Fellowship Finder
US National Security Education Program (NSEP) - Boren Fellowships
- Anticipated 1/2024 ( Previous deadline 1/4/2023 )
- Anticipated 1/2024 ( Previous deadline 1/25/2023 )
The first date above refers to UIUC's internal campus deadline. Applicants from institutions other than UIUC should consult with their Boren campus representative to obtain internal institutional deadlines. The national deadline for all Boren Fellowship applications is January 25, 2023.
The NSEP's David L. Boren Fellowship Program promotes linguistic and cultural immersion in specific world regions in combination with public service. The program allows U.S. graduate students to conduct research and study less commonly taught languages in world regions that are critical to U.S. national security interests, including: Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are not eligible. NSEP draws on a broad definition of "national security," recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness.
The Boren Fellowship program is open to graduate students in any field of study. However, the program maintains a broad list of preferred fields here. Applicants in a field other than one on the preferred list must clearly explain how they will make competitive applicants for specific public service careers.
The Boren Fellowship program requires that awardees work in the US federal government for at least one year following completion of the fellowship, with the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, State (including USAID), and the intelligence community designated as priority agencies. Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate a long-term commitment to federal service.
Length of Study:
Boren Fellowships support projects up to 12 months overseas. All overseas study must be a minimum of 3 months, and preference will be given to applicants proposing projects of 6 months or longer. Applicants proposing overseas programs of 3-6 months, however, especially in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields are encouraged to apply.
Eligibility:
Applicant must be:
- A U.S. citizen at the time of application.
- Enrolled in a graduate degree program in any academic or professional discipline at an accredited college or university located within the U.S.
- Planning an overseas program of language study (that may include research) in a country outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. Boren Fellowships are not for study in the U.S., although they may have a small domestic language study component.
- In exchange for funding, recipients must agree to the NSEP Service Requirement, which requires that the recipient work in the federal government for a minimum of one year.
Award Amount:
- Up to $25,000 for overseas study.
- Up to $12,000 for domestic language study to supplement the overseas component.
- The maximum combined overseas and domestic award is $30,000.
DEADLINES FOR UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS APPLICANTS:
Campus deadline (required in order to receive campus evaluation): Wednesday, January 4, 2023
While not a required component of the application, NSEP gives campus representatives the opportunity to contribute insight into the applicant's preparation, maturity, and commitment in the form of a brief campus evaluation submitted as part of the student's application. In order to receive this evaluation, a student's application must be complete by this deadline, including all essays and letters of recommendation (the application may be left "in progress" in the online system). The Office of External Fellowships will then conduct an interview with the applicant and prepare a campus evaluation to be submitted to NSEP as part of the student's application. Applicants have until the final submission deadline to further revise and submit their materials.
Final submission deadline for all fellowship applicants: Wednesday, January 25, 2023
UIUC Contact:
Dana Johnson, PhD
Assistant Director of External Fellowships
Graduate College
dnj@illinois.edu
NSEP Contact:
Boren Scholarships and Fellowships
National Security Education Program
Institute of International Education
Tel: 800-618-6737
Email: boren@iie.org
URL: https://www.borenawards.org/
Categories: Annual stipend of at least $10,000; Social Sciences; Sciences/Engineering/Math; Professional Programs; Humanities; US Citizens, Nationals, or Permanent Residents; Master's; Early Years of Doctoral Program; Dissertation Research; Research/Study Abroad; Foreign Language Training; Unrestricted
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