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: Applications are due in November 2023 -- 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
- CLS Program Brochure
- Video Tutorials: Program Overview Application Tips
- Read about a recent CLS winner from the University of Iowa
Eligible languages and levels
No prior study required: Azerbaijani, Bangla, Hindi, Indonesian, Persian, Portuguese, Swahili, Turkish, Urdu
One year of prior study: Arabic, Korean, Russian
Two years of prior study: Chinese, 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
Upcoming Critical Language Scholarship info session and workshop, Nov 2 & 10
Ryann Hubbart awarded Critical Language Scholarship for second consecutive year, to study Arabic abroad this summer
