Foreign Language Scholarships

When applying for a job, being able to speak a second language will set you apart from others vying for the same position. Fluency in (or even a working knowledge of) another language will also greatly increase your employment opportunities – they’re not going to give the big promotion at the Hong Kong office to someone who only speaks English – so majoring in a foreign language is a great way to initially bump up your resume’s attractiveness and keep your name at the top of your employer’s short list.

As a foreign language major, you have possibly the widest range of careers to choose from including education, business, hospitality, politics and social work. Pairing a language major with the aforementioned or other majors or minors is extremely beneficial, as it will give you a better understanding of how to blend both fields of study together (imagine taking an advertising class...in Spanish!). You can also further your knowledge by immersing yourself in the culture by studying abroad and maybe even interning abroad as well to get the full experience of what life after college will be like.

To ease the often high cost of college, foreign language scholarship awards are available for students majoring in nearly every language. But not all foreign languages are created equal: Students fluent in Coptic, Ancient Greek, Latin and Sanskrit aren’t going to have employers and foreign language scholarship providers banging down their doors with offers because these languages are not used every day. (The exception to this rule is if you're planning a career in academia.) There isn’t one “best” language to major in but some are more useful than others in certain careers. For example, Mandarin Chinese, German and Japanese are good choices for those interested in international business, French is excellent for anyone planning on doing social work in Africa, Arabic is a sought-after skill for those wanting to work for the government and Spanish is useful in just about every profession in the United States.

As for funding your education, countless options are available. The U.S. Department of Education offers a Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship Program while the Critical Language Scholarship Program conducts intensive summer language institutes overseas in 13 critical need foreign languages but there are many, many more. Here are just a few foreign language scholarships in the Scholarships.com database. For more foreign language scholarship opportunities customized to your unique situation, conduct a free scholarship search today. ¿Comprende?

The TSJCL Lourania Miller & Gareth Morgan Scholarships for High School Seniors
Application Deadlines: June 29, Annually
Two scholarships named for Lourania Miller and Gareth Morgan are awarded annually by the TSJCL and TCA to qualified high school seniors who are planning to continue their study of Latin and the classics while in college. Students who receive this scholarship must take Latin or Greek their freshman year at college. Enrollment in Latin cannot be at a beginning level. Courses in classical [...] More

Blakemore Freeman Fellowships for Asian Language Study
Application Deadlines: December 30, Annually
Blakemore Freeman Fellowships are awarded for one academic year of full-time, intensive language study at the advanced level in East or Southeast Asia in approved language programs. Grants are highly competitive. In recent years we have been able to fund less than 10% of applicants.

Blakemore Freeman Fellowships are intended to cover basic expenses at a graduate student level necessary to [...] More

Boren Scholarships
Application Deadlines: February 09, Annually
Boren Scholarships, a prestigious initiative of the National Security Education Program, provide unique funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests, and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of [...] More

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals
Application Deadlines: December 01, Annually
CBYX for Young Professionals is a yearlong fellowship, funded by the German Bundestag and U.S. Congress through the U.S. Department of State. The program annually gives 75 American young professionals the opportunity to study, work, and live with a host in Germany. The CBYX program consists of three phases: two months of German language school; four months of classes in your career field at a [...] More

DAAD German Studies Research Grant
Application Deadlines:
This specialized DAAD program offers German Studies Research Grants to highly qualified undergraduate and graduate students who are nominated by their department/program chairs. The grant may be used for short-term research (one to two months) in Germany. The program is designed to encourage research and promote the study of cultural, political, historical, economic and social aspects of modern [...] More

DAAD Undergraduate Scholarships
Application Deadlines: January 31, Annually
Highly qualified undergraduate students are invited to apply for scholarships funding study, senior thesis research and/or internships in Germany. The goal of this program is to support study abroad in Germany and at German universities. Preference will be given to students whose projects or programs are based at and organized by a German university. Scholarships are available either as part of [...] More

Fontana Transport Inc Scholars Program
Application Deadlines: March 15, Annually
Fontana Transport Inc. is a family owned trucking company based out of Southern California whose owners are passionate about higher education and to be able to help future leaders in their community pursue a higher education degree.

The Fontana Transport Inc. Scholars Program is open to underrepresented, low-income and first-generation college-bound students. Students must be pursuing an [...] More

GRCF Audrey L. Wright Scholarship
Application Deadlines: April 01, Annually
Grand Rapids Community Foundation awards hundreds of scholarships annually primarily to Kent County students bound for or in college, or those pursuing a technical career.

To be eligible for the Audrey L. Wright Scholarship, students must be Kent County residents (3-year minimum) pursuing an undergraduate degree in foreign language or education. Applicants must have financial need and [...] More

Nellie Martin Carman Scholarship Fund
Application Deadlines: March 01, Annually
Founded in 1949, the Nellie Martin Carman Scholarship is available to graduating seniors from public high schools in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties in Washington state. Application forms are only available through these high schools and candidates for the scholarship are nominated by their school each year. Awards range from $500 to $2,000 a year, and scholarships are renewable for four (4) [...] More

TEACH Grant
Application Deadlines:
The TEACH Grant Program provides grants to students who are completing or plan to complete course work needed to begin a career in teaching.

To receive a TEACH Grant, you must:
-Meet the basic eligibility criteria for the federal student aid programs
-Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
-Be enrolled as an undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate student at a [...] More

The Mario Cugia Italian Studies Scholarship Program
Application Deadlines: August 01, Annually
Since 1964, the Italian Catholic Federation has awarded over $2,000,000.00 in scholarships to more than 6,000 high school students, of the Catholic faith, attending college. In 1998, to honor Mario Cugia, Past President and Life Member of the Italian Catholic Federation Central Council, an Italian Studies Scholarship Program was created to supplement the Federation's Scholarship Program for [...] More