Amy Herrmann, a 2010 CLS participant in Morocco, gets help from a local merchant during a “Tangier Tuesday” activity.

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program provides overseas foreign language instruction and cultural enrichment experiences in 13 critical need languages for U.S. students in higher education.

The CLS Program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical need foreign languages. Undergraduate, master's and doctoral-level students of diverse disciplines and majors are encouraged to apply for the seven-to-10-week-long programs. Participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period, and later apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers.

Application Deadline:
The application period for the 2012 program is now closed. We will provide updates on future exchange opportunities as they become available. 

Eligibility Requirements:

• All applicants must be U.S. citizens.
• Applicants must be currently enrolled in a U.S. degree-granting program at the undergraduate or graduate level.
• Current undergraduate students must have completed at least one year of general college course-work by program start date (one year is defined as two semesters or three quarters).
• Be in acceptable mental and physical health. Grantees will be required to submit a satisfactory Medical Information Form and Physician’s Statement.
• Applicants must be 18 by the beginning of the 2012 CLS Program.
• Please see 2012 CLS Institute Language Levels for more information on language pre-requisites for individual institutes.

The Council of American Overseas Research Centers and the American Councils for International Education administer the program. Please visit the CLS Program’s website for additional information.