Applying for this award requires participation in a campus review and nomination process. Contact McLain Hymer, Manager of Nationally Competitive Awards, for details. 

Overview

Boren Awards are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. Applicants identify how their study abroad programs or overseas projects, as well as their future academic and career goals, will contribute to U.S. national security, broadly defined. NSEP draws on a broad definition of national security, recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness.

Boren Fellowships provide funding to U.S. graduate students to add an important and language component to their graduate education through specialization in area study, language study, or increased language proficiency. Boren Fellowships support study and research in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Recipients of the Boren Fellowship commit to at least one year of work within the federal government following graduation.

Eligibility

Applicants must be:

• A U.S. citizen at the time of the national application deadline
• A high school graduate/GED recipient
• At least 18 years of age or older at the time of the application deadline
• Planning an overseas program in a country outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand
• Planning to study in a country where they are not a citizen
• Matriculated for the duration of their Boren Awards-funded program in a graduate degree program located within the U.S. and accredited by a body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education

Award

The Boren Fellowship provides students with:

• Up to $25,00 for a 25-52 week program (preferred)
• Up to $12,500 for a 12-24 week program
• Up to $12,000 for domestic summer intensive language courses optional)

Application Status

Open

Campus Deadline

January 8, 2025

National Deadline

January 22, 2025

Find out more about the Boren Fellowship