Boren Scholarships · 2027–2028 cycle

Eligibility & application

Undergraduate entry: Be matriculated in an accredited U.S. associate’s/bachelor’s degree at the application deadline and throughout funded study. Community-college and transfer students may apply from their current institution and name the intended transfer institution. A STEM-major summer-only proposal of at least eight weeks can receive up to $8,000. Non-STEM applicants do not receive that short-summer exception. Current undergraduate Language Flagship students may seek funding for an admitted overseas capstone through the same application; being a non-Flagship student at a Flagship institution is insufficient. Required eligibility: U.S. citizen by the national deadline; high-school graduate or GED holder; at least 18 when submitting the application. If turning 18 shortly before the cutoff, wait until that birthday to submit. Plan a qualifying intensive language program, complete funded participation before graduation and remain matriculated at an accredited U.S. degree institution throughout. For ordinary overseas programs, the destination cannot be one where the applicant is a citizen, including dual citizenship. Western Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are ineligible. ROTC cadets/midshipmen and military Reserve/National Guard participants must be inactive and non-drilling during funded participation. The domestic Persian M.P.S. is a specific graduate option with separate admission rules, not general permission for online or U.S.-only study. Language and program duration: Language acquisition is the core ongoing activity. Published guidance requires 15–20 weekly contact hours; the self-identified program page expressly prohibits proposals below 15 hours and allows classroom instruction, tutoring, labs, target-language research/internships and other immersion toward the total. Most applicants need at least 12 weeks of continuous overseas study; undergraduate STEM summer programs can be 8–11 weeks. Multiple consecutive programs must stay in the same language and overseas destination. Short out-of-destination travel requires advance approval; multi-country tours/semester-at-sea proposals are ineligible. Home-institution academic credit is not universally required, but degree matriculation is. Online language study is not an overseas Boren program. Selection preferences, not universal eligibility barriers: At least 25 weeks abroad, intensive study in preferred destinations/languages/fields, strong national-security rationale, realistic preparation and longer-term federal career commitment. Other fields and non-preferred eligible choices may be considered with a compelling explanation. Veterans receive preference when other factors are equivalent; past service cannot substitute for post-Boren service. Community-college students, applicants without previous travel and applicants without a campus representative are encouraged to apply. A strong or improving academic record, adaptability, maturity and leadership are evaluated. No general minimum GPA is stated in these national instructions; the Persian M.P.S. has a separate 3.0 requirement. Preferred languages (AFLI-marked languages may also be funded outside AFLI; indigenous languages in preferred African destinations are preferred): · African Languages** · Akan/Twi - AFLI * · Albanian · Amharic · Arabic · Armenian · Azerbaijani · Bambara · Belarusian · Bengali · Bosnian · Bulgarian · Cantonese · Croatian · Czech · Gan · Georgian · Haitian Creole · Hausa · Hebrew · Hindi · Hungarian · Indonesian · Japanese · Javanese · Kannada · Kazakh · Khmer (Cambodian) · Korean · Kurdish · Kyrgyz · Lingala · Macedonian · Malay · Malayalam · Mandarin · Moldovan · Nepali · Pashto · Persian · Polish · Portuguese · Punjabi · Romanian · Russian · Serbian · Sinhala · Slovak · Slovenian · Swahili - AFLI * · Tagalog · Tajik · Tamil · Telegu · Thai · Turkmen · Turkish · Uighur · Ukrainian · Urdu · Uzbek · Vietnamese · Wolof - AFLI * · Yoruba · Zulu - AFLI * *Boren Awards funding for these languages is also available outside of AFLI. **All languages indigenous to preferred overseas destinations in Africa are preferred languages for the Boren Awards Language exceptions and source differences: Most languages have no minimum or maximum proficiency threshold. Choose a level-appropriate program and realistic improvement goals. French through AFLI requires ILR 1+ speaking; the detailed eligibility page permits other French at ILR 2 speaking, or ILR 1 for STEM. Its Spanish guidance permits ILR 1+, or ILR 1 for STEM, with verification by testing. The current presentation is narrower on Spanish, saying applicants must choose a preferred destination, while the detailed website discusses non-preferred destinations with a strong justification. Confirm a borderline Spanish/STEM/non-preferred proposal with Boren. The brochure simplifies Persian proficiency; the detailed UMD/Boren M.P.S. rules require ILR 2 with a conditional summer preparation route. Do not treat simplified outreach text as a waiver. Preferred overseas destinations (asterisks mean likely non-approval in 2027, with an unrestricted viable alternative needed): · Albania · Algeria* · Angola · Argentina · Armenia · Azerbaijan · Bahrain · Bangladesh* · Belarus* · Benin · Bosnia & Herzegovina · Brazil · Bulgaria · Cambodia · Cape Verde · Chile · China · Colombia · Congo, Democratic Republic of the* · Congo, Republic of the · Cote d'Ivoire · Croatia · Cuba* · Czech Republic · Egypt* · El Salvador · Eritrea* · Estonia · Ethiopia · Georgia · Ghana · Guatemala · Haiti* · Honduras* · Hungary · India · Indonesia · Israel · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kenya · Korea, South · Kosovo · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Latvia · Lebanon* · Liberia · Macedonia · Malaysia · Mali* · Mexico · Moldova · Montenegro · Morocco · Mozambique · Nepal · Nicaragua · Nigeria* · Oman · Pakistan* · Panama · Peru · Philippines · Poland · Qatar · Romania · Russia* · Rwanda · Saudi Arabia* · Senegal · Serbia · Sierra Leone · Slovakia · Slovenia · South Africa · Sri Lanka · Taiwan · Tajikistan · Tanzania · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Tunisia* · Turkey · Uganda · Ukraine* · United Arab Emirates · Uzbekistan · Venezuela* · Vietnam Alternate plans: Required for asterisk/blue destinations and for Arabic, Mandarin or Russian, in another destination for the same language. The detailed application guides exempt Mandarin in Taiwan and Arabic in Morocco; undergraduate Language Flagship capstone applicants also need no alternate. These exceptions do not guarantee travel approval. Post-application adjustments generally retain destination, language, intensity and duration tier; shortening to another funding tier requires individual review. All funded proposals and activities need Boren approval. Preferred fields; STEM labels also govern the undergraduate short-summer exception: · Agricultural & Food Sciences - STEM · Anthropology · Archaeology · Area Studies · Astronomy - STEM · Biology - STEM · Business · Chemistry - STEM · Computer & Information Sciences - STEM · Criminal Justice · Cybersecurity - STEM · Economics · Engineering - STEM · Geography · Geology - STEM · History · International Affairs · International Development · Languages · Law · Linguistics · Mathematics - STEM · Medical Sciences - STEM · Military Science · Nursing - STEM · Physics - STEM · Political Science · Psychology · Public Administration · Public Health - STEM · Social Sciences · Social Work · Sociology Recommendations and campus support: Use people who know the applicant well; family/friends are unsuitable. Recommenders submit through the official system and applicants cannot upload their letters or language forms for them. Optional language evaluations should come from a recent instructor, are unsuitable before any study of the language and do not replace a required recommendation. Campus advising, campus deadlines and a confidential evaluation are helpful but not required nationally; eligible complete submissions without an evaluation receive full consideration. Respect a campus deadline to obtain that campus support. Campus evaluation guidance gives three business days after the national cutoff at 5 PM Eastern but explicitly leaves dated cutoffs TBD; no national calendar date is calculated from that relative rule. Essay and review rules: Explain the destination/language/field connection to national security, preparation for extended study, personal growth and concrete federal career plans in integrated essays. Prior international experience is not necessary. The national Boren review has no semi-finalist/interview stage, although a campus may conduct its own review. Current organizer guidance excludes funding for coursework/research/internships focusing on gender ideology, DEI or environmental justice, and asks that essays not propose those career goals; consult the current organizer instructions rather than assuming an activity qualifies. A submitted application may be reopened only through Boren staff. No deferral, exception or program change is automatic. Undergraduate materials: Two essays, maximum 800 words each; two required recommendations and an optional third, plus an optional language evaluation. Include the current unofficial transcript to submit and remaining non-duplicated academic transcripts before cutoff. A program description upload may be at most five pages. Language Flagship applicants select the proper sponsor/host and need no alternate; funding still depends on actual capstone admission/participation. Conditional Language Flagship option: Verify actual enrollment in an undergraduate Flagship program and work with both the Flagship advisor and campus representative. The same national Boren application funds an eligible admitted capstone; an ordinary student at a Flagship institution cannot use that option. Do not automatically list a second capstone alternative. Conditional AFLI choices: French in Senegal, Swahili in Tanzania, Akan/Twi in Ghana, Wolof in Senegal or Zulu in South Africa share domestic UF summer training. Required participation spans summer and fall; a self-designed spring extension is optional and should be requested at application. UF confirms domestic June 5–July 31, 2027 and local admission May 7. The Boren initiative page labels schedule confirmation as pending and lists overseas French/Swahili August 18–December 4, with optional spring extension; Akan/Twi/Wolof/Zulu require self-identified fall programs of at least 12 weeks. Confirm the selected schedule and funding-start boundary. Do not attend every language or treat all alternative option dates as personal appointments.

U.S. applicants · eligible overseas destinations · in-person · open

Education level: undergraduate

Scholarship funding, not salary or guaranteed employment. Awards depend on approved duration and other aid: $12,500 for 12–24 overseas weeks or $25,000 for 25–52; weeks are firm and 24 weeks plus a few days does not round up. Report other aid; overlapping funding can reduce the award, while student loans do not reduce it. Awards do not cover every expense. A zero national application fee is not explicitly established in these reviewed sources. Eligible costs: approved tuition/program fees; home matriculation fees up to $2,500 per semester/$5,000 overall; room/board during the funded destination period; books/supplies; visas and necessary overseas visa travel; compliant lowest-cost/basic-economy roundtrip airfare; up to two checked bags; overseas health insurance; local transportation; cybersecurity burner device/VPN costs up to $500; one approved flight-change fee. Airfare must follow Fly America; the current budget page specifically says Open Skies does not apply to Boren funding. Confirm itinerary compliance with the organizer rather than borrowing another scholarship’s travel policy. Excluded costs: passports, vaccinations/medical treatment/copays/prescriptions/COVID tests, personal durable laptops, dependents, personal travel/entertainment and U.S. rent/car/loan/tax expenses. Graduate research also cannot charge participant gifts/payments, research-assistant travel/meals, personal laptops or scientific equipment. Unused funds must be returned; increases need approved costs and available funds. The organizer may audit spending. Conditional AFLI costs: approved summer domestic costs are supported in addition to the applicable overseas-duration award. UF lists $3,000 summer tuition and a $225 non-refundable housing application charge, with rent, insurance/utilities, meals and possible guarantor/LEAP arrangements. These are local program charges, not a Boren application fee or guaranteed out-of-pocket total. UF gives local payment dates/times without an explicit timezone and its own May 7 admission date. Confirm billing and which charges the awarded funding covers; UF supplies no direct funding. Detailed local arrangements and schedules are linked for selected AFLI participants. Undergraduate-only STEM summer funding: $8,000 for 8–11 approved weeks. Non-STEM and graduate applicants do not receive this short-summer funding category.

Federal service is an award condition: seek and secure at least one year of qualifying national-security-related federal employment. Securing a job is the recipient’s responsibility; advising, placement resources and special hiring authorities do not guarantee employment. Priority service organizations named by the organizer are War/Defense, State, Homeland Security and the Intelligence Community; other federal positions require individual approval. Longer federal career commitment is a selection preference. ROTC service can count concurrently; past veterans’ service cannot count toward the post-Boren obligation. Subsequent academic study can qualify for a deferment, subject to current terms. All awardees must attend the mandatory in-person Convocation June 3–4, 2027 in Washington, DC. Personal acceptance, signed award terms, funded program dates and documentation deadlines follow the individual offer. Prove continued matriculation with a registrar/dean letter on letterhead and signature, with graduation after funded completion. The advisor letter template describes both awards as undergraduate; use the actual undergraduate/graduate eligibility rules for the correct degree. A same-month graduation needs a full date at least one day after the overseas program ends. During funded study, maintain intensive language participation and approved continuous program arrangements. Paid work abroad and internships with U.S./foreign governments are not allowed. Graduate internships, coursework or research can supplement language acquisition; journalism is not allowed even freelance/unpaid. Coordinate travel and program changes with Boren, retaining destination/language/intensity and requiring approval for changes to funding tiers. Pre-, in- and post-program checklists exist, but current recipient-resource and detailed service pages denied public access during this review. Their contents, exact personal reporting/repayment rules and signed current contract have not been inferred. Confirm them through the official award process. Calendar scope: national deadlines, six matching optional applicant webinars and common required Convocation are dated below. Campus-advisor training sessions are excluded. Conditional local program choices and personal preparations remain clearly labelled reference steps rather than every applicant’s appointments. The regional initiative page says its schedule is awaiting confirmation while UF has specific local dates; reconcile the chosen option with the organizer. Apply for an optional spring extension in the original application; later addition is not guaranteed. Application preparation: Follow the current online form and complete required fields; saving or agreeing to submission policies alone does not submit. Provide legal/contact/academic information, program plans, a 250-word study-plan summary for each proposed/alternate program segment, language self-assessment and plans for maintaining language ability and federal service. Up to three relevant jobs and three activities, each explained in 50–100 words; up to three relevant overseas experiences and five honors/awards. Other scholarship applications are optional and do not affect review. Redact SSN/birthdate from unofficial transcripts; retain name, institution, course titles and grades. The current/current-most-recent transcript is needed to submit, while other listed transcripts must arrive before the national deadline. The organizer says no budget submission is needed at application; use the separate cost guidance for planning. Current cycle and documents: Applications for 2027–2028 are explicitly open, with exact national deadlines below. The Apply Now graduate heading uses the word “Scholarship” in its deadline sentence; the graduate heading, homepage and current presentation independently identify January 20 as Fellowship and January 27 as Scholarship. Current funding-start descriptions differ: web guidance says early June 2027 through March 1, 2028, while the presentation says after June 5 and before March 1. Confirm the chosen program boundary, especially a domestic option; this eligibility window is not a personal start-date appointment. Expenses after May 31, 2028 depend on funds and later confirmation. April notifications are mid-to-late April 2027, without an exact day. The current presentation establishes mandatory June 3–4, 2027 in-person Convocation for all recipients in Washington, DC. The general FAQ says Scholars begin the service commitment within three years after graduation; confirm personal timing and approved deferments under current NSEP terms.

Published dates

Unannounced dates are kept pending. Dated history is included when you add a program; reminders apply to future dates. Date-only events do not have an invented cutoff time. The organizer confirms final eligibility and availability.

Official evidence