David L. Boren Awards for International Study

All Boren Scholars must study a foreign language appropriate to the country in which they are studying abroad.  The program will give preference to applicants studying one of the following emphasized languages:

• African languages indigenous to one of the emphasized African countries

*Arabic, including Modern Standard Arabic, national and regional dialects.
**Persian, including Afghan (Dari) and Iranian (Farsi) dialects.
***These languages are part of the African Languages Initiative. Portuguese can also be studied in Brazil.

In most cases, study of Spanish or French is only permissible if the applicant is at an advanced level of competency, and students should focus on achieving further language proficiency through academic coursework in Spanish or French. However, students at the intermediate level of Spanish or French who are majoring in the sciences, technology, engineering, or mathematics fields are also eligible. Any award granted for the study of Spanish or French will be made contingent upon verification, through testing, of the student’s language level. For more information about evaluating your language proficiency, click here.