Critical Language Scholarship

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is an immersive summer opportunity for American college and university students to learn languages essential to America’s engagement with the world. CLS provides cohorts of U.S. students an opportunity to study the language and culture in a country/location where the target language is commonly spoken. Most languages offered by CLS do not require applicants to have any experience studying critical languages. The deadline is November 18, 2025.

DU’s Office of Scholar Development & Fellowship Advising can support you with your application. Make an advising appointment with a fellowships advisor.

Eligible Languages

No Prior Study Required One Year of Study Required Two Years of Study Required
  • Hindi
  • Indonesian
  • Persian
  • Portuguese
  • Swahili
  • Turkish
  • Urdu
  • CLS Spark for Arabic, Chinese, Korean, or Russian
  • Arabic
  • Chinese
  • Korean
  • Russian
  • Japanese

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