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Boren Fellowship


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Details

The Boren Fellowship provides funding for graduate students to obtain long-term linguistic and cultural immersion abroad. The scholarship provides up to $25,000 in funding to study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Upon completion of the Boren Scholarship, you are obligated to work for the federal government in some capacity for one year after graduation.




Scholarship Amount

$12,000-$25,000, depending on program


Annual Number of Scholarships Awarded

  • ~100 per year

 

 




Eligibility

  • Be a U.S. citizen
  • Be matriculated or applying to a graduate program at the time of application and remain matriculated in a graduate program for the duration of the scholarship
    • You may not graduate until the scholarship is complete
  • Proposed program must be at least 12 weeks
    • Proposed programs of 2 or more semesters are strongly encouraged
      • Preference is given to applicants proposing overseas programs of at least 25 weeks



Selection Criteria

  • Academic excellence to succeed abroad
  • Clear and compelling explanation of relevance of your country, language, field of study, and overseas study to U.S. national security
  • Demonstrated commitment to language study before, during, and after overseas study
  • Proposed study plan in a country and language or field of study preferred by the Boren Fellowship
    • If not on the preferred lists, make a compelling argument for funding on the basis of U.S. national security
  • Preference is given to applicants who demonstrate a longer-term commitment to government service
  • A clear, comprehensive, and feasible study plan, if conducting research



Application Material

  • Boren Application
    • Budget plan for time abroad, including travel to and from the U.S. to desired country
    • National Security Essay
    • Motivation and Public Service Careers Essay
    • Language Self-Assessment
    • Language Proficiency Evaluation (Optional)
    • Study Plan Summary
    • Abstract and Methodology
      • If you are electing to include research as an element of your program proposal
  • CV/Resume
  • Transcripts
  • 2-3 letters of recommendation
  • University Endorsement



University Endorsement Process

University endorsement is a competitive process and not guaranteed. Students seeking University of Utah endorsement must submit certain application components by the University’s deadline.




Deadlines

University Deadline:
01-03-2022

National Deadline:
01-26-2022


Timeline

August: Boren Scholarship Application Opens

January 3, 2022: University Deadline

January 26, 2022 by 3 pm MST: National Deadline

Late April: Notification of selection




Length of Scholarship

Dependent on program


Scholarship Website

https://www.borenawards.org/


Contact Information

Kathryn Witzke
kathryn.timm@utah.edu

Office of Nationally Competitive Scholarships:
competitivescholarships@utah.edu