The U.S. Department of Education Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowship program supports training in modern foreign languages and related area studies. New and continuing graduate students in all disciplines may apply for academic year and summer awards for all levels of language study. Undergraduates already enrolled at UCLA may also apply for both awards but only for Intermediate and Advanced levels of language study. Currently approved SEA languages for FLAS study are Indonesian, Filipino/Tagalog, Khmer, Thai and Vietnamese. (Khmer is not taught at UCLA but can be available via distance learning from UC Berkeley.) Funding for the Academic Year 2010-2011 is contingent upon receipt of new funding from the U.S. Department of Education.

Selection for the award is based on the following criteria:

* Academic performance and potential as evidenced by GRE scores, GPA, class and department ranking, letters of recommendation, and statement of purpose.

* The extent to which overall course of study focuses on Southeast Asian studies.

* The level of planned language study. More advanced levels are preferred, although first-year study is permissible (graduate students only). FLAS awards are not intended for native speakers of the target language. Native speakers are defined as students who have previously done college-level work in the target language.

*Past awardees may reapply.

These grants may be combined with supplementary funding from other funding agencies. However in cases of parallel large grants, recipients will have to decide which grant to accept and pairing will not be allowed. Grantees are required to inform the Center of any awards received during the FLAS fellowship period.

Academic year fellowships are awarded for nine months and provide a $15,000 stipend as well as most registration fees and tuition. The Academic Year fellowship requires that students take Southeast Asia language and area studies courses for a letter grade during the academic year if in residence at UCLA. One Independent Study is allowed per academic year. It is expected that AY fellowships will be used at UCLA unless specific approval is given. AY awards may be used for dissertation research for students at the advanced level of language proficiency, but this must be approved in advance.

Summer awards provide a stipend of $2,500 plus tuition and fees to a maximum of $4,000, and (optional) up to $1000 for travel. FLAS funds may be used for intensive summer language study at UCLA or elsewhere. Non-language programs are not eligible for summer FLAS funding. In order to qualify for funding, the summer intensive language program must last at least 6 weeks, provide the equivalent of a full academic year of instruction, and provide at least 140 contact hours for beginning and intermediate level courses, or 120 contact hours for advanced level coursework.

UCLA students applying to the Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute (SEASSI) http://seassi.wisc.edu/ who desire FLAS funding should apply through the UCLA FLAS application website rather than through the SEASSI website. However SEASSI applicants should apply for other funding (Heritage Language Fellowships [deadline February 19, 2010] and SEASSI Tuition Scholarships [deadline April 16, 2010]) directly to SEASSI. Qualified applicants should apply for all possible scholarships to maximize opportunities.

Summer FLAS funding from UCLA can also be requested to supplement funding already provided by the Advanced Study of Khmer (ASK) Program http://manoa.hawaii.edu/ask/, Advanced Filipino Abroad Program http://www.hawaii.edu/filipino/studyabroad.htm,Vietnamese Advanced Summer Institute http://cseas.berkeley.edu/VASI/index.html, Advanced Thai Abroad at Chiang Mai University http://jsis.washington.edu/seac/ast/, and the Advanced Indonesian Abroad Program http://www.ohio.edu/cotim/.

To apply for a FLAS fellowship, students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents. Since the purpose of the program is to enrich the nation’s pool of area and international specialists, applicants must be planning to use their training to teach, to serve in government or international agencies or to engage in other work that advances American understanding of other countries. Fellowship recipients must be engaged in full-time study for the duration of their awards and must submit reports on the courses they pursue and the progress they make. Before and after language proficiency tests are also required.

Applications for Academic Year fellowships from graduate students should be submitted in time to meet departmental fellowship application deadlines, usually in December or January, since part of the application process requires departmental endorsement for AY awards. The final deadline for departments to endorse candidates is February 19, 2010. This is also the deadline for undergraduate AY applications and all Summer 2010 applications.

All requested information on the application should indicate student status as of the proposed fellowship period.

All FLAS applications must be submitted online at http://apply.international.ucla.edu/?cseas.

Required information includes:
* a statement of purpose outlining research and language study plans and explaining how language study will enhance the project
* 2 academic letters of recommendation
* 1 language evaluation or proficiency certification
* unofficial university transcripts (not URSA)
* resume or CV
* for summer funding, a budget will be required along with information about the language program if not at UCLA

Through the generous gift of Dr. Robert Lemelson, the Center for Southeast Asisa Studies is pleased to announce the availability of fellowships to support research on Indonesia.