A Program of the 
The CLS Program is pleased to announce the results of its inaugural CLS Spark competition. We applaud all applicants to CLS Spark for their commitment to language learning and congratulate the finalists and alternates selected from this impressive pool of students.
Finalists for CLS Spark were selected from a diverse pool of over 760 applicants representing 322 different higher education institutions across the United States comprising public and private universities, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and a broad range of Minority Serving Institutions, including 19 of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The CLS Program is proud that our finalists represent the same level of diversity as our applicants. The group of 85 selected scholars includes students from 69 institutions of higher education across the United States. More than half of our 85 finalists represent Minority Serving Institutions. They hail from 39 U.S. states and Puerto Rico.
CLS Spark provides American students the access and opportunity to start their language learning journeys even when these critical languages may not be offered on their campuses or when they may have responsibilities that limit their ability to go overseas. Participants will spend the coming academic year learning either Arabic, Chinese, or Russian through online classes and activities facilitated by native speakers at host institutions located abroad in countries where these languages are commonly spoken.
If you have not received a final notification of your selection status, please ensure that the notification email has not been caught in a spam filter. If you have any questions, you can contact us at cls@americancouncils.org. Our office hours are 9-5 ET Monday-Friday.