A Program of the U.S. Department of State
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.
The CLS Program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. Students of diverse disciplines and majors are encouraged to apply. Participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period, and later apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers.
Each summer, CLS provides rigorous academic instruction in fourteen languages that are critical to America's national security and economic prosperity. CLS participants are citizen ambassadors, sharing American values abroad.
In addition to traditional study abroad institutes, the CLS Program also provides virtual instruction to beginning-level Arabic, Chinese and Russian learners to build their language skills with the CLS Spark initiative.
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 and diversity 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
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Diplomatic representation of the monolith that is the United States military is very similar to the citizen diplomacy aspect of the CLS Program. You cannot begin to understand culture without the language component. With the CLS Program, you gain authenticity by learning the language.
Andrea Howard, Azerbaijani 2015 -
"I had always been interested in learning about Brazilian culture and Portuguese language and CLS made that a reality for me."
Max Courval, Portuguese 2020 -
"The Persian language opens a door to a universe of wonders within the collective history of humankind."
Shabbir Abbas, Persian 2020 -
The CLS Program was instrumental in getting me to the proficiency level required for my career. My employer cited my language skills as one of the main traits that made me an outstanding candidate.
John Krzyzaniak, Persian 2016
CLS News and Stories
CLS Student Spotlight: Colby Santana on Russian Language, Rugby and International Relations
Two years ago, if you had told Colby Santana that he would be studying Russian in Kyrgyzstan and be a commentator for the National Rugby Team, he wouldn't have believed you. A last-minute sign up for a Russian literature course led Colby down a path of falling in love with Russian language, declari…September 16, 2022
Announcing the 2022 Alumni Photo Contest
We are pleased to invite alumni of the 2022 CLS Program to submit photos to the 2022 photo contest! We welcome submissions from those who participated virtually as well as those who were abroad at their program sites this summer. Submissions will be accepted through Monday, September 26, 2022 and …September 08, 2022
Announcing the 2022 CLS Refresh Alumni Program
The CLS Program is pleased to announce the second year of CLS Refresh, a language learning opportunity for CLS Program alumni. To support alumni in their continued commitment to critical languages, individualized virtual language instruction will be offered beginning in October 2022, at no cost to …September 01, 2022
Advisor Chat: David Wick
Meet CLS advisor David Wick! David has advised for the CLS Program since its inception over 15 years ago, making him a hall of fame CLS advisor. David began working in international education over 30 years ago and has since led study abroad initiatives at universities throughout the U.S—Santa Cla…September 01, 2022
CLS in the Press
‘Cultural excursions’ in South Korea | Penn State student shares experiences studying abroad, regaining his heritage
Juntae Rocker (Korean 2022) talks about his experience on the CLS Program in Busan.
Shared from Daily Collegian, September 22, 2022
U.S. Department of State Offers Opportunities for American and International Students and Scholars at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
U.S. Department of State programs including the CLS Program provide opportunities for students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Shared from U.S. Department of State, September 20, 2022
Elizabethtown College Student Laura Cardona Named Critical Language Studies Scholar
Elizabethtown College International Business and Political Science major Laura Cardona ’23 has been granted a Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) to study Mandarin through the U. S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, CLS Program.
Shared from E-Town News, August 29, 2022