FLAS Frequently Asked Questions
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If you have further questions or suggestions for additions to this list, questions about a particular language, or questions about the selection process of the competition, please contact the FLAS Coordinator of the appropriate area studies program.
Questions about eligibility
Who is eligible to receive a FLAS fellowship?
Graduate and undergraduate students who are US citizens or nationals or permanent residents and who are enrolled (or accepted for enrollment) in a program that combines modern foreign language training with international or area studies or with the international aspects of professional or other fields of study. Only undergraduates studying a language at the intermediate or advanced level are eligible.
Can I receive a summer FLAS if I will graduate in the previous spring?
Possibly. See the FLAS Coordinator for your language.
May I apply for a FLAS if I am not a UW student?
In some cases, non-UW students may receive Summer FLAS awards. Academic Year FLAS awards are only for UW-Madison students. Contact the FLAS Coordinator for your language.
Is there a limit on the number of FLAS fellowships I can receive?
There is no limit on the number of sequential FLAS awards one person may receive, but no more than one concurrent award can be accepted.
Questions about the application process
What information is required for the application?
Please refer to the sample applications for Academic Year or Summer, as appropriate. Note that these are two separate competitions for which two separate and complete applications are required.
Can I apply to more than one center?
Yes. You will not be allowed to receive two simultaneous awards, but you are welcome to submit applications to more than one center.
SASLI awards FLAS fellowships for study at the South Asia Summer Language Institute only. If you will be attending SASLI and are not a UW-Madison student, you must fill out the SASLI FLAS application. UW-Madison students should contact Rachel Weiss or Laura Hammond to determine which application should be submitted. See the SASLI FLAS FAQ page for more information regarding the SASLI FLAS.
Who should fill out my language evaluation form if I have never taken courses in the language I want to study?
If you have no knowledge of the language for which you want to receive a FLAS, have someone evaluate you for a foreign language you have already studied. If you have never taken courses but have some knowledge of the language for which you want to receive a FLAS (for example, if you lived abroad), try to find someone who can evaluate your knowledge of the language.
If you don't already know someone who is qualified to fill out your evaluation form, contact the department here on campus where the language is taught.
How can I get a copy of my GRE scores?
You do not need to submit a copy of your GRE scores with your application. Simply enter the scores and dates in the appropriate field of the application. Your home department may be contacted to verify that the information you have entered is correct.
What if I do not have GRE scores?
If you do not have GRE (or other graduate-level exam) scores, you will be ineligible for a FLAS from some Area Studies Centers. In other cases, LSAT scores or other results may be substituted. Please check with the FLAS Coordinator for your language.
What happens after I submit my application?
Recipients, alternates, and non-recipients will receive notification of their status within about a month after the application deadline. Award letters will contain more information about payment processes, registration, etc.
Who will review/evaluate my application?
Each center has a review and selection committee that will evaluate and rank applicants. Undergraduate and graduate applications are ranked separately and not in competition with each other.
Each center's review committee comprises scholars adept at reading across disciplines, so do not be shy about referring to specialized literatures, theories, or methods as appropriate. At the same time, do not try to impress the committee with arcane vocabulary or references. The best statements are clear and written in plain English, show seriousness and purpose, and are true to the challenges in your field of study and to your current stage of training. The evaluation committee understands that beginning graduate students may have rudimentary plans, while more advanced students will be able to lay out plans for major research projects in some detail. Likewise, the evaluation committee understands that essays from applicants in professional schools or other non-thesis degree programs will be quite different from essays written by students planning theses or dissertations, which in turn will be quite different from those of undergraduate students. Therefore, respond to all questions to address your specific situation and do not try to tailor your application to fit some perceived ideal candidate.
Do I need to submit a bibliography with my essay?
Bibliographies per se are discouraged, but if you wish, you may mention important authors or works in your text or include relevant citations parenthetically.
Questions about FLAS usage
(see below for specific answers about Academic Year and Summer awards)
Can a FLAS award be used to participate in an internship program?
Generally not, because an internship program is neither a formal academic program of full-time study nor dissertation research. Contact your FLAS Coordinator about a specific internship if you feel it meets the full-time study requirement.
Is a FLAS fellow allowed to work during the award period?
In limited situations, yes. Remember that FLAS fellows are required to be engaged in full-time foreign language and area or international studies course work or dissertation research during the academic year, or in intensive language study during the summer award period. However, UW-Madison policy does allow up to 25% additional employment as a TA, RA, PA, or student hourly with prior permission. Contact your FLAS Coordinator for more details. There is an approval process that is detailed in the fellowship appointment letter; the appointment must be approved by: a) the major advisor, b) the area program giving the FLAS, and c) the Dean’s office of the Division of International Studies.
Can I receive both a FLAS and another fellowship during the same period?
Sometimes. Please consult your FLAS Coordinator.
Can I get a single semester award during the academic year?
No.
Can I take a semester off and finish the award during a subsequent period?
No.
Can I request a Pass/Fail grade for my courses?
No.
Can I use my FLAS at a different U.S. institution?
During the summer only.
Can I use the FLAS for a reading knowledge course?
No. FLAS is designed to give students proficiency in speaking and writing, as well as reading and listening.
About ACADEMIC YEAR awards:
What does an academic year FLAS Fellow receive?
Award benefits include a stipend plus some or all tuition and fees. (Graduate students receive full tuition and fees. Undergraduates receive up to $10,000 towards tuition.) For the academic year 2010-2011, the FLAS stipend is $15,000 for graduate students and $5,000 for undergrads.
What can I use an academic year FLAS for?
Academic Year FLAS fellowships are awarded for a full academic year to students engaged in:
- formal full-time language and area studies coursework at UW-Madison. (Some centers allow graduate students to apply FLAS towards overseas coursework in limited situations. Please consult the appropriate FLAS Coordinator.)
OR
- full-time dissertation research abroad. The use of the foreign language in the dissertation research must be extensive enough to be able to consider the language improvement facilitated by the research equal to the improvement that would be obtained from a full academic year’s worth of formal classroom instruction.
OR
- formal full-time language and area studies coursework as part of a UW IAP official undergraduate overseas program.
What if I'm a dissertator but I don't have advanced language skills?
Not all Centers allow dissertators to receive FLAS awards. In some cases, FLAS awards may be used for dissertation research abroad (see above). In rare instances, dissertators may receive FLAS for language study at UW-Madison, in which case they must suspend their dissertator status and follow all requirements for graduate awards. All dissertators must have prior approval of the Department of Education. The approval process is initiated by the Area Studies Center prior to awarding a fellowship; no approval is needed at time of application. Those dissertators proposing overseas research must also demonstrate an affiliation with a university or research organization in the country of research, and a research visa, if required. A two-page dissertation proposal, signed by the advisor, must be included with the application of all dissertators."
Do I have to take specific classes?
FLAS recipients must take at least one language course and one area studies course each semester. Some centers maintain approved course lists. Please check with the appropriate FLAS Coordinator.
How many credits do I need to take?
Fellows must engage in full-time study during the tenure of the award as defined by UW-Madison. (For graduate students this means at least 8 graduate credits; for undergraduates, a minimum of 12 credits.) Awardees must take at least one (1) course in the language of the award and a related world area course each semester. FLAS Fellows must remain in academic good standing (satisfactory progress toward a degree, enrolled full time, attend classes faithfully, completing course requirements on schedule). No pass/fail courses are permitted for FLAS Fellows.
Beyond classwork, is anything required of FLAS Fellows?
All fellows will be required to fill out pre- and post-award reports for the US Department of Education and will be surveyed periodically in the years following their award. In addition, all fellows must take pre- and post-award proficiency assessments.
About SUMMER awards:
Summer FLAS fellowships are intended to help students gain the equivalent of a year's worth of college-level language study. They support students enrolled in:
- formal domestic programs of intensive language study at the beginning, intermediate or advanced level;
OR
- formal overseas programs of intensive language study at the intermediate or advanced level (3rd or 5th semester, depending on the language);
OR
- formal overseas programs of intensive study at the beginning level of languages for which appropriate equivalent instruction is not available in the United States
To be considered "intensive," a language program must offer a minimum of 140 contact (class-time) hours (120 for advanced level) and must last a minimum of 6 weeks.
Does a summer FLAS include a travel award?
Not always. Students may be eligible for a summer travel award of up to $1,000, or the actual cost of travel to and from the program site, whichever is less. Travel awards may be made at the discretion of the area studies program and only with the permission of the US Department of Education. Contact your FLAS coordinator for more information.
May I switch programs and/or languages after I submit my application?
Requests to change programs and/or languages are handled by the FLAS Coordinator and are rarely granted. Before students prepare an application for a Summer FLAS, they should thoroughly research available programs for their proposed language of study.
Beyond classwork, is anything required of FLAS Fellows?
All fellows will be required to fill out pre- and post-award reports for the US Department of Education and will be surveyed periodically in the years following their award. In addition, all fellows must take pre- and post-award proficiency assessments.
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