A Program of the -
Feb 25, 2026
Announcing the 2026 CLS Program Awards
Approximately 315 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students were selected for the 2026 Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program.
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Feb 17, 2026
CLS Alumni Highlight: Addison Miller
Addison Miller (2024 CLS Chinese) leveraged her experience to shape her path toward a career in international and comparative education.
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Feb 05, 2026
CLS Alumni Highlight: Sam Bowden
Sam Bowden (2024 CLS Russian) leveraged his interests to build meaningful international connections and launch a career in foreign policy.
The CLS Program provides immersive summer programs for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to learn languages of strategic importance to the United States’ national security and economic prosperity.
The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by American Councils for International Education.
The CLS Program provides immersive summer programs for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to learn languages of strategic importance to the United States’ national security and economic prosperity. Participants receive the equivalent of one year of language study in eight weeks, through intensive language instruction and cultural activities that reinforce both language learning and intercultural competence. Since 2006, the CLS Program has supported over 10,000 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students. CLS alumni represent all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
What Alumni Say About the CLS Program
Key Benefits
Develop Key Expertise
The CLS Program provides its scholars intensive language and cultural instruction in an environment designed to maximize their language gains at every level.
Career Ready Skills
Alumni apply their critical language skills in a variety of professional fields in public and private sectors as well as government, helping to support America’s competitiveness across the board.
Citizen Diplomacy
CLS scholars represent the breadth of the United States. Through personal engagement they help to spread American values and develop mutual understanding with the people of other countries.
Languages Offered
CLS News and Stories
Announcing the 2026 CLS Program Awards
Congratulations to the approximately 315 U.S. undergraduate and graduate students selected for the 2026 Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program! We commend all applicants for their commitment to critical language study and congratulate the finalists and alternates selected from an exceptionally…February 25, 2026
CLS Alumni Highlight: Addison Miller
Addison Miller, a 2024 CLS Chinese Program participant in New Taipei City, Taiwan, leveraged her experience to shape her path toward a career in international and comparative education. Her CLS experience played a pivotal role in connecting her academic interests with real-world experience. In 2026…February 17, 2026
CLS Alumni Highlight: Sam Bowden
Sam Bowden, a 2024 CLS Russian Program participant in Tbilisi, Georgia, leveraged his personal and academic interests in Russian language, literature, and geopolitics to build meaningful international connections and launch a career in foreign policy. His experiences with CLS helped bridge the gap …February 05, 2026
Beyond the Lab: The Value of Studying Abroad for STEM Students
Alex Graber is a Biology major at Vassar College in New York. Alex participated in the 2025 CLS Japanese Program hosted by Okayama University in Okayama, Japan. This past summer, I participated in the CLS program at Okayama University in Okayama, Japan. I am currently an undergraduate student at V…January 12, 2026
CLS in the Press
Dairen Castro ’28 selected for Critical Language Scholarship to study Arabic in Morocco
Dairen Castro ’28 has been selected for the 2026 U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program. Castro was one of 315 students selected from a competitive pool of more than 4,500 applicants and will continue the longstanding tradition of Carls participating in the program. She will spend the summer studying Arabic at the Arab American Language Institute in Meknes, Morocco.
Shared from Carleton College, June 01, 2026
Five Students Awarded Scholarships to Study Abroad
Five Dartmouth students have received federal awards for foreign language and cultural study abroad.
Shared from Dartmouth College, May 29, 2026
Whitworth University’s Jordyn Bennett ’27 Named Finalist for Prestigious Critical Language Scholarship in Swahili
Whitworth University student Jordyn Bennett ’27 has been selected as a finalist for the highly competitive U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program in Swahili. Bennett is headed to Tanzania on June 9, 2026, where she will participate in an intensive, two-month language and cultural immersion experience.
Shared from Whitworth University News, May 28, 2026