Boren Awards / National Security Education Program

The Boren Awards, an initiative of the National Security Education Program, support language study and academic experiences abroad in regions considered important to U.S. interests. A proposal must include language learning and an eligible destination; Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Western Europe are outside the preferred country list. The program offers the Boren Scholarship for undergraduates and the Boren Fellowship for graduate students.

For the 2027 cycle, published national deadlines are January 27 for the undergraduate scholarship and January 20 for the graduate fellowship; campuses may set earlier internal review dates. One university, for example, lists January 4 as its internal deadline, showing why applicants should not wait for the national cutoff. Contact your institution’s fellowships office early and confirm endorsement requirements.

Undergraduate award amounts depend on length: university program information lists up to $8,000 for certain STEM summer experiences, $12,500 for 12–24 weeks, and $25,000 for 25–52 weeks, which the program prefers. These figures apply to the Boren Scholarship; the graduate fellowship follows different funding rules. Awardees also accept a later federal service commitment related to national security.

Applicants must connect country, language, academic plan, and a future public-service career; preferred destinations and languages can change by cycle. U.S. students should verify citizenship, enrollment status, program approval, and campus endorsement dates. This is not unrestricted travel money: the funded experience must fit the award design and service obligations. Check the national program’s current terms before committing expenses.

Official program information and application