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

The CLS Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State. 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.

Languages offered by CLS Summer programs: Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili, Turkish, Urdu

The CLS Program is fully funded from start to finish. From the time you step foot out the door to the time you arrive home,  the CLS Program covers many of the costs of participating in its overseas institutes, including:

• Intensive overseas group-based language courses (20+ hours per week)
• Room and board, often with a host family
• A full cultural program
• Host community language partners
• Domestic and international airfare

Participants receive a small stipend to cover incidental expenses and meals not provided by the program. Upon completion of the program, participants also receive a certified American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) score.

Note: This is not a scholarship that can be used for a GEO Study Abroad program. CLS is its own fully funded program.