The Fries Center for Global Studies is excited to inform you that, the application is now open for the 2026 Critical Language Scholarship Program! The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an intensive language and cultural immersion summer study abroad opportunity for American college and university students to learn languages essential to America’s engagement with the world. Students spend eight to ten weeks over the summer studying one of 9 offered critical languages (Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Swahili). The program provides intensive language instruction and structured cultural activities designed to promote rapid language gains. 

The U.S. Department of State sponsors and oversees the CLS Program, including CLS Spark, as part of a larger U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering foreign languages that are critical to our national security, economic prosperity, and engagement with the world. Most languages offered by the CLS Program do not require applicants to have any experience studying critical languages. The CLS Program seeks participants with diverse interests, and from a wide range of fields of study and career paths, with the purpose of representing the full diversity of the United States. Participants are selected based on their commitment to language learning and plans to apply their language skills to their future academic or professional pursuits. 

Start your application at: clscholarship.org/apply

The deadline is Tuesday, November 18, 2025 by 8:00pm EST.

We encourage students to watch the application tips videos on the CLS Program at institutes abroad. The CLS Program also hosts frequent webinars, Q&A sessions, and alumni panels for students and advisors over the next few weeks.

Feel free to contact Gabriela Berzinskas, Study Abroad Advisor, and/or Amalie Little, Global Language and Outreach Fellow,  if you’d like to discuss questions or your application.