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FLAS

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS)
Fellowships

The Center for South Asia administers a program of graduate fellowships for the study of less commonly taught languages and area studies. Funded by the US Department of Education, the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships seek to improve language fluency and international awareness in the United States.

FLAS fellowships cover tuition and provide a stipend for either one academic year or a summer. Please note that FLAS competitions are offered annually and carry no presumption of additional or continual awards.

For questions about the FLAS award at the Center for South Asia, please contact: Rachel Weiss at (608) 262-9224 or rweiss@southasia.wisc.edu.

All materials - for the 2009-2010 FLAS awards (both summer and academic year) - must be submitted to the Center for South Asia office (203 Ingraham Hall), by Monday, February 16, 2009.

The Center for South Asia supports funding for the following languages:

AY: Hindi, Pashto, Persian (in relation to Pakistan and/or Afghanistan), Telugu, Tibetan (modern spoken), Urdu

Summer: Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Pashto, Punjabi, Sinhala, Tamil, Telugu, Tibetan, Urdu

Eligibility for FLAS fellowships:

- Only U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents are eligible to apply for FLAS Fellowships.

- Any “Incomplete” on a student’s transcript when the FLAS Selection Committee meets renders the student ineligible for a FLAS Fellowship.

- A student is eligible for a maximum of 3 years of FLAS support as follows:

- 3 academic years of language study support at the pre-dissertation stage;

Please note: Summer FLAS does not count against total FLAS eligibility.

- An academic year FLAS must begin in the Fall Semester and be accepted by the recipient for both the Fall and Spring Semesters during that academic year.

- A summer FLAS must be the equivalent of one full academic year of study (2 semesters).

Additional note: The U.S. Department of Education Title VI Program (funding agency for FLAS) requires that the FLAS application process is available to graduate students in all disciplines across campus. We are also encouraged to fund students broadly across disciplines and departments. The faculty Applicant Review and Ranking Committee will evaluate applications on the merit of language study need, rather than departmental requirements for language study. Considering the number of qualified applicants with justifiable need for language acquisition, applicants are encouraged to consider FLAS as potential funding for two years of language study, with a long-term plan for other sources of funding.

For the 2006-2010 funding cycle we have agreed to give some preference to applicants who may terminate at the MA level and intent to pursue government service.

FLAS Application Requirements

Only applications that fulfill the following requirements will be considered:

  • Applicants must be citizens, nationals, or permanent residents of the US.
  • Students from any field are encouraged to apply. Eligibility is limited to University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate and professional school students. Priority will be given to applicants with good academic records who can best demonstrate the need for language study as a part of their total program.
  • Handwritten applications are not acceptable.
  • Submit the following to the Center for South Asia (203 Ingraham Hall):
    • one copy of the Official Application form (Sections A-E, see instructions below);
    • one transcript copy from each undergraduate and graduate institution, including a copy of a grade slip from Semester I, 2008-09, if available. Unofficial copies of transcripts are acceptable, as long as they are fully legible;
    • one copy of test scores (not required by all offices);
    • at least two letters of recommendation (see Section B below);
    • one language reference form (last page of Official Application form).
  • Please note that area studies offices do not have files with letters, transcripts, GRE scores, etc. It is your responsibility to see that your program gets the necessary copies of materials required by its stated deadline.
  • Academic Year Applicants: If you are NOT currently a graduate student at UW-Madison, you MUST apply to the graduate school for admission to a specific department. Please note that this process is entirely separate from your application for a FLAS fellowship. You may obtain applications for admission and order a bulletin by writing to the department you wish to enter. You may also choose to apply via the web using the UW-Madison Graduate School online application at: http://whyuwmadison.gradsch.wisc.edu
  • Summer Applicants : Fellowships may be used for language courses offered on this campus or for appropriate language training on other campuses in the United States. University of Wisconsin-Madison students at the advanced level or whose chosen language is not offered in the US at their level may apply to study abroad. Occasionally summer awards have been offered to public school teachers or college or university faculty members who need intensive language training.
  • No outside employment is allowed during the period of summer intensive language courses. Limited employment is allowed during academic year awards. Please check with the relevant area or international studies office to request approval.

FLAS Application Instructions

Section A: IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

  • All applicants must complete items 1-12
  • Item #10: Indicate the Area or International Studies Center to which you are applying .
  • Item #13: Complete if applicable.

Section B: REFERENCES

  • All applicants must submit two letters of recommendation relating to the applicant’s qualifications for this award. If you are already a graduate student at UW-Madison, at least one of these letters must be current; if you are an advanced graduate student, one is needed from your major professor.
  • Language reference: Please use the attached HEA Title VI Language Reference form. If you have had previous training in the language for which you are applying, submit the reference for that language. If you have not had training in the language for which you are applying, submit a reference for a language in which you are most fluent. You may duplicate the form if you wish to submit more than one language reference. If you have not had any prior college-level language training, submit a third academic reference. The referee who completes this form may also submit one of the two other letters of recommendation. 

Section C: EDUCATION

  • All applicants must complete items 1-4.
  • Item #4: Other graduate-level exams (LSAT, MCAT, etc) may be substituted for GRE scores. Please consult with the Center for South Asia FLAS advisor.
  • Graduate Record Exam scores. If they have been sent to Wisconsin , but your department does not have them in your file, you must request them from the GRE organization. If you are in a professional school and do not have GRE scores, consult with the Center for South Asia FLAS advisor for possible alternatives to the GRE. A copy of the test score report must be submitted to most programs

Section D: PLAN OF STUDY

  • Specific course numbers are not required.
    • Academic Year: All awardees must take 1 language course and 1 related area studies course each semester. All awardees must be enrolled as full-time students and remain in good academic standing for the duration of the award.
    • Summer: Summer FLAS recipients are required to enroll in a course of modern language study equivalent to one full academic year of study. No area studies course is required or allowed.
  • Awards to dissertators are rarely offered from the Center for South Asia. However, applicants who are or will be at dissertation stage must provide two copies of a description of the dissertation project, not to exceed two pages, including the following information: (a) title of the project and signature of your graduate advisor; (b) statement of purpose; (c) description of topic and of methodology used to obtain research goals; (d) statement of the use of language of the award as a major research tool; (e) description of any proposed travel within the U.S. or overseas considered to be research related. Indicate why the topic and research necessitates travel. Include a timetable and proposed itinerary of overseas research; (f) statement of progress to date; (g) specific information on work or research to be accomplished during award period (AY2009-2010).
  • If you are or will be at dissertation stage and eligible for 3 credits, but must take additional course work, indicate the reason(s).
  • Summer Applicants: Summer program costs are needed for this application. If you are proposing to study at another university, you should obtain information on course offerings, the number of credits and tuition costs at the host institution. Indicate on the application form whether you will be considered a resident or nonresident at the school you wish to attend and list the exact cost or the institution's best estimate for the number of credits you will be taking.
  • Summer Applicants: Note that if you plan to attend UW-Madison, you must be registered for a minimum of eight weeks in the summer, either in the regular eight-week session or in two shorter sessions (not including inter-session). Programs at other institutions must last a minimum of 6 weeks and offer a minimum of 140 contact hours. The award will pay the costs for the intensive language course(s) only; it will not pay for any additional course work.

Section E: ESSAY QUESTIONS

  • Answer Questions 1-4. Please type.
  • Take the time to carefully consider your responses to questions 1-4. Use an additional sheet if necessary. FLAS fellowships are highly competitive.
  • Applicants must submit a one-page double spaced statement of purpose in addition to other application materials (statements must not exceed one page).

Please see our Frequently Asked Questions if you have additional questions.

Application Forms

Academic Year 2009-2010 (Microsoft Word)

Summer 2009 (Microsoft Word)

FLAS Language Reference (Microsoft Word)

Please note: All FLAS forms are in Microsoft Word format. You must complete the forms on a computer and then print them. (We recommend you save a copy for your records.) If the forms are modified outside of the fillable boxes, your application will not be accepted. To complete the Language Reference form, applicants should open the file, fill out the top section ("Name" through "Prior Training"), save the file, and submit it electronically (as an email attachment) to the evaluator, who will complete the form and print it out. Evaluators may submit the signed Language Reference form directly to the relevant areas studies program or return it to the applicant for submission with the rest of the application.

All materials for the 2009-2010 FLAS awards (both summer and academic year) - must be submitted to the Center for South Asia office (203 Ingraham Hall) by Monday, February 16, 2009.

Policies Governing Title VI Foreign Language and
Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships

Academic Year FLAS awards are made to students enrolled in graduate degree programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the term of the award. A FLAS Fellowship recipient is required to:

1) enroll in a course of modern language study consistent with his/her application, and

2) to enroll in a non-language course (“area studies course”) with significant South Asia content for both the Fall and Spring Semesters. The FLAS Coordinator will make initial determinations on the appropriateness of area studies courses. If necessary, further determinations on the appropriateness of area studies courses will be made by the FLAS Selection Committee.

Summer FLAS awards are made to:

1) students who are enrolled in graduate degree programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who are seeking summer language study at the University of Wisconsin-Madison;

2) students who are enrolled in graduate degree programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who are seeking summer language study that is not offered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in another approved program located in the U.S. or abroad.

Summer FLAS recipients are required to enroll in a course of modern language study equivalent to one full academic year of study. No area studies course is required or allowed.

METHOD FOR RANKINGS

This is an annual competition. The following application materials will be given equal weight:

- Past academic performance based on the transcripts and GRE scores submitted by the applicant (note that these are annual competitions, individual performance is measured against the performance of other applicants every year).

- The one-page applicant statement of purpose, plus answers to the questions on the applicant form (note that career goals are requested on the application).

- Letters of recommendation. (Note that 2 non-language and 1 language reference are requested. The language reference will be used to determine an applicant’s ability to learn a language. Previous study of a South Asian language is not required.)

PRIORITIES FOR RANKINGS (2006-2010)

- Federal funding priority is requested for students who will be studying “the least commonly taught languages who are pursuing advanced-level language proficiency.”

- Federal funding priority is requested for “talented students pursuing master’s degrees who may be more likely to pursue government service.”

LANGUAGE OF APPLICATION

- Applicants must demonstrate that the language of application is significant to their degree and career goals.

PROGRAM OF STUDY IN RELATION TO RANKINGS

The Center for South Asia is an interdisciplinary program, not a teaching department, and is interested in the study of South Asia across the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. With the exception of the “Priorities for Rankings (2006-2010)” above, there is no priority discipline for FLAS Fellowships. The FLAS faculty Applicant Review and Ranking Committee reviews all applicants from any discipline and will make rankings based on the materials of the application.

SELECTION BASIS

Selection is “language blind.” It is based on the quality of an applicant’s overall record (including undergraduate and graduate student performance and GRE scores), the applicant’s application form, the applicant’s statement of purpose (with emphasis on the need for language study), and letters of recommendation.

STUDENT FINANCIAL STATUS WITH REGARD TO RANKINGS

A student’s financial situation is not an allowable consideration.

DISSERTATOR USE OF A TITLE VI FELLOWSHIP

Due to the alternative funds available for fieldwork, academic year FLAS awards will not be available for researching the dissertation. Note that although dissertators may apply, the U.S. Department of Education Title VI Program discourages centers from making awards to dissertators.

INFORMATION ON STUDENT RANKINGS

FLAS rankings are private information and are not posted or conveyed in any way as public information. To protect applicant privacy, an individual may inquire from the FLAS Coordinator as to his or her rank. The Coordinator will give a general indication of rank (i.e. “top ten,” “middle rank,” or “unlikely to receive an award,”). Additional information such as total number of applicants or the rank of any other individual will not be provided.

GRIEVANCES

Students wishing to file a grievance should either speak with, or write to the Director of the Center for South Asia.

CHANGES IN POLICY

The Center for South Asia will post these Policies Governing title VI Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships on its web site (http://www.southasia.wisc.edu). Updates to the “Policies” will be made in compliance with federal regulations and posted as currently as possible.
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