FAQ
The Boren campus representative at your institution will set your on-campus application deadline. (Please click
here to find your campus representative) The campus deadline will be earlier than the national deadline in order to allow time for the on-campus review of Boren Scholarship applications. Most institutions set an on-campus deadline between mid-December and late January, but you should contact your Boren campus representative immediately for the campus deadline at your institution.
Yes. Some schools might not have a campus representative. If your campus does not have one, you should contact IIE in Washington, DC, for assistance (1-800-618-6737 or
boren@iie.org). We will answer questions about the application and assist you with finding an appropriate contact person on your campus.
Yes. We are interested in encouraging applications for study in non-perferred countries, languages, and fields of study when the applicant can make a compelling argument that increased understanding and appreciation of that particular country, language, and/or field of study through study abroad represents an important contribution to U.S. national security and the goals of the Boren Scholarship.
Yes. Foreign language study is a key element in all Boren proposals. The language you choose should be appropriate to the country and/or region in which you plan to study. Your study abroad proposal should note the amount (number of hours per week) and level of classroom instruction you will undertake. Most importantly, you should provide a realistic estimate of the language level you expect your formal as well as informal (non-classroom) study will help you achieve. Students who are at an advanced level of Spanish or French must keep in mind that their proposed study abroad program should not emphasize language training, but rather formal coursework, which would require using Spanish or French in coursework related to their field of study.
No. You do not have to take a language test before applying for the Boren Scholarship. If you receive the Boren Scholarship, however, you must agree to take a language test prior to and after your study abroad experience. If you have not had previous instruction in the language to be studied, you may not be required to take the pre-test. The results of the proficiency testing will be used to assess the program: they will not be used to evaluate an individual student's performance. Information about language testing will be provided to all scholarship recipients and the cost of the tests will be covered by the Boren Scholarship. See
language study for an explanation of testing for students studying Spanish or French.
In some cases, appropriate full academic year programs may not be available. In these cases, students may then submit two separate, but related, applications for study on two different programs. Applications for two different consecutive study abroad programs should entail study in the same country or region of the world, and of the same language. Applicants proposing study in two different languages in two different geographic regions will not be funded by the Boren Scholarship.
If your college or university has approved applying your academic credits towards an associate's or bachelor's degree, you are considered by IIE to be matriculated in a degree program.
Yes. Community college students - both two-year and transfer-are particularly encouraged to apply. Freshmen are eligible for the summer term, or they may participate in a one or two semester program during their sophomore year. Students who are currently sophomores are eligible for the summer term provided they remain enrolled in the community college or transfer to a four-year institution. If you are a transfer student who would like to study abroad next fall and/or spring, you should apply from your community college, indicating to which institution you will transfer.
All Boren Scholarship recipients must comply with the Fly America Act, which requires that all travel supported by federal government funds be on a U.S. flag carrier departing from the United States to the foreign destination and returning to the United States. The only circumstance in which an award recipient can use a foreign flag carrier is when an origin or interchange point is not served by a U.S. flag carrier. An award recipient can use the foreign-flag carrier to the nearest interchange to connect with a U.S. carrier. All scholarship recipients will be required to send a photocopy of the passenger receipt page(s) to their airline tickets to show compliance with the Fly America Act.
No. The Boren Scholarship is a source of portable financial assistance that can be used to support study abroad through an established program, direct enrollment in a foreign university, or an individually arranged study. The choice of a particular program for study abroad is made by you in consultation with your campus advisor. Make your choices based on the overall quality of the program, on the strength of the language instruction, and on elements it offers that will enhance your period of study abroad. There are no lists of IIE-preferred programs, nor does IIE endorse programs under a particular institution, organization, or group's sponsorship.
Many study abroad programs do not list an exact start or end date. Nevertheless, our computer database requires an exact day for both the start and end of your study abroad program. (The same procedure applies for all dates on the application.) These approximate values will not affect evaluation of your application. For example, if the study abroad program begins in mid-September 2008 and ends in late May 2009, list the start and end dates as of 09/15/08 and 05/31/09, respectively.
Selecting an alternate program provides you with an option in the event that you are not accepted into your primary program, your primary program is already full, or your primary program is cancelled. Boren Scholarships may be used only for study abroad programs listed as either the primary or alternate option on the application, except in extraordinary cases. The specific programs you discuss in your statement of purpose, as your primary and alternate choices, will be evaluated by screening panels at the campus, regional and national levels. Exceptions can be made due to sudden cancellation of both the preferred and alternate program, U.S. State Department travel warnings, natural disasters, etc.
We would prefer to have the alternate program in the same country, but if there is no alternate in that country, you can select another country in the same region, as long as your language of study remains the same. The Boren Scholarship is designed for students who are serious about study of one particular region and for one particular language. Proposing to study in another area of the world and studying a different language will demonstrate a lack of serious focus to those who review applications.
Yes. You may study in a country with a current State Department Travel Warning; however, both you and your director of study abroad must be willing to sign a waiver, if you decide to do so. Students planning on applying for one of these countries should check with his/her study abroad office to see what the university policy is. Information about active travel warnings is available on the State Department website at
http://travel.state.gov/travel/warnings.html
Yes. We recognizes that many students will submit applications to specific study abroad programs and the Boren Scholarship simultaneously, with expected notification for each at a different date. When a student is notified of the Boren Scholarship award, however, he or she must furnish IIE with evidence of acceptance to the study abroad program identified in the application.
Yes, but only as a pre-announced part of your study abroad proposal and through organizations which are not U.S. government agencies. Boren Scholarships are intended for full-time study, not to support language study as an adjunct to working abroad. IIE will, however, consider applications from students who propose an unpaid internship as an integrated and meaningful component of their study abroad program. These proposals must be included with the Boren Scholarship application.
Limited travel is acceptable if it is directly related to the country and the academic program of study abroad. Applications should reflect anticipated travel requirements within the identified country. Study tours of several countries are not acceptable as study abroad proposals.
Yes. In fact, we encourage you to apply. One of the NSEP's principal objectives is to expand international educational opportunities for students who have not studied abroad and who may require financial assistance to do so. The program has been structured to provide campus-based support to first-time study abroad students as they apply for scholarship assistance. The
IIE office in Washington, DC is also available to answer questions about the application process.
Current employees of the federal government may apply for a Boren award. Recipients of award, however, may not be employees of a federal agency that has an intelligence component during the Boren-funded study period. An awardee who was previously an employee of a federal agency with an intelligence component must provide proof that he or she is separated from the agency. In addition, military reservists or members of the National Guard must confirm de-activated status during the Boren-funded study period.
Freshman and sophomore Boren Scholarship recipients will be eligible for a second undergraduate award by re-competing as upperclassmen. Juniors and seniors may receive only one Boren Scholarship; however, if the award was initially for one semester, the student may request an extension for a second semester. Designation of second term awards will be based on performance and availability of funds. Boren Scholarship recipients are eligible to apply for the
Boren Fellowship. Those who achieve an advanced level of language proficiency in Arabic, Korean, Mandarin, Persian, or Russian are also eligible to apply for
The Language Flagship Fellowships.
You cannot work for, or be affiliated with any U.S. government agency that has intelligence activities while you are receiving Boren Scholarship money. According to the David L. Boren National Security Education Act of 1991, as amended, which established NSEP: "No person who receives an award, scholarship or fellowship or any other type of assistance under NSEP shall, as a condition of receiving such assistance or under any other circumstances, by used by any department, agency, or entity of the United States Government engaged in intelligence activities to undertake an activity on its behalf during the period such person is pursuing a program of education for which funds are provided under the program carried out under this title."
You may use your scholarship to participate in the Chinese Overseas Flagship Program in Nanjing and Qingdao, China, or the Russian Overseas Flagship Program in St. Petersburg, Russia. You must have an advanced level of proficiency in Chinese or Russian to be eligible and you must also be admitted to one of the Chinese or Russian Flagship Programs. Please review
The Language Flagship section for further information about these programs.
Yes. Please contact your study abroad and financial aid offices on campus to discuss scholarship opportunities. It may be to your advantage to combine funding from two or more scholarship programs. Additional scholarship opportunities for study abroad include:
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program
Tel: 1-888-887-5939 ext. 25
Web:
www.iie.org/gilmanFreeman-ASIA Program
Tel: 1-212-984-5542
Web:
www.iie.org/programs/freeman-asiaBoren Scholarship applicants may apply for and receive scholarship funding in addition to the Boren award. Boren Scholars who are selected to receive other scholarship funding to support their study abroad must notify IIE about their award(s). Reduced financial need as a result of increased scholarship support may impact the amount of the Boren Scholarship.
