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Description
The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program delivers intensive summer language instruction to high-achieving undergraduate and graduate students, selected through a competitive, merit-based process. Offered in nine languages overseas or virtually, the program condenses a full academic year of language study into eight weeks of rigorous instruction and cultural immersion.
All language programs offer intensive language instruction and cultural enrichment experiences, as well as textbooks and language learning materials. Scholars also receive official certification of language gains through an ACTFL OPI test, and academic credit issued through Bryn Mawr College. If participating in overseas language programs, the scholarship covers international and domestic travel, visa application fees, and room and board. Virtual only scholarships receive a supplemental stipend towards equipment needs for virtual participation in the language program. See website for details about offered languages, and language prerequisites.
The CLS Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by American Councils for International Education.
Eligibility
To be eligible for the CLS Program you must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or national at the time of your application;
- Be at least 18 years old by mid-May of the award year;
- Be enrolled in an accredited U.S. degree-granting program at the undergraduate (associate's, bachelor's) or graduate (master's, doctoral, professional degree) level at the time of your application;
- Complete at least one full year of study by the beginning of the CLS Program the following summer;
- Meet the language requirements, if applicable, of the program to which you apply.
Graduating seniors, including spring/fall grads, are eligible to apply.
Applicants may only apply once, for one language program, each year. Applicants who submit multiple applications will be considered ineligible.
See the for more details on eligibility.
Selection Criteria
Applicants are selected based on:
- Commitment to language learning
- Preparation for and alignment with program expectations
- Connection between language and academic and professional goals
- Contribution to citizen diplomacy
- Contribution to national impact
Application Procedure
Apply online through the CLS website. Applications typically open in early October and are due in mid-November.
Applicants will be notified by email in late January with the status of their application following the initial review process. Applicants who move past the initial review process will be notified of their status as a scholarship recipient, alternate, or non-recipient in early March.
Hear from a Reedie
Watch this interview between CLS awardee Isabelle Sinclair '22 and former CLBR advisor Shania Siron: