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Critical Language Scholarship Program

A funded immersive summer program for American college and university students.

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Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program provides funded, intensive summer study abroad opportunities in nine languages critical to U.S. security and prosperity. The program is open to U.S. undergraduate and graduate students. Since 2006, the CLS Program has supported more than 10,000 U.S. participants to learn languages of strategic importance.

20 Years by the Numbers

10K+

Participants advancing U.S. global engagement

800+

Educational institutions represented

430+

Congressional districts represented

Two Decades of Impact: Alumni Voices

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"Studying Mandarin opened doors I hadn’t imagined before. It directly helped me secure a position at an association of private equity companies, where my language skills and cultural insights became invaluable." - CLS Chinese Scholar

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