Apply for Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS)

FLAS application for Summer 2024 & Fall-Spring 2024-2025 is now open!

African language FLAS Awards are funded by the U.S. Department of Education and administered by the African Studies Program to assist students in acquiring African language and area studies competencies.

Flyer for FLAS 2024

NOTE: Students are eligible and encouraged to apply for the academic year (Fall-Spring) FLAS award and a summer FLAS award if they so wish. All competitions are evaluated separately and an application to one competition does not strengthen or weaken one application to another.

AFRICAN LANGUAGES

Eligible students may apply to study the following languages with a FLAS award from the African Studies Program.

Academic Year

  • Arabic*, Hausa, Swahili*, Wolof, Yoruba, Zulu
  • African Language Directed Study
    FLAS applicants interested in self-instruction of a language not offered in a regular classroom setting at the UW-Madison may do so through AFRICAN 670 (2cr) and 697 (3cr). Applicants interested in the African Language Directed Study need to contact the FLAS coordinator, Olayinka Olagbegi-Adegbite for details, guidance, and special instructions before beginning a FLAS application.
  • Awards may be applied towards the cost of studying at UW-Madison or used to study language abroad.
  • Undergraduates, graduate students, and dissertators are eligible.

Summer

  • A wide range of African languages are eligible.
  • Awards may be applied towards the cost of studying at UW-Madison or used to study language abroad.
  • Undergraduates, graduate students, and dissertators are eligible.

*Students studying Swahili or Arabic may also be eligible for FLAS awards through the Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS), and those studying Arabic may also be eligible through European Studies. To increase your chances of the award, the African Studies Program strongly encourages students to apply to all centers for which they are eligible. Please contact the African Studies Program FLAS coordinator Olayinka Olagbegi-Adegbite at fellowships@africa.wisc.edu for more information.

INFORMATION SESSIONS

Want to learn more about FLAS, join any of the following in-person or online information sessions:

  • Monday, November 13, 2023, 4-5 pm, 336 Ingraham Hall
  • Thursday, November 16, 2023, 6-7 pm, online (note: this is a combined Boren & FLAS award info session) – register HERE
  • Tuesday, November 28, 2023, 12-1 pm, 336 Ingraham Hall
  • Tuesday, December 5, 2023, 2-3 pm, IAP Resource Center (3rd Floor Red Gym)
  • Wednesday, January 24, 2024, 5-6 pm, online – register HERE
  • Thursday, January 25, 2024, 4-5 pm, 336 Ingraham Hall

General information about the FLAS awards is available on the website – https://flas.wisc.edu/ – with additional details available on the FLAS FAQs page.

STUDENT STORIES

Hear from FLAS fellowship alumni who used their FLAS award to study on campus, in Uganda, and beyond!

APPLY

Begin your FLAS application here: https://flas.wisc.edu/

FAQ: https://flas.wisc.edu/FAQS.html