Boren Scholarship Application – Step by Step Guide

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Boren Scholarships initiative is under the auspices of the National Security Education Program. It is targeted at undergraduate students in the United States who are interested in pursuing foreign languages studies. Specifically, the scholarship provides financial sponsorships to scholars who wish to study less-frequently taught languages in under-represented study-abroad regions of US interest namely Latin America, Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Middle East regions. However, scholars from Western European nations, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded from benefiting in this scholarship.

Boren Scholars must, however, be highly driven people who would be interested in working in the federal national security sector of the United States. They must agree to work for the U.S federal government for at least a year following graduation in exchange for the financial support that they receive from the scholarship. The Boren Scholarships are designed to foster sustained linguistic and cultural immersion. Undergraduate applicants who propose spending at least six months abroad will be given preference.

Host Schools

Any institution abroad where language learning is a key component

Value/Inclusions

Boren Scholarships offer the following benefits:

  • Up to $25,000 for a full year of language study; $12,500 for a semester of language study.
  • Fully funded participation in one of the Boren Regional Language Initiatives for African Languages, Indonesian Language, South Asian Languages, or Turkish Language.
  • $8,000 for a summer language program that is not part of a regional initiative (only STEM students are eligible for funding for this type of program, which must last at least 8 weeks).

Requirements

In exchange for financial assistance, the scholarship recipient must consent to work for the federal government for at least a year. The scholarship recipient must be enrolled in a study abroad program that places a high priority on language learning.

  • Candidates must be citizens of the United States.
  • Must either have a high school diploma or a General Equivalency Diploma (GED), and be enrolled in an accredited degree program throughout the duration of the program.
  • Applicant must be making preparations for a journey overseas, and your destination must be a nation that is not located in Western Europe, Australia, Canada, or New Zealand.
  • Applicant must have the intention of pursuing higher education in a nation of which they are not a citizen.

How to Apply

Visit the scholarship website (http://www.borenawards.org/) to fill out and submit your application.

  • Two letters of recommendation are required for the application, with a third letter being optional.
  • Students who meet the requirements can submit an application that includes two brief essays. The first paragraph should discuss how the applicant’s preferred language of study is important to national security. The second letter should outline candidate’s driving forces, professional aspirations, and educational objectives.

Acceptance Rate

The Boren scholarship awards has a low acceptance rate as the scholarship awards are available to graduate and undergraduate students studying languages of interest to the national security and no other courses. Besides, recipients are required to work compulsorily for the United State government for one year. Arguably, not many people would opt for this hence the scholarship acceptance rate is low.

Deadline

  • Pre-Application Form will be open by November 4, 2022, at 5 p.m. Central Time.
  • The Carleton deadline is January 20, 2023, at 5 p.m. Central Time. Please save your materials in the Boren Online Application System; do not click “submit.”
  • The Official Boren deadline is February 1, 2023, at 5 p.m. Eastern (4 p.m. Central).

Contacts

Note:

Boren candidates seeking funding through sources other than the Regional Language Initiatives (RLI) must do so independently. You can find some resources on the Boren website to help you choose an acceptable program.

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