK universities offering Persian language and content courses, including the University of St. Andrews and SOAS.

Eurasian Regional Language Program (Dushanbe, Tajikistan)

The Eurasian Regional Language Program (ERLP) administered by American Councils offers intensive, highly-individualized instruction in more than 15 Eurasian languages, including Armenian, Azerbaijani, Dari, Farsi, Georgian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Romanian, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Uzbek.

The program in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, offers courses in Persian in the Farsi, Tajiki, and Dari dialects. Financial aid and scholarships are available, including but not limited to the Fulbright-Hayes Fellowship and Title VIII Language Fellowship for graduate and doctoral students.

Persian Language Study in Armenia

Aspirantum offers 3- and 6-week intensive Persian language summer school in Yerevan, Armenia. There are also 3-week intensive Persian language courses offered in the winter. For more information and to apply, please visit their website.