CLS Program Overview: Unlock Your Global Potential

CLS Program Overview

The Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program is a U.S. Department of State program funded by the U.S. government and implemented with support from American Councils for International Education. It offers an intensive summer of language study and cultural engagement for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students. The program has operated since 2006 and has served more than 10,000 participants.

The 2027 program will run for eight weeks between June and August. It aims to provide the equivalent of a full academic year of language study, alongside cultural activities and opportunities to engage with local communities.

Languages and Study Formats

The program will offer nine languages, each at four levels: beginning, advanced beginning, intermediate, and advanced.

• Beginning-level virtual institutes: Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian. Virtual institutes are open only to undergraduate students.
• Beginning-level overseas institutes: Hindi, Persian, Portuguese, and Swahili.
• Advanced beginning and higher: All nine languages are available overseas.

Advanced beginning generally requires about one academic year, or two semesters, of prior study. Language preparation may come from college courses, self-study, tutoring, high school classes, heritage-language experience, or other learning. Applicants must meet any level prerequisites by the program’s June start.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be U.S. citizens or nationals.
• Be enrolled in a degree-granting program at a U.S.-based institution when applying.
• Be at least 18 years old by May 15, 2027.
• Have completed one full year of college-level study before the program begins.

Undergraduates and graduate students may apply, including graduating seniors and students in one-year master’s programs. Only undergraduates may apply to virtual institutes. Students from all majors and academic disciplines are welcome, and prior study abroad or international experience is not expected.

Program Experience and Expectations

Participants receive intensive language instruction and take part in structured cultural activities. Overseas institutes also offer in-person programming organized by host-institution faculty and staff. Activities may include local cultural lessons, guest speakers, historical-site visits, and other community experiences.

Participants are paired with language partners to practice everyday conversation and build connections with the host community. Depending on the institute, overseas participants may live with host families or alongside local students.

CLS emphasizes citizen diplomacy: participants engage with people in communities connected to their language and represent the United States through everyday interactions.

The program requires substantial time and focus. Overseas participants should plan to make CLS their primary summer commitment and set aside outside obligations such as independent travel, research, or internships. Virtual participants should expect live weekday classes and regular homework.

What the Program Provides

Covered benefits include language instruction, textbooks and class materials, and cultural-enrichment activities. Overseas participants also receive round-trip international airfare, applicable visa fees, housing, meals, classroom instruction, and program-sponsored cultural programming and group trips. Virtual participants receive a stipend for supplemental equipment and connectivity costs, such as a webcam or microphone.

Participants make documented language gains and receive an official ACTFL Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) score at the end of the program. Participants may also opt to receive academic credit through Bryn Mawr College.

The presentation cited findings from the 2025 Long Term Impact Survey:

• 96% of alumni reported stronger language proficiency and cross-cultural communication skills.
• Two-thirds said CLS improved their workforce readiness and career development.
• 66% said they actively use regional knowledge in their jobs.
• 55% said they use their CLS language in their current position.

Alumni also join a broader network of CLS and U.S. Department of State exchange-program alumni, with access to professional development, alumni programming, and other resources.

Application Guidance

Selection Criteria

Applicants are assessed on:

• Commitment to language learning.
• Preparation for and alignment with the program’s expectations.
• Connection between the target language and academic or professional goals.
• Potential contribution to citizen diplomacy.
• Potential contribution to national impact.

When other factors are equal, preference is given to veterans of the U.S. armed forces in recognition of their service.

Application Essays

The 2027 application includes three short-answer essays. There is no personal statement or letter of recommendation requirement.

1. Commitment to language learning

   • Explain your interest in the target language and its culture.
   • Reflect on your previous language-learning experience.
   • Describe how you will adapt to an intensive program.
   • Explain how CLS fits your goals and how you will continue studying the language afterward.

2. Citizen diplomacy

   • Describe how you will adapt to a new cultural environment.
   • Explain what experiences have prepared you to represent the United States as a citizen diplomat.
   • Discuss how you plan to engage with people and communities connected to the language.

3. Goals and national impact

   • Describe your academic or professional goals.
   • Explain how the target language supports those goals.
   • Show how you will apply what you gain through CLS to benefit your community or field of study in the United States.

Applicants should read each prompt carefully, since the essay structure may differ from earlier application cycles. Strong responses clearly explain why the applicant wants to study the language, how CLS fits into future plans, and how they will make the most of the intensive opportunity.

Suggested Application Steps

• Check the CLS advisor directory to see whether your institution has a CLS advisor, and contact that person early for guidance.
• If there is no registered advisor, consider asking language faculty, writing centers, study-abroad or fellowship offices, career centers, or honors-college staff for help.
• Start early and leave time to revise and submit the application well before the deadline. The presenters warned that late submissions cannot be accepted because of technical problems or internet outages.

The application was described as open, with a deadline of Tuesday, November 17, at 8 p.m. Eastern / 5 p.m. Pacific. The presenters said semifinalist notifications would be sent by email no later than the end of January, with finalist, alternate, and non-recipient notifications targeted for early March. Students offered a place would have about two weeks to accept or decline. The program also planned webinars and weekly office hours through mid-November.

Alumni Perspective

Isabella Castro, a University of Florida student, described studying Russian at the CLS site in Daugavpils, Latvia, in summer 2025. She said an alum first introduced her to CLS, which encouraged her to begin studying Russian despite feeling intimidated by the language. She described improving through the intensive program and the encouragement of her teachers.

She also recalled forming a close bond with her host, whom she called “Babushka,” and using Russian to help Spanish-speaking visitors communicate during a Baltic festival. For Isabella, the experience combined language growth, personal relationships, cultural exchange, and citizen diplomacy.

Speakers and Sources Featured

• Becca AbuRakia-Einhorn — Director of the CLS Program.
• Caitlin Ting — Manager for Outreach and Selection, CLS Program.
• Isabella Castro — CLS alumna and alumni ambassador; University of Florida student.
• Institutional sources represented: The Critical Language Scholarship Program, the U.S. Department of State, and American Councils for International Education.