Boren Undergraduate Scholarship - UW info sessions & deadline

Boren Scholarships provide up to $20,000 to U.S. undergraduate students to study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded. For a complete list of countries, click here.

Boren Scholars represent a variety of academic backgrounds, but all are interested in studying less commonly taught languages, including but not limited to Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Swahili. For a complete list of languages, click here.

Boren Scholarships are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. Applicants should identify how their study abroad program, as well as their future academic and career goals, will contribute to U.S. national security, broadly defined.  NSEP 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. To view the Program Basics for the Boren Scholarship, click here.

Undergraduate applicants must apply through UW to be considered for the Boren Undergraduate Scholarship Program. UW's deadline for Seattle and Tacoma undergraduate applicants is January 8, 2014 for study abroad programs during the 2014-15 academic year.

The UW Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards is providing information sessions for undergraduate students interested in this opportunity, to help orient them to the program and application process:

·         Thurs., Oct. 17, 2013, 4:30 – 5:20 p.m., 171 MGH

·         Wed., Nov. 13, 2013, 3:30 – 4:20 p.m., 173R MGH

·         Tues., Dec. 3, 2013, 4:30 – 5:20 p.m., 173R MGH

·         RSVP at https://expo.uw.edu/expo/rsvp/event/239, though drop-ins are always welcome

UW Bothell undergraduate and graduate students interested in these opportunities can contact Natalia Dyba, Manager of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships & Awards (NDyba@uwb.edu) for campus deadlines and application support.

The Boren program also offers Graduate Fellowships for graduate students, details are at http://borenawards.org/boren_fellowship. There is no Boren campus application process at the graduate level; the national deadline for the Boren Graduate Fellowship is January 28, 2014. Marilyn Gray (megray@uw.edu) in the Graduate School Office of Fellowships & Awards is the point of contact for graduate students interested in this program.