Grant Opportunities

FLAS

The African Studies Program offers FLAS fellowships through its Title VI National Resource Center grant from the U.S. Department of Education. These fellowships support the study of approved foreign languages and related area studies course work in preparation for careers in teaching, research, government service, the non-profit and private sectors.

Graduate students at Indiana University wishing to learn an African language, such as Arabic, Akan/Twi, Bambara/Bamana, Swahili, Wolof, and Zulu may apply for an academic year fellowship. The fellowship carries a stipend of $15,000 and a fee scholarship covering up to 12 credits of course work per semester (maximum total of 24 credits for the academic year). Award recipients must undertake full-time study during the award period and enroll in the target language plus at least one Africa area or cross-listed course each semester.

Graduate and undergraduate students may apply for intensive summer language study. Summer FLAS fellowships provide a subsistence allowance of $2,500 and up to $5,000 in tuition. They may be used for study at the Summer Cooperative African Language Institute (SCALI) or at other approved institutions. Undergraduates may apply only for intermediate or advanced level study. Those seeking to study an African language at the intermediate level should plan to continue study at the advanced level during the following academic year.

Students are eligible to apply for FLAS if they are:

• A US citizen or permanent resident
• Admitted or enrolled in a program in the College of Arts and Sciences or a professional school at Indiana University-Bloomington

FLAS applicaton deadlines: Academic Year fellowship - February 1; summer fellowship - February 15
Applications must be submitted online at

For further information or questions about your FLAS fellowship application, please contact the African Studies Program office. Click here to learn more about the African languages offered at Indiana University.

Office of International Programs

Graduate students in African Studies can also apply for travel grants to study and/or carry out research in an African country. These grants are awarded through the IU Office of International Programs. They offer students opportunities to visit a country prior to their dissertation research. The two most popular grants of this kind at OIP are the Travel Grant and the Pre-Dissertation Grant (Click here to read the guidelines and receive application forms).

National Programs and Organizations

Finally, students planning to carry out dissertation research in an African country may apply for grants from a number of national programs and organizations, such as Fulbright IIE, Fulbright Hays, Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological Research, Social Science Research Council, and the National Science Foundation. Both International Programs and the African Studies Program assist students in preparing for these grants.

Grad Grants Center

Indiana University also has a Grad Grants Center, which help students identify sources of other travel, pre-dissertation, dissertation, post-doctoral, dissertation write-up, teaching, etc. support. The Grad Grants Center also assists students in writing successful grant applications. The Center is located on the ninth floor of the Main Library on the Indiana University--Bloomington campus.

For more information on these grants, see the program contact information below.

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