The Regional Flagship Language Initiative aims to increase the number of Boren Scholars and Fellows studying languages and regions that are critical to national security. This serves to further the United States’ high demand for specialists who possess both linguistic and regional experience across a range of academic and professional fields.
The Initiatives further linguistic and on-the-ground regional knowledge through rigorous, credit-bearing language courses that include a summer (domestic) and a fall (overseas) component. You must be a recipient of a Boren award to participate.
At present, Boren recipients may apply their awards to study one of the following languages:
SAFLI
SAFLI-Hindi program consists of an eight-week summer course in Hindi at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, followed by a fall semester abroad in Jaipur, India.
SEAFLI
SEAFLI offers three language tracks. Participants may study Indonesian, Thai or Vietnamese during an eight-week summer semester at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, followed by a fall semester abroad in Indonesia (Indonesian), Thailand (Thai) or Vietnam (Vietnamese).
TURFLI
The TURFLI program consists of an eight-week summer course in Turkish at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, followed by a fall semester abroad in Baku, Azerbaijan.
What are the Boren Awards?
Boren awards are available for both undergraduates (Boren Scholars) and graduates (Boren Fellows) to aid focused linguistic and regional study in areas deemed critical to U.S. national security. To participate in any of the Flagship initiatives, you must first become a Boren Scholar or Fellow.
Upcoming Deadlines
Boren Fellowships
January 24, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. ET.
Boren Scholarships
January 31, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. ET.