The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an intensive overseas language and cultural immersion program for American students enrolled at U.S. colleges and universities. The fully-funded program held in country includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains equivalent to one year of college language instruction.
U.S. Citizens; Undergraduate or Graduate level--must be enrolled at time of application. All disciplines.
Deadline: Fall 2026
Please contact IP grants for an advising appointment by mid-October
Duration: 8-10 Weeks (Summer Intensive Program)
Upcoming Events
Want help with your application?
International Programs has dedicated staff to give you tips on how to write a strong application. Make an appointment with Dr. Karen Wachsmuth by completing and returning the Preliminary Application Form to ip-grants@uiowa.edu.
Other resources
Eligible languages and levels
No prior study required: Hindi, Persian, Portuguese, Swahili
One year of prior study: Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Russian
Two years of prior study: Japanese
Meet an Iowa CLS Winner
Critical Language Scholarship overview from Alex Bare, University of Iowa graduate. Alex’s success with CLS helped him win a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to serve as an English Teaching Assistant in Colombia.
CLS in the News
Critical Language Scholarship winner Shefa’a T. Tawil to study Arabic in Jordan
Critical Language Scholarship winner Sean Hagan to study Russian in Kyrgyzstan
