Boren Scholarship Basics
Boren Scholarships provide American undergraduate students 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
Maximum scholarship awards are:
- $10,000 for a semester
- $20,000 for a full academic year
Length of Study
Boren Scholarships promote long term linguistic and cultural immersion, and therefore study abroad proposals for two or more semesters are strongly encouraged. Preference will be given to undergraduate applicants proposing a full-year academic study. Summer-only programs are limited to science, technology, engineering and mathematic students. Applications for summer-only programs will be considered if the program is eight (8) weeks or more.
Special note: In some cases, applicants may not be able to find appropriate full academic year programs.
If full year opportunities in the same program are unavailable, students may submit two separate, but related, applications for study on two different programs. we encourage consecutive programs of study; these applications could be for summer and year programs; fall and spring semesters; or for summer and fall semesters. These applications would then be considered together and receive preference as a year-long proposal. Applications for two different consecutive study abroad programs should entail study in the same region and in the same language.
Successful applicants for study on two programs in the past have included: two semester-long programs in Vietnam, one in Hanoi and one in Ho Chi Minh City; two separate semester-long programs in China, one in Beijing and one in Shanghai; and a summer intensive language program in Russia, followed by a fall semester program of coursework in Russian. Applicants proposing study in two different regions or two different languages will not be funded.
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
For a list of program preferences, click here.
Government Service
In exchange for scholarship funding, all Boren Scholars must agree to the NSEP Service Requirement.
