A Program of the 
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 competitive pool of over 4,500 applicants from across the United States. Recipients of the 2026 CLS awards come from 49 U.S. states, as well as the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, and represent 165 U.S. colleges and universities.
Finalists: If selected as a finalist, you have until Thursday, March 5 to accept the award. Program details are included in your notification email.
If you received a semifinalist notification in January, you should have also received a final decision. Don’t see it? Please check your spam folder for a notification email.
For questions, contact cls@americancouncils.org. Our office hours are 9-5 ET Monday-Friday.
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 the American Councils for International Education.