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Top 22 Scholarships for Foreign Languages in December 2022
More and more, knowing a second or foreign language is becoming a valuable asset in the workplace. Whether you want to make a living off of your foreign language skills or simply want to learn another language, there are plenty of foreign language scholarships available to you (many of which include studying abroad!).
Jump ahead to:
- Top scholarships for foreign language students
- How to win foreign language scholarships
- Frequently asked questions about foreign language scholarships
- Additional scholarship categories
Keep on reading to learn about the top scholarships for foreign languages!
Top 22 Scholarships for Foreign Languages in December 2022
The Scholarships360 Research Team reviews all scholarships individually and strives to exclude any scholarship where any of the below applies:
- The scholarship requires a fee to apply
- The scholarship provider’s privacy policy allows for the misuse of student data
- The scholarship requires paid membership in an organization (with certain exceptions for reputable trade organizations and others)
- Student are required to sign up for a site or service to apply*
- The scholarship seems primarily used for lead generation** or idea harvesting purposes***
- The scholarship website has many grammatical errors and/or advertisements
- The scholarship or scholarship providing organization seem untrustworthy
- There is no evidence the scholarship was previously awarded
- The scholarship has not been awarded in the past 12 months
- There is no available contact information
If you believe a scholarship has been published in error, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll take a look!
* There are certain exceptions to this, for example if the sponsoring organization is a major corporation or nonprofit with its own scholarship application system.
** Lead generation scholarships will require students to sign up for an app or website and require minimal (if any) application requirements.
***Idea harvesting scholarships will require students to submit blog posts or other materials that companies may use for marketing purposes.
$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Easy scholarship open to all US-based high school, college, community college and graduate students.
$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship – No Essay
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to all high school, college, community and graduate students.
Niche $50,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Open to high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in the next year.
Blakemore Freeman Fellowship
Offered by Blakemore Foundation
Individuals pursuing a professional, business, or academic career that will require the regular use of an East or Southeast Asian language.
U.S. Air Force In-College Scholarship Program (ICSP)
Offered by U.S. Air Force ROTC
Open to college freshmen and sophomores who are willing to commit to some years of service after graduation.
Margaret Mcnamara US-Canada Program
Offered by Margaret Mcnamara Education Grants
Women aged 25 and up who are nationals of a country on the MMEG eligibility list and are full-time college students in the U.S. or Canada.
The Boren Awards
Offered by Boren Awards
Open to undergraduate and graduate students interested in studying in world regions critical to U.S. interests.
“Follow Your Own Path” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to all postsecondary students, regardless of the type of training/education they are pursuing.
“Outstanding Undergraduate” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to current undergraduates at four-year universities in the U.S.
La Caixa Foundation Postgraduate Fellowships
Offered by La Caixa Foundation
Individuals of Spanish or Portuguese nationality who wish to pursue postgraduate study in North America, Europe, or the Asia-Pacific region.
$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship
Sponsored
Annual $10k scholarship from CollegeXpress open to all high school students.
Project GO Scholarship
Offered by Project GO
US citizens on track to commission through the Army, Naval, or Air Force ROTC at a U.S. university. PLC students are also eligible.
Ibn Battuta Scholarship
Offered by Qalam Wa Lawh Center
Open to individuals who have studied Arabic for at least four University semesters and plan to enroll in a Qalam Wa Lawh program.
Virtual National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)
Offered by U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)
High school students in the U.S. wanting to partake in the virtual NSLI-Y program to learn a language critical to U.S. national security.
Foreign Fulbright Student Program
Offered by U.S. Department of State
International students who are interested in studying and conducting research in the United States. Specific criteria vary by country.
Georges Lurcy Fellowships
Offered by Georges Lurcy Charitable and Educational Trust
Open to French students enrolled in American universities to pursue degrees or conduct research at the doctoral level.
AAUW’s International Fellowships
Offered by American Association of University Women
Women pursuing full-time graduate or postdoctoral study in the U.S. who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents.
CIA Undergraduate and Graduate Scholarships
Offered by Central Intelligence Agency
Postsecondary students who are willing to work 1-2 90-day sessions at the CIA before graduating and for a few years after graduating.
$25k “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship from Niche open to all high school, college, and graduate students.
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How to win foreign languages scholarships
As you apply to foreign languages scholarships, try to take your essays a step further. Don’t just talk about how much you love the language you’re studying or how well you speak it. Talk about the change in the world you hope to make once you have a better grasp of the language. Discuss the plans you would make if you won the scholarship and what it would help you to accomplish.
The organizations offering scholarships want to grant them to students who will use them to make big changes. They are looking to help make success stories. Make sure to emphasize the successes you can obtain if you receive that help from the organization.
Writing a stellar essay
Writing an effective scholarship essay is no small task. Luckily, we have a variety of resources to answer any questions you may have. Check out our guides on how to start and end scholarship essays, as well as some tips on responding to the most common scholarship essay prompts. We’ll also help you tailor your writing to 250 or 500 word limits, and learn about writing about yourself. Good luck!
Also see: Top study abroad scholarships
Resources for foreign language students
Alpha Mu Gamma
Alpha Mu Gamma is the largest national collegiate foreign language honor society in the country. No matter what language you are studying, Alpha Mu Gamma recognizes it. This includes American Sign Language. There are chapters at most colleges and universities, and membership offers opportunities for networking and professional development, and it looks great on a resume.
American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
For students studying Spanish or Portuguese, this is a great organization offering networking, insight into the state of foreign language instruction, and scholarships. Many students who major in a foreign language go on to teaching, and organizations like this can give a good idea of what that career field would look like. Those who are pursuing a degree in another language could benefit from seeking a similar organization for their language. They exist for most languages.
Additional language-specific organizations
- American Association of Teachers of Arabic
- Cantonese Language Association
- Chinese Language Teachers Association
- American Association for Teachers of German
- American Association of Teachers of Japanese
