Summer FLAS Fellowships

For intensive summer language study at the intermediate and advanced level in the US and overseas.

Summer FLAS Fellowships for East Europe

Summer FLAS Fellowships are open to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students for intensive summer language study at the intermediate and advanced level in the US and overseas. Graduate students who possess advanced proficiency in one language of the region may petition to study a second regional language at the elementary level in the US; only if the language is not taught in the US are graduate students allowed to study at the elementary level overseas. Undergraduates may not use a Summer FLAS Fellowship at the elementary level.

Approved languages for Summer FLAS include: Armenian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, Czech, Polish, Russian, and Ukrainian. Other languages of the region may also be eligible; contact Donna Griesenbeck with questions.

Non-Harvard students may apply for a Summer FLAS Fellowship to use in an eligible Harvard Summer School intensive language program. Incoming Harvard graduate and professional students may apply for a Summer FLAS Fellowship to use in any eligible program to study a language that will be relevant to their Harvard degree program during the summer just prior to matriculation.

In addition to the general FLAS Fellowship requirements, the following requirements pertain to Summer FLAS.

Program Eligibility

  • Equivalent to one year of instruction
  • For academic credit and letter-graded
  • Minimum of 120 (advanced level) or 140 (beginning or intermediate level) contact hours of instruction over 6 or more weeks
  • Overseas programs must be at the intermediate or advanced level
  • Overseas programs are subject to approval by the US Department of Education

How to Apply

Apply for the East Europe Summer FLAS via Harvard's online Centralized Application for Research and Travel (CARAT).  If you are a current Harvard student, you will login to CARAT with HarvardKey.  Prospective Harvard students and those planning to attend Harvard Summer School should create a HarvardKey to access CARAT.  

Please read through the following instructions carefully before beginning the application. All materials must be submitted in English.

The application requires the following information:

  • Basic biographical information
  • Research and professional interests
  • Prior FLAS fellowships held (graduate and undergraduate)
  • FLAS language to be studied
  • FLAS language proficiency
  • Language program details (dates and contact hours of instruction; URL or PDF of program brochure that includes this information) 
  • Affiliation and contact information for the instructor from whom you are requesting a reference

PDF File Uploads:

  • Statement of Purpose: Describe how the proposed intensive language course relates to your overall academic and professional plans.  Where relevant, comment on how your proposed activities will help to develop regional experts and professionals who are prepared to engage with counterparts in this world area. Please also indicate any other fellowships applied for and the status of those applications. Your statement should be no longer than 500 words (2 pages, double-spaced). Be sure to include your full name in the header or footer of each page of your statement.
  • Brief Resume or Curriculum Vitae (up to 2 pages): Include academic background, employment history, and major publications or other achievements. List the institutions in which you have studied or worked, institution locations, field(s) of study, degrees, and dates of employment or study.
  • Transcript(s): A scan of your current official or unofficial transcript; include final grades for the term immediately prior to the application deadline.  Optional: Applicants in the first year of graduate school may also submit their official undergraduate transcript.

Letter of Recommendation:

  • One letter of recommendation, either from a recent area studies instructor who can comment on the relevance of the FLAS language to your overall program of study, or from a recent instructor of the proposed FLAS language, uploaded to CARAT. 

Deadline

All application materials for the East Europe Summer FLAS Fellowship, including the online application form, supplements, and the letter of reference, must be received before midnight on February 7, 2024.

Notification

Summer FLAS Fellowship nominations will be announced in March. FLAS Fellowship nominations are subject to approval by the US Department of Education.