The David L. Boren Awards are nationally competitive merit-based scholarships (undergraduate) and fellowships (graduate-level) to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests, and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Boren Scholars and Fellows represent a vital pool of highly motivated individuals who wish to work in the federal national security arena.
In exchange for funding, Boren Scholars and Fellows commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation. The Boren Awards promote long term linguistic and cultural immersion, and therefore study abroad proposals for two or more semesters are strongly encouraged. Preference will be given to applicants proposing at least 6 months overseas.
Eligibility criteria
- Are you a U.S. citizen?
- Are you matriculated in an undergraduate or graduate degree program for the duration of your study abroad and are not graduating until the scholarship is complete?
- Are you planning an overseas program that meets home institution standards in a country outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand?
We invite you to come to an information session held during the fall!
If you are unable to attend the info session please contact Kathleen Maher to set up an individual appointment.
The URI campus process
For all details and deadlines pertaining to the URI campus process please refer to:
Our success
URI has had thirty-nine Boren Scholars since 2011, as well as five Boren Fellows since 2019. More than 60% of our applicants have won, and another 17% were named as alternates.
In both 2018 and 2022, URI was a top producer of Boren Scholars. Out of over 300 institutions with applicants, only four (2018) or five (2022) institutions had more recipients.