National Resource Centers Program for Foreign Language and Area Studies or Foreign Language and International Studies Program and Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship Program

Centers: To promote instruction in modern foreign languages and area and international studies that are critical to national needs by supporting the establishment, strengthening and operation of such programs at colleges and universities. Centers may focus on undergraduate training only or may be comprehensive, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional training components. Fellowships: To meet the needs of the United States for experts in modern foreign languages combined with area studies and world affairs by supporting fellowships for undergraduate and graduate study at institutions of higher education.

Centers: U.S. institutions of higher education or consortia of institutions of higher education are eligible to apply. Applying institutions provide evidence of existing resources and institutional commitment to language and area and international studies through a curriculum that provides instruction dealing with a particular country or world area and its languages, or with international studies and modern foreign languages, including the international aspects of professional or other fields of study. Fellowships: Accredited U.S. institutions of higher education or consortia of institutions of higher education offering area or international studies programs combined with language study are eligible to apply for allocations of fellowships.

Centers: U.S. institutions of higher education or consortia of institutions of higher education will benefit. Fellowships: Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in funded centers and programs will benefit. Student candidates must be U.S. citizens or nationals or permanent residents training in area or international studies and in modern foreign languages programs that have or are developing performance-based language instruction. Undergraduate students must be engaged in intermediate level study or advanced study of a less commonly taught language. Training must be undertaken through an institution that has an allocation of Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships.

Eligible institutions may submit proposals for the funding of centers only, fellowships only, or both when the announcement of a new competition is issued in the Federal Register. Application forms and guidelines for the submission of proposals are available from the Office of the International and Foreign Language Education at the Department of Education.

Centers: Final recommendations are made to the Secretary following evaluations from panels of experts that evaluate applications according to published selection criteria. Fellowships: The student should contact his/her sponsoring institution for information concerning application forms, deadlines, and related matters. Institutional proposals are approved or disapproved by the Secretary, following the same procedures as for Center applications.

About 120 days.