Asian Studies Center :: FLAS Fellowships

Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships are academic scholarships that provide funding and support to graduate and undergraduate students who are pursuing Asian language and area studies.

MSU student standing in front of Chinese temple The Asian Studies Center awards undergraduate and graduate student fellowships under the Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship program of the U.S. Department of Education for the study of modern Asian languages and Asia area studies. The FLAS Fellowship program is designed to meet critical needs for specialists in American education, government, and other services of a public and/or professional nature who will utilize their skills in training others and in developing throughout the United States a wider knowledge and understanding of other countries and cultures.

Summer & Academic Year FLAS Fellowships

Summer FLAS Fellowships

Summer fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students offer tuition and fees payments for approved summer intensive language program of up to $5,000 and a stipend of up to $3,500 for the summer fellowship period. Contingent upon availability of funding, you may be eligible for travel funds (for international travel ONLY) from the U.S. directly to/from your overseas study site of up to $1,000.

Academic Year FLAS Fellowships

Undergraduate students: AY fellowships* for undergraduate students offer tuition payments of up to $10,000 per academic year and a stipend up to a total of $5,000 for the same period.

Graduate students: AY fellowships* for graduate students offer tuition payments of up to $18,000 per academic year and a stipend up to a total of $20,000 for the same period. Applicants who are Ph.D. candidates at the dissertation stage will be required to provide additional information regarding requesting support for dissertation research and writing.

Dissertation–level doctoral applicants may use FLAS fellowships to fund dissertation research and writing. Dissertation research must be conducted abroad. Dissertation writing must be conducted at home institution in the US.

*The AY FLAS fellowships are contingent on continuation of grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education.

Eligibility

Applicant Eligibility Criteria

Citizenship: Applicants must be a US citizen, non-citizen nationals, or US permanent resident at the time of application.

Student Status:

Applicants who are currently enrolled in a full-time undergraduate or graduate degree program at Michigan State University or have been accepted for admission to MSU and will be enrolled full-time starting Fall of the Academic Year.
Undergraduate and graduate student language learners must be at the intermediate level or higher (have obtained at least 8 credits in an Asian language by the time the fellowship begins).
Applicants must be eligible to receive an MSU tuition scholarship.

Academic Year (AY) Fellowship eligibility requirements:

Applicants must be ready to enroll for full-time academic study at MSU and propose a course of study that includes both language training and related area coursework.
For undergraduate students and for Ph.D. candidates who have completed their coursework, applicants must be ready to enroll in the intermediate level or higher for both the fall and spring semesters of the academic year.
All applicants must be ready to enroll in at least one area studies course (at least 50% Asia content) during both the fall and spring semesters of the academic year. For Ph.D. candidates in the dissertation stage, 999 credits will fulfill both language & area course requirements.

Summer (SU) Fellowships eligibility requirements:

Summer fellowships are for intensive language learning only. Courses may be taken in the U.S. or overseas. Summer fellows do not enroll in any non-language (i.e., area studies) courses.
Summer programs must be equivalent to one full year of language study as provided during the regular academic year.

At the advanced level: The session must be at least six weeks in duration and offer at least 120 contact hours of instruction.
At the beginning or intermediate level: The session must be at least six weeks in duration and offer at least 140 contact hours of instruction.

All summer language programs must be offered by an accredited or recognized educational institution and be approved by the Asian Studies Center.

For more information on eligibility requirements, please refer to the FLAS Manual for Applicants below.

Application

Application Information

Application Checklist

All applicants:

Application Form
Personal Statement & Career Goals
Two Recommendation Letter(s) emailed directly by recommenders to the Asian Studies Center by the deadline:

From a faculty member familiar with your academic work. Preferably a faculty in your major field of study, graduate program, or advisory/dissertation committee.
From a language instructor. If you have taken an Asian language course at MSU within the last two academic years, one of the letters must be from an MSU language instructor who will be asked to assess your academic credential and/or ability to learn a foreign language.

Official transcript (PDF) to be emailed directly by the MSU Office of the Registrar or your educational institution to the Asian Studies Center.
Important notes for AY applicants: For undergraduate applicants, please indicate in your application whether there is any possibility of becoming a graduate student during the FLAS Fellowship period. For PhD student applicants, please indicate in your application whether there is any possibility of advancing to PhD candidacy during the FLAS Fellowship period.

Summer applicants, additional checklist:

Brochures (or other documentation) for each proposed program, containing information on length of program and number of contact/instruction hours.
Information on program tuition and fees, whether actual or estimated amounts.
- If actual program tuition and fees are not yet published, brochure information or screenshot from the program website showing the tuition and fees from prior year can be uploaded to substantiate the information
Statement of Rationale and Benefits for an Overseas Program (2000 characters with spaces), for applicants who plan to enroll for language study at an institution outside of the U.S.

Ph.D. applicants who are in the dissertation stage, additional checklist:

Dissertation Project Description
Letter of Verification/Statement of dissertation progress.

Completed by an MSU faculty advisor or member of the dissertation committee

Email directly by the faculty to the Asian Studies Center by the deadline. In the case that the faculty is also a recommender, the progress description can be integrated into the letter of recommendation.

Contact

Soksamphoas Im headshot

Soksamphoas Im, Ph.D.

Asian Studies Center
Associate Director & FLAS Fellowship Coordinator
Email: imsoksam(at)msu.edu
Office: (517)-884-2117

Prior to joining the Asian Studies Center in December 2023, Samphoas worked in various higher education institutions and non-profit organizations, including Stanford University, Center for Khmer Studies, and Clinton Health Access Initiative - as both a researcher and a program analyst. Samphoas holds a PhD and an MA in Political Science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and an MSc in Defense, Development and Diplomacy from Durham University, the United Kingdom.

Summer 2025 & AY 2025-26 FLAS Fellowship Application Submission Portal

Applications for FLAS Summer 2025 and AY 2025-26 are now closed

FLAS Fellowship Manual for Applicants

FLAS Fellowship Overview

Learn more about how FLAS can support your pursuit of Asian language training, and Asia-related international and area studies.

Purpose of the Manual

Michigan State University is a proud institutional recipient of the US Department of Education Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships grant. FLAS Fellowships supports and motivates undergraduate and graduate students in their pursuit of the study of Asian languages and area studies.

This manual aims to provide further details about the FLAS fellowship and application process to interested students. For any further clarifications, please contact the MSU Asian Studies Center FLAS Fellowship Coordinator, Dr. Soksamphoas Im, (imsoksam(at)msu.edu).

Important FLAS Contacts

Application and Eligibilities:

Soksamphoas Im, Ph.D,
Associate Director & FLAS Fellowship Coordinator
Asian Studies Center
International Center
427 North Shaw Lane, Room 301
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
Email: imsoksam(at)msu.edu
Office: (517)-884-2117

Fiscal Matters:

Mae Crowell
Fiscal Officer
Asian Studies Center
International Center
427 North Shaw Lane, Room 301
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824
Email: plattem(at)msu.edu
Office: (517)-884-2117

About FLAS

The FLAS Fellowship program is designed to meet critical needs for specialists in American education, government, and other services of a public and/or professional nature who will utilize their skills in training others and in developing throughout the United States a wider knowledge and understanding of other countries and cultures.

The FLAS fellowships managed by the MSU Asian Studies Center aim to develop cross-cultural and global competencies as well as expanded knowledge about Asia among MSU students and the community.

MSU awards two types of FLAS fellowships to eligible students: Academic Year (AY) fellowships and Summer (SU) fellowships. FLAS fellowships assist meritorious undergraduate and graduate students receiving modern language training in combination with area studies. FLAS fellowships assist graduate students engaged in pre-dissertation-level study, preparation for dissertation research, dissertation research abroad, or dissertation writing at MSU.

Award Benefits

Academic Year (AY) Fellowships consist of:

Tuition Allocation: Payment of tuition and fees up to $18,000 (graduate) or up to $10,000 (undergraduate) for the academic year.
Subsistence Allowance/Stipend: A stipend of up to $20,000 (graduate) or up to $5,000 (undergraduate) for the academic year.

Summer (SU) Fellowships consist of:

Tuition Allocation: Payment of tuition and fees up to $5,000 for the summer.
Subsistence Allowance/Stipend: A stipend of up to $3,500 for the summer.

Student Eligibility Requirements

Citizenship: Applicants must be a US citizen or US permanent resident at the time of application.

Student Status:

Applicants who are currently enrolled in a full-time undergraduate or graduate degree program at Michigan State University or have been accepted for admission to MSU and will be enrolled full-time.
Applicants must be eligible to receive an MSU tuition scholarship.
Applicants must show potential for high academic achievement based on grade point average and recommendations, and demonstrate a long-term interest in Asia.
In addition to merit, demonstrated financial need will be taken into consideration. All applicants will be asked to provide financial support and need information. If applicable, FAFSA verification will be acquired from the Financial Aid Office for applicants who submitted FAFSA for the academic year prior to the AY award period.

Academic Year (AY) Fellowship eligibility requirements: Applicants must be ready to enroll for full-time academic study at MSU and propose a course of study that includes both language training and related area coursework.

For undergraduate students and for Ph.D. candidates who have completed their coursework, applicants must be ready to enroll in the intermediate level or higher for both the fall and spring semesters of the academic year. If awarded, undergraduate students and Ph.D. candidates who have completed their coursework must have obtained at least 8 credits in an Asian language by the time the fellowship begins in the fall semester of the award period.
All applicants must be ready to enroll in at least one area studies course (at least 25% Asia content) and a language course at intermediate or advance level during both the fall and spring semesters of the academic year. For Ph.D. candidates in the dissertation stage, 999 credits will fulfill both language & area course requirements.

Summer (SU) Fellowships eligibility requirements:

Undergraduate and graduate student language learners must be at the intermediate level or higher (have obtained at least 8 credits in an Asian language by the time the fellowship begins).
Summer fellowships are for intensive language learning only. Courses may be taken in the U.S. or overseas. Summer fellows do not enroll in any non-language (i.e., area studies) courses.Save
Summer programs must be equivalent to one full year of language study as provided during the regular academic year.

At the advanced level: The session must be at least six weeks in duration and offer at least 120 contact hours of instruction.
At the beginning or intermediate level: The session must be at least six weeks in duration and offer at least 140 contact hours of instruction.

All summer language programs must be offered by an accredited or recognized educational institution and be approved by the Asian Studies Center.

FLAS Administration

The Asian Studies Center manages the Asia FLAS Fellowships with the following estimated annual timeline for the SU and AY FLAS Fellowship competition:

FLAS information dissemination: November - January of the subsequent year
Call for Application opens: December 1
Application (online) submission deadline: First week in February of the subsequent year
Conditional Award notification: Last week of March or First week of April of the subsequent year

Academic Year (AY) Fellowship Requirements

a) Award period: Fellowships awarded are for the academic year stated in the award letter only. Renewals are not automatic. Fellows are eligible to and must reapply each year.

b) Enrollment information: Upon receiving the awards, fellows will need to submit a temporary list of courses in which the fellows enroll for the fall semesters. The Fellowship will pay only for the approved credits for which the fellows register prior to the university-established semester drop/add deadline. When awards are made at the beginning of the academic year, funds are allocated based upon each student’s course load as stated on the FLAS application. All changes must be approved by the Asian Studies Center FLAS coordinator. If fellows experience a change in status, such as the loss of in-state status and fellows require additional funds, such funds may not be available from the FLAS fellowship.

c) FLAS fellowship recipients may hold a graduate assistantship (including both ¼ and ½ time assistantships) concurrently with the Fellowship award, but only if your home department permits you to do so. The teaching, research, and/or administrative duties of the assistantship must be related to your program of study. Arrangements for accepting other equivalent, part-time employment must be approved in advance by the Asian Studies Center FLAS coordinator to assure that U.S. Department of Education requirements are met. If you receive a tuition waiver through an assistantship or tuition coverage from other federally-funded sources, that source will pay your tuition. Note that some departments do not permit the holding of a FLAS fellowship and a departmental assistantship concurrently. If this is the case, you will need to choose which award to hold. The stipend will be reduced by the amount of funding/scholarships received from other federally-funded sources. This reduction does not apply to graduate assistantships.

d) The U.S. Department of Education requires that your language competency be evaluated at the beginning and end of your fellowship period by a qualified language instructor. You must notify the FLAS Fellowship Coordinator of the name and e-mail address of the instructor who will be evaluating you as soon as you know who that evaluator will be. You must also complete a terminal evaluation form and submit it to the U.S. Department of Education. You will receive an email from the Department of Education that you will complete on-line and then submit electronically to the Department of Education. Failure to complete the evaluation will result in your final stipend check being held until the evaluation is completed. Exception applies to awardees who are Ph.D. candidates in the dissertation stage.

Summer Fellowship Requirements

Summer fellowships may be used for intensive language study only. Summer language programs:

Must be equivalent to one full year of language study as provided during the regular academic year.
Must be offered from an accredited or recognized educational institution.
Must take place over a minimum of six weeks and provide a minimum of
- 140 contact hours at the intermediate levels, or
- 120 contact hours at the advanced level. Field trips do not count toward contact hours. Tutoring may be included in contact hours.
May be overseas or domestic.

Summer fellows may combine two separate programs for the same language to meet duration and contact hour requirementsm, and are not required to enroll in any non-language (i.e., area studies) courses.

Applicants are encouraged to apply for acceptance into summer language study programs (especially those outside of the U.S.) in advance of FLAS award notifications. It is the applicant’s responsibility to apply to the summer programs and any necessary visas.

For All FLAS Fellows (AY and Summer)

Grades and Credits
Students should receive grades and credits for their FLAS coursework. FLAS fellowship applicants are responsible to notify the FLAS Fellowship Coordinator during the application stage, if a program does not offer grades,

Independent Studies and Directed Readings
An independent study or a directed readings course may be used to fulfill the FLAS area studies or language course requirement. If awarded the fellowship, the student awardee must obtain approvals for these courses. The independent study course approval for FLAS must be submitted to the FLAS Fellowship Coordinator (via email at imsoksam(at)msu.edu) at least 45 days before the course start date. The approval request must include the following information:

An explanation for why an independent study is necessary;
A course syllabus that describes--

the content and context of the independent study or directed reading
the course objectives
the course requirements
the standards for evaluating the student
the schedule for the assignments and deliverables
a bibliography;

The instructor’s curriculum vitae

Distance Education

Distance education courses may be used to fulfill FLAS requirements, as long as the courses are synchronous (i.e., provide real-time “face-to-face” interaction with the instructors, whether in in-person or virtual mode).

At MSU, the distance education format accepted is through the BTAA CourseShare.

For undergraduate FLAS fellows, distance education courses allowed are for language courses that are otherwise not offered at MSU.
For graduate FLAS fellows, area studies courses may qualify to be used to fulfill FLAS requirements.
Distance education (CourseShare) courses for FLAS requirements may need prior approval.

BTAA CourseShare. The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) CourseShare Program allows students from any member institution to request a course. The MSU Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs) Coordinator will work to match language instruction requests with the courses offered at another institution. MSU students who enroll in a CourseShare course will be registered on the Michigan State University campus, and fees will be collected and kept by this institution. No additional fees will be charged. Credit for work taken under this program will be accepted at this University.

More information about the CourseShare program for language can be found on the MSU BTAA CourseShare Information page. For inquiries related to language offering through CourseShare, please contact the LCTLs Coordinator, Danielle Steider at dsteider(at)msu.edu.

For graduate students interested in the CourseShare program to take (non-language) area studies courses, please contact the Graduate School for instructions and formal processing.

Pre- and Post-FLAS Evaluations

In order to evaluate the development of proficiency level, each FLAS fellow will go through a language evaluation pre- and post-program.

Summer and Academic Year FLAS fellows will be asked to provide information on a qualified language evaluator who will administer the pre-and post-fellowship language evaluations. The U.S Department of Education requires that the pre-and post-FLAS program language evaluations are completed by the same instructor. it is our expectation that the evaluator who administers the fellow’s “pre-” language evaluation will be the same evaluator who will administer the fellow’s “post-” language evaluation at the end of the fellowship period.