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U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship Program (Outbound Students Program)

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  • Locations: Amman, Jordan; Arusha, Tanzania; Baku, Azerbaijan; Chandigarh, India; Changchun, China; Dalian, China; Dushanbe, Tajikistan; Gwangju, South Korea; Hikone, Japan; Ibri, Oman; Jaipur, India; Kolkata, India; Lucknow, India; Madaba, Jordan; Malang, Indonesia; Meknes, Morocco; Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; Suzhou, China; Tainan, China; Tangier, Morocco; Vladimir, Russia; Xi'an, China
  • Program Terms: Summer
  • Homepage: Click to visit
  • Restrictions: UAB applicants only
  • Sample Courses Approved for Previous UAB Students
Dates / Deadlines:
Dates / Deadlines:
Term Year App Deadline Decision Date Start Date End Date
Summer 2025 03/15/2025 ** Rolling Admission TBA TBA

** Indicates rolling admission application process. Applicants will be notified of acceptance into this program within 1 week of submitting complete application and will be able to complete post-decision materials prior to the term's application deadline.
Fact Sheet:
Fact Sheet:
Minimum GPA: 2.75 Class: 2-sophomore, 3-junior, 4-senior
Language of Instruction: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Other not listed Experiential Learning Offered: None
Program Description:

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is a fully-funded summer overseas language and cultural immersion program for American undergraduate and graduate students. With the goal of broadening the base of Americans studying and mastering critical languages and building relationships between the people of the United States and other countries, CLS provides study opportunities to a diverse range of students from across the United States at every level of language learning.


The CLS Program is a sponsored program of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Languages Offered

The CLS Program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. Students of diverse disciplines and majors are encouraged to apply. Participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period, and later apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers. Please visit the CLS Institutes page for more information.

  • Azerbaijani, Bangla, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Punjabi, Swahili, Turkish, and Urdu: open to students at all language levels, including beginners
  • Arabic and Persian: one year prior study required
  • Chinese, Japanese, and Russian: to years prior study required
Application Process

This program has two applications: a UAB Office of Education Abroad application accessed through the "Apply Now" button near the bottom of this page, and an application that is submitted to the Critical Language Scholarship Program.  Begin the UAB Education Abroad application by clicking the "Apply Now" button on this page and contact the UAB National Fellowships and Scholarships Director for information on the application that is submitted to the Critical Language Scholarship Program.