Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships (FLAS)

Note: CSEEES is not currently offering any FLAS Fellowships. Please feel free to contact the staff at the email address below regarding future fellowships.

CSEEES has received funding from the U.S. Department of Education for Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships, which are intended to promote the study or use of foreign languages, especially less-commonly-taught languages, in combination with international or area studies. CSEEES offers FLAS Fellowships for graduate students who are studying one of the languages of our region during the academic year, as well as for summer study programs.

Academic Year FLAS Fellowships

CSEEES offers FLAS Fellowships for graduate students who study one of the following languages during the academic year:

  • Russian (at the advanced level—3rd year and above)

  • Polish (all levels)
  • Romanian (all levels)
  • Turkish (all levels)

In order to qualify for one of the CSEEES FLAS Fellowships, an applicant must be:

  • A U.S. citizen or permanent resident
  • Enrolled as a full-time student, taking a full load of courses, in a graduate or professional degree program during the fellowship period
  • Enrolled in language classes during both semesters of the fellowship period

In most cases, native speakers of these languages, even if U.S. citizens or permanent residents, are not eligible for a fellowship in their native language. Academic year FLAS Fellowships provide recipients with funding to cover their entire tuition and required fees for the fellowship period, as well as a monthly stipend. Normally, applications for academic year FLAS Fellowships are distributed online and through the departmental directors of graduate studies in early January. The deadline for submitting these applications is typically the first week in March.

Summer FLAS Fellowships

CSEEES also provides FLAS Fellowships to graduate students (from Duke as well as other universities) who study Russian at the advanced level in the Duke-in-Russia Summer Program. The fellowship covers tuition for two courses taken as part of the program, as well as the program expenses that include room and board in St. Petersburg, round-trip airfare from New York City to St. Petersburg, and excursions.

To be eligible for a summer FLAS Fellowship, an applicant must be:

  • A U.S. citizen or permanent resident
  • Enrolled as a full-time student, taking a full load of courses, in a graduate or professional degree program during the fellowship period

Applications for summer FLAS Fellowships are distributed through CSEEES in December, with a deadline for submission in early February. For a copy of the application, please contact the Center staff.