David L. Boren Awards for International Study

Boren Fellowships provide American graduate students, both at the master's and the doctoral level, with the resources and encouragement they need to acquire skills and experiences in areas of the world critical to the future security of our nation, in exchange for their commitment to seek work in the federal government.

Award Amounts

Boren Fellowships provide support for overseas or domestic study, or a combination of both. The maximum level of support for a combined overseas and domestic program is $30,000 over 24 months.

Length of Study

Boren Fellowship awards are made for a minimum of 12 weeks and maximum of 24 months. Overseas programs can be no longer than one year. Boren-funded programs can begin no earlier than June 1, 2011 and no later than March 1, 2012.

Boren Fellowships promote long term linguistic and cultural immersion.  Therefore, all overseas study must be a minimum of 12 weeks, and preference will be given to applicants proposing overseas programs of 6 months or longer. However, applicants proposing overseas programs of 3-6 months, especially those in the STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields are encouraged to apply.

National Security

The program focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. It draws on a broad definition of national security, recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including: sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness. All applicants must demonstrate how their study programs and future goals are connected to this broad understanding of national security.

Program Preferences

Boren Fellowships are awarded with preference for countries, languages, and fields of study critical to U.S. national security. Preference is also given to students who will study abroad for longer periods of time, and who are highly motivated by the opportunity to work in the federal government.

As we cannot list all countries, languages, and fields that are critical to U.S. national security, we are interested in applications that fall outside the preferences, if the candidate can make a compelling case that such study can contribute significantly to U.S. national security and the goals of the program.

For more information about what makes a competitive application, click here.

Government Service

In exchange for fellowship funding, all Boren Fellows must agree to the NSEP Service Requirement.

Application Deadline

The application deadline for the 2011 Boren Fellowships is February 1, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST. For more information about the application process, click here.

Boren Fellowship applicants will be notified of their status by mail in early May.