Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship
The Center for African Studies (CAS) administers academic year and summer Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships under a 2022-2026 grant from the U.S. Department of Education Title VI National Resource Centers (NRC) program. The Center provides fellowships for the study of Arabic, Swahili, and Wolof. FLAS Fellowships are awarded competitively through an annual competition. Graduate and undergraduate students from all departments and professional schools are encouraged to apply.
Academic Year 2024-2025 & Summer 2024 FLAS Application
The center for African Studies invites applications from University of Illinois undergraduate and graduate students for the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships. The Center administers FLAS fellowships for the study of Arabic, Swahili, and Wolof for Summer 2023 and Academic Year 2023-2024.
APPLICATION DEADLINE: Friday, January 26, 2024 at 11:59 P.M. CST
Deadline for Letters of Recommendation: Friday, February 2, 2024 at 11:59 P.M. CST (Please note that applicants are responsible for providing recommenders with instructions on how to submit a letter of recommendation. Letters should be submitted here: https://publish.illinois.edu/flasrecommendations/
ONLINE APPLICATION FORM for Academic Year 2024-25 and Summer 2024 will be made available in November 2023 on the University of Illinois FLAS application website: http://publish.illinois.edu/illinoisflas/
For more information, to apply for FLAS Fellowships, and to see the list of Centers awarding FLAS fellowships and eligible languages through other Centers please visit the University of Illinois Foreign Language and Areas Studies (FLAS) website: http://publish.illinois.edu/illinoisflas/
FLAS Information Sessions (2024-25)
Information sessions for students interested in applying for 2024-2025 FLAS will be held in two sections.
Virtual Session I will be Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT. To register for Virtual Session I, click here.
In-person Session II will be Monday, Dec. 4, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. CT in Gregory Hall, Room 205. Registration is not required to attend In-Person Session II.
Undergraduate and graduate students are welcome at either session.
*Topics of discussion include eligibility and requirements, walking through the application, and answering questions about the application process and the fellowship. FLAS coordinators from individual centers will be in attendance and available to the students for questions and discussion in break-out sessions after the main presentation.
For further information or to apply, go to FLAS Fellowships at Illinois or contact Maimouna Barro at barro@illinois.edu
Open Funding Opportunities in African Studies
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
Eric P. Whitaker Undergraduate Scholarship in African Studies
Supported by a generous gift from the Honorable Eric. P. Whitaker, a career leader in the US State Department and UIUC alumnus, CAS invites applications from current undergraduate students for a one-year, $2,000 tuition scholarship for 2023-34.
Applicants must be an undergraduate student at UIUC enrolled full-time (graduating seniors are not eligible); enrolled in at least one African Studies course in any discipline and/or show evidence of previous Africa-related courses work, including African language courses; must have a minimum 3.0 GPA. Students from under-represented groups and first-generation African diaspora/immigrants are encouraged to apply; students who have participated in a study-abroad to the African continent are encouraged to apply.
Application materials consist of a letter of motivation, unofficial UIUC transcripts and a letter of recommendation from a professor or instructor in Africa-related coursework or academic advisor. Application deadline: 14 April, 2023. To apply click here.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Prof. Eyamba Bokamba Graduate Scholarship in African Linguistics
Supported by a generous gift from the family of UIUC Professor Emeritus Eyamba Bokamba, CAS and the Department of Linguistics invite applications for a $2,500 award from graduate students completing their MA theses and or third year PhD graduate students completing their PhD dissertations. The award may be used for tuition, travel scholarships for conference expenses or other professional development travel expenses. Recipient’s scholarly work must be focused on African Linguistics (e.g. the core grammar of Sub-Saharan languages, sociolinguistics) or African studies generally.
Application materials consist of a statement of purpose describing your research and its professional significance, unofficial UIUC transcripts and a letter of recommendation from a professor. Application deadline: 14 April, 2023. To apply, click here.