Info Sessions | UMD National Scholarships Office

Would you like to study a critical language during summer 2026 – all expenses paid?

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, offers two opportunities to immerse yourself in critical language study!

(1) The CLS Overseas Institutes offer intensive and cultural immersion for these 12 languages abroad:

ARABIC - CHINESE – HINDI - INDONESIAN - JAPANESE - KOREAN - PERSIAN - PORTUGUESE - RUSSIAN - SWAHILI - TURKISH - URDU

(2) The CLS Spark Virtual Institutes offer undergraduates the opportunity to study one of these four languages virtually:

ARABIC - CHINESE - JAPANESE - KOREAN - RUSSIAN

Learn more and sign up for a virtual information session. Gain insights into preparing a strong application!

Interested but unable to attend? Please fill out this brief survey. We will enroll you in our CLS resource page on ELMS and follow up with you.

Application Deadline: Mid-November (TBA)

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION: Applicants must be U.S. Citizens; currently enrolled freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors, or graduate students (note--grad students are ineligible for CLS Spark). A GPA of 3.2 or higher recommended; all majors are eligible.

PLEASE NOTE: The CLS overseas program in Japanese requires two years of previous study by the start of the program. Arabic, Chinese, Korean, and Russian require one year of study by the start of the program. The five CLS Spark programs are open to beginners. See here for details.

For more information about the CLS Program, please visit the CLS website.

Considering Stanford University for Graduate / Professional Studies?

Learn about the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program at Stanford University, the largest fully endowed graduate scholarship program in the world. The Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program develops a community of future global leaders to address complex challenges through collaboration and innovation.

Every year, up to 100 high-achieving future leaders from around the world will receive full funding to pursue any graduate degree at Stanford University, including the JD, MA, MBA, MD, MFA, MS, and PhD programs, as well as all joint- and dual-degrees.

Register here for upcoming info sessions and application workshops!

To discuss your Knight-Hennessy application plans, and to receive support on your application, please reach out to the UMD National Scholarships Office at scholarships@umd.edu

Eligibility: Citizens of ALL countries are eligible to apply for Knight-Hennessy Scholarships. You are eligible to apply to Knight-Hennessy Scholars if you apply during your final year of study for your bachelor's degree or within four years of earning your bachelor’s degree.