Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships
University of Hawaii at Manoa
U.S. citizen or resident alien full-time graduate and undergraduate students combining modern foreign language training with area studies in any UHM degree programs are encouraged to apply for:
- 2019 Summer Fellowship (for East Asia and Southeast Asia only)
$2,500 stipend plus tuition up to $5,000
(Intensive language study plan required) - 2019-2020 Academic Year Fellowship (pending federal funding)
$15,000 stipend plus tuition assistance for graduate recipients
$5,000 stipend plus tuition assistance for undergraduates
East Asia (Chinese, Japanese, and Korean)
Apply at: http://www.star.hawaii.edu/scholarship/
Deadline: February 1, 2019 (Search for “FLAS East Asia”)
Pacific Islands (Chamorro, Maori, Samoan, Tahitian, and Tongan)
Apply at: http://www.star.hawaii.edu/scholarship/
Deadline: February 15, 2019 (Search for “FLAS Pacific Islands”)
Southeast Asia (Indonesian, Khmer, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese)
Apply at: http://www.cseashawaii.org/students/scholarships/flas/
Deadline: January 18, 2019
Applicants must complete FAFSA to demonstrate financial need
For questions contact School of Pacific and Asian Studies Fellowships Coordinator at 956-2210 or chizuko@hawaii.edu
ALL YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT:
2019-2020 Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships
Fellowships Coordinator • School of Pacific and Asian Studies • University of Hawaii at Manoa
1890 East-West Road, Moore 416B, Honolulu, HI 96822
phone: (808) 956-2210 fax: (808) 956-6345 email: chizuko@hawaii.edu
What languages can be studied under the FLAS program at UHM?
Our current FLAS languages are: (East Asia) Chinese, Japanese, and Korean; (Pacific Islands) Chamorro, Maori, Samoan, Tahitian, and Tongan; (Southeast Asia) Indonesian, Khmer, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese.
Graduate and undergraduate recipients studying Chinese or Japanese must take 3rd year or higher language courses, and those studying Korean, Pacific Islands languages, or Southeast Asian languages must take 2nd year or higher during the award. Exceptions may be made for graduate students studying 1st year language courses for their degree program, if they already have advanced proficiency in another language from the same world region.
Who can apply for FLAS fellowships?
You must be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident and full-time UHM graduate or undergraduate degree-seeking student who takes one of the FLAS approved modern foreign languages and has demonstrated financial need. Applicants for FLAS fellowships are generally asked to complete FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) at https://fafsa.ed.gov/ and agree to make the results accessible to the FLAS selection committee. Following federal guidelines, Ph.D. dissertation research or write-up will be given lower priority. Students who are already as fluent as native speakers in that language are NOT encouraged to apply.
How do I apply?
The website you should visit depends on your language/region. For Southeast Asia FLAS fellowships, go to: www.cseashawaii.org/student/scholarships/flas/. For East Asian and Pacific Islands FLAS fellowships, go to: www.star.hawaii.edu/scholarship. The latter is the main scholarship site for many University of Hawaii scholarships. Both continuing and incoming students can log in and search for “FLAS East Asia” or “FLAS Pacific Islands.”
When is the application deadline?
The 2019-2020 application deadlines are: January 18 for Southeast Asia FLAS; February 1 for East Asia FLAS; and February 15 for Pacific Islands FLAS. Both summer and academic year fellowships have the same application deadline. Please note that SEASSI (Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute) fellowships program in Wisconsin has its own deadline (see www.seassi.wisc.edu).
What does the fellowship package include?
A summer recipient receives a $2,500 stipend plus actual tuition cost no more than $5,000. An academic year (two semesters) graduate recipient receives a $15,000 stipend plus tuition support of no more than $18,000, and an undergraduate recipient receives a $5,000 stipend plus tuition support of no more than $10,000. Again, recipients must demonstrate financial need for their study, and FLAS amounts may be reduced if you receive other aid.
What are the differences between the Summer fellowships and the Academic Year fellowships?
Summer fellowships are for intensive East Asian and Southeast Asian language study only. Applicants must enroll in formal summer language training programs with 120 hours of instruction at 3rd year or higher levels, or 140 hours of instruction in lower level languages, for a period of 6 weeks or longer. Intensive in-country summer language study is recommended for students at 3rd year or higher levels. Lower level applicants in Southeast Asian languages are encouraged to study at SEASSI (Southeast Asian Studies Summer Institute) at the University of Wisconsin at Madison (www.seassi.wisc.edu). Recipients in East Asian languages may enroll in UHM summer sessions if courses are available.
Academic year fellowships are for a combination of language and area studies. Applicants must take at least one target language course and one matching area/international studies course each semester during the academic year.
Is it possible for FLAS awardees to study abroad?
If you are studying your language at advanced levels, you can submit a study abroad plan on your application for a summer or academic year fellowship. The Fellowships Coordinator needs your study abroad plan details in order to obtain the U.S. Department of Education’s pre-approval. Again, academic year recipients must take both language and area studies courses while summer recipients must be engaged in intensive language study.
Who selects FLAS awardees, and how many awards are given?
The selection committees are comprised of UHM faculty members in respective area studies review and rank applications in a month or two, and Fellowships Coordinator sends out notifications accordingly. The number of FLAS awards vary from year to year, based on availability of funds.
What are the selection criteria?
The selection committee looks at your statement of purpose and appropriate language and area studies plans, your scholarly records, faculty recommendations, and your financial need.
What are the responsibilities of a FLAS recipient?
Recipients must carry out the course/program plans presented in the application and keep Fellowships Coordinator informed of their academic and tuition status. In addition, they must complete language proficiency tests and online reports required by the Department of Education at the start and end of the award period. Changes in academic course/program plans must be notified and approved beforehand. Failure to meet these requirements may result in withdrawal of an award, or a payback obligation. Recipients are required to participate in annual post-award surveys.
What if a student who receives an award cannot fulfill the study? Are there alternates?
Alternates are selected and are told they are alternates.
Are students eligible to apply for FLAS awards even though they have been awarded before?
Yes, they can reapply.