Niche College Scholarship

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?

Boren Scholarships

  • Amount
    $25,000
  • Deadline
    January 31, 2024

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. In exchange for ... Read more

GRCF Audrey L. Wright Scholarship

  • Amount
    Varies
  • Deadline
    March 1, 2024

The Grand Rapids Community Foundation's Audrey L. Wright Scholarship is offered to a student who is a resident of Kent County (for at least three years) and is pursuing an undergraduate degree in foreign languages or education. Applicants must demonstrate financial need and have at least a GPA of 3.0. Scholarship recipients are selected by the Grand Rapids Community Foundation (GRCF) and ... Read more

Fontana Transport Inc. Scholars Program

  • Amount
    $5,000
  • Deadline
    March 14, 2024

The Fontana Transport Inc Scholars Program is for first generation high school seniors who are underrepresented, need financial assistance and are passionate about furthering their education as a means to help out their family, community and themselves. We want to be able to find, sponsor, and guide leaders who are determined to succeed by all means possible regardless of their struggles, lack of ... Read more

Nellie Martin Carman Scholarship

  • Amount
    $2,000
  • Deadline
    April 15, 2024

The mission of the Nellie Martin Carman Scholarship is to acknowledge, support, and empower exceptional graduating high school seniors of King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties by providing financial assistance for an education at their college of choice within Washington state. Over 1,000 of the most promising high school graduates from King, Pierce and Snohomish counties have attended college ... Read more

DAAD German Studies Research Grant

  • Amount
    $3,000
  • Deadline
    May 1, 2024

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. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, have at least junior standing pursuing a German Studies track or minor, and be ... Read more

DAAD Study Scholarship

  • Amount
    Varies
  • Deadline
    Varies

DAAD is the world’s largest funding organization for the international exchange of students and researchers. It is a registered association and its members are German institutions of higher education and student bodies. Its activities go far beyond simply awarding grants and scholarships. DAAD supports the internationalization of German universities, promotes German studies and the German ... Read more

TEACH Grant

  • Amount
    $4,000
  • Deadline
    Varies

The TEACH Grant Program provides grants to students who are completing or plan to complete course work needed to begin a career in teaching. You must be enrolled as an undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, or graduate student at a school that participates in the TEACH Grant Program and meet certain academic achievement requirements (generally, scoring above the 75th percentile on one or more ... Read more

Last Reviewed: September 2023