Foreign Language Area Studies (FLAS)

Overview

Funded through the United States Department of Education, Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships support advanced training in African languages. To be eligible, you must be a citizen or permanent resident of the U.S. and plan to enroll in an African language course and African area studies course.

The Center at UC Berkeley will not offer AY nor Summer FLAS from 2024-2026. Summer 2025 options for FLAS are available through other FLAS institutions that have FLAS and offer a summer program. Summer 2025 language institutes and programs will be listed on this shared site.

Visit the Graduate Division FLAS page for more information. The FLAS application for Summer for UCB graduate students can be found here. All other applicants, including UC Berkeley undergraduates, should use the following link. You will be asked to create an account before creating an application -- other Users.

Deadline

Please check the Graduate Fellowship Deadlines website for other area studies FLAS deadlines as well as other UC Berkeley Fellowship deadlines. 

Summer FLAS

Notes on Summer FLAS fellowships

In-country language study requires U.S. Department of Education approval of the instructional program and travel itinerary. Summer FLAS for study abroad is not awarded to first-year language study that can be done in the United States. Prospective applicants must consult with the institutions offering the fellowships for eligibility and additional information.

Summer Language Institutes and Programs

African Studies Centers nationwide collaborate to offer a range of summer language study opportunities. The African Studies Association, the African Language Teachers Association and individual universities share the task of administering competitive US Department of Education Title VI Fulbright Group Project Abroad (GPA) Advanced Overseas Intensive Language Projects. Previously, Howard University has offered GPA programs in Kenya for Advanced Swahili and Nigeria for Advanced Yoruba. The University of Pennsylvania has offered one in South Africa for Advanced Zulu. The University of Florida offered several languages through its African Flagship Languages Initiative. Indiana University offers several languages through its Summer Institute for Languages of the Muslim World. African Studies Centers nationwide collaborate to offer and advertise a range of other summer language study opportunities. A list of other language study options for the coming and previous summers are available at the links below:

2022 Summer African Language Courses and programs

(legacy data for information purposes only) 
Summer African Language Courses offered by USDE Title VI FLAS-funded programs:
Akan – Elementary, Intermediate University of Florida
Amharic – Elementary, Intermediate/Advanced University of Florida
Arabic – Elementary and Intermediate University of California, Berkeley
Arabic – Elementary and Intermediate University of Kansas
Arabic – Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced (APTLI) University of Wisconsin, Madison
Hausa – Elementary University of Florida
Igbo – Advanced University of Florida
Swahili – Elementary and Intermediate University of Kansas
Swahili – Level 1 and 2 University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Swahili – Elementary (in Tanzania and Kenya) Howard University
Swahili – Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced University of Florida
Swahili – Level 1 Indiana University
Wolof– Elementary, Intermediate/Advanced University of Florida
Wolof  – Elementary, Intermediate University of Kansas
Yoruba – Elementary University of Florida
Zulu – Elementary, Intermediate University of Florida
Intensive Summer Multilanguage Seminar – Self-directed language study University of Wisconsin-Madison
Other FLAS-eligible Summer Language Programs:
The Summer Institute for Languages of the Muslim World (SILMW), University of Illinois
Arabic – Elementary, Intermediate, Advanced
Swahili – Elementary
Wolof – Elementary
Check with specific institution to confirm availability of the course and FLAS eligibility.

US Institutions offering US Department of Education-funded FLAS Fellowships in African Languages, 2022-2024

Alumni

There is a LinkedIn group for Alumni of the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) ProgramWhen requesting to join, send a direct message through LinkedIn to the US Department of Education FLAS program staff containing the following information (this will expedite the verification and approval process):

  • Name at the time of FLAS award
  • Institution
  • Year(s) for which you received an award