FLAS fellows are selected on the basis of academic merit, financial need and readiness for summer intensive language study, and how well their proposed program of language and area/international studies fits into their overall academic and career goals and to priorities defined by the US Department of Education.
The most important criterion for selection is academic merit, including the applicant’s overall academic record and how well the applicant’s proposed program of language and area/international studies fits into his/her overall academic and career goals. All applications will be first evaluated on the basis of academic merit. Only those applicants whom the selection committee considers worthy in terms of academic merit will be considered for final selection as a FLAS Fellow or an alternate.
The applicant’s financial need will be considered as a secondary criterion in the selection process. All other things being equal, preference will be given to students with more financial need as determined by the federal need-based financial aid process (for more details see the next section).
As mentioned in the previous section, preference will be given to applicants with demonstrated financial need. Financial need will be determined by using the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) value. Applicants will be grouped into those with “High Need,” “Medium Need,” “Low Need,” or “No Need” based on their EFC. Students who do not have a valid EFC will automatically be assigned to the “No Need” group. (Note: students who do not file a FAFSA and have it sent to UM will not have a valid EFC.)
EFC is calculated by US/ED based on the information you submit on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). To have a valid EFC included in your FLAS application, you must complete the FAFSA form for 2024-25 School Year and have it sent to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (Federal School Code 002325).
To complete a FAFSA, go to the US/ED FAFSA website at: https://fafsa.ed.gov/index.htm
Each Area Studies Center will make its own announcement of fellowship awards to its applicants. Summer FLAS awards are generally announced by the end of March, though each Center operates independently and Centers may differ in their schedules. The three types of FLAS Awards (Undergraduate Academic Year, Graduate Academic Year, and Summer) may also be announced on a separate schedule. Centers will not give out results of the competition over the telephone in response to inquiries. Please do not call the Center to ask whether you will receive the fellowship.
The number of each type of fellowship to be awarded by each Center and the amount of each fellowship are determined annually by US/ED according to federal regulations and budgetary authorization from the US Congress. Applicants should be aware that until final confirmation is received from US/ED, fellowship awards and amounts are contingent and may change at a later date.