Undergraduate FLAS Awards FAQ

General FAQ

Where does the FLAS money come from?

The Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies receives funding for FLAS Fellowships from the U.S. Department of Education (DoED) through its Title VI grant. The funding is therefore subject to federal regulations. Other Centers on campus also receive FLAS funding, and you should apply for FLAS fellowships with multiple centers, if relevant to your area of study.

Who is eligible for a FLAS?

Per Department of Education regulations, students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to be eligible for a FLAS Fellowship. Fellowships are awarded to students enrolled at or admited to study full-time at UT (or potentially another FLAS-granting institution) from all fields of study, who are in good standing. We especially encourage applications from various departments and professional schools.

According to the FLAS regulations (§657.3), a student is eligible to receive a fellowship if the student

• Is a citizen or national of the United States or is a permanent resident of the United States;
• Is accepted for enrollment or is enrolled in an institution receiving an allocation of fellowships and in a program that combines modern foreign language training with—
  • Area or international studies; or
  • Research and training in the international aspects of professional and other fields of study;
• Shows potential for high academic achievement based on such indices as grade point average, class ranking, or similar measures that the institution may determine;
• Is enrolled in a program of modern foreign language training for a language for which the institution has developed or is developing performance-based instruction;
• In case of an undergraduate student, is in the intermediate or advanced study of a less commonly taught language

Can non-UT-Austin students apply?

CREEES FLAS fellowships are open only to UT-Austin students (current or admitted). 

What languages qualify as "approved" foreign languages?

FLAS approved languages can be found here. Other languages for summer study will be considered on case-by-case basis and must receive DoED program officer approval. 

Students may NOT be native speakers of the language nor possess fluency equivalent to educated native speakers in the language for which the award is sought.

Do I need to have a certain level of proficiency to be eligible?

Undergraduates must be at the intermediate or advanced level of language study (2nd year and up) during their FLAS award period. A proven track record of language study is looked favorably upon.
NOTE: Students may NOT be native speakers of the language nor possess fluency equivalent to educated native speakers in the language for which the award is sought. Heritage speakers are eligible to apply.

Can I study or do research abroad while on a FLAS Fellowship?

Yes, if studying a language at an intermediate or advanced level, however you must receive approval from UT CREEES, the Department of Education, and Texas Global Risk and Safety in order to study abroad while receiving a FLAS fellowship. See your FLAS Coordinator as soon as you begin to consider this option.

Students who receive a FLAS award and are traveling abroad MUST also complete the Texas Global International Travel Process for individual students, and if traveling to a UT-designated restricted region, they MUST receive approval from the International Oversight Committee at UT before FLAS funding will be disbursed. All enrolled undergraduate, graduate and professional students participating in activities or events abroad (whether required or optional) must take steps to comply with this travel policy. Please visit the Texas Global Risk and Safety website for more details.
Award recipients MUST have a DoED approved Overseas Program Request on file in order to go abroad while on a FLAS Fellowship.

Can I reapply for the FLAS for multiple years?

Yes, reapplying for FLAS fellowships is encouraged! Students may apply for the academic year and summer FLAS Fellowships for multiple years, although they will need to turn in a new application and supporting documents each time.

Can I turn in an unofficial transcript?

Yes, we will accept an unofficial transcript from the UT Registrar's Office. 

How do the recommendation forms work?

Applicants are responsible for providing correct names and email addresses for their references in their FLAS application form and for giving their references ample time to submit a recommendation letter.

Upon submission of the FLAS application form to CREEES, your recommenders will receive an automated email with a link to a Qualtrics recommendation form, which will ask them to upload a letter of recommendation (and assess your language abilities, if they are able to do so).

Recommendations should come from current or past faculty / instructors. At least one recommendation letter should speak to your language learning abilities. 

It is common courtesy to send your recommender all the pertinent information as to what kind of FLAS your applying for (to which Center(s) and whether Academic Year, Summer or both), in what language(s), what their deadline is, and where/how to submit their recommendations well in advance of the deadline.

Your references can not access the recommendation form until you submit your application, and they will only have until the week after the application deadline to submit their recommendation letter, so be sure to complete your application in a timely manner to give them as much time as possible.

When is the deadline?

The Summer AND Academic Year FLAS deadline is typically in early February. The exact deadline can be seen on the FLAS main page. No exceptions will be made for late applications. Students are responsible for ensuring that their application is complete. 

Is financial need a consideration?

Yes. New DoED guidelines require a two-tiered system that takes student financial need into consideration. Students will first be ranked on academic merit. The next round reviews the financial needs of each ranked student based on their submitted FAFSA score.

Do I have to complete a FAFSA application?

You do not have to complete a FAFSA application, but it is HIGHLY recommended that you do so. Any student who has not completed a FAFSA application and had it reviewed by financial aid before our application deadline will not have a FAFSA score and will, therefore, be ranked lowest among students during the second tier of the review process.

How do I complete the FAFSA application?

Applicants should refer the the UT Office of Student Financial Aid website to create and submit a FAFSA application: http://finaid.utexas.edu. FAFSA applications can be submitted starting in October. The processing time for a FAFSA can take several weeks, so we strongly encourage FLAS applicants to complete the FAFSA applications as soon as possible.

How will you know my FAFSA score?

There is a place on the application where you must give CREEES permission to access a FAFSA need rating directly from UT's Office of Student Financial Aid, which corresponds to your FAFSA data. CREEES will not receive your exact FAFSA score.

Academic Year (AY) FAQ

What is the Undergraduate Academic Year (AY) FLAS?

The CREEES undergraduate FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) is a fellowship awarded to undergraduate students who are studying an approved modern foreign language and are engaged in coursework at UT (or abroad)* that has a Russian, East European or Eurasian focus. The fellowship is interdisciplinary and open to students from all departments and schools at UT. Students need not be Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies (REE) majors to apply.

*Students must have a DoED approved Overseas Program Request on file in order to engage in study abroad while on a FLAS Fellowship and must complete the appropriate Texas Global International Travel Process. See your FLAS Coordinator as soon as you begin to consider this option.

Academic year FLAS awards will be contingent on CREEES securing funding for the next FLAS award grant cycle from the Department of Education, which occurs every four years.

What does the Undergraduate AY FLAS Fellowship provide?

The FLAS Academic Year Fellowship provides a nine-month stipend of $5,000 total, plus tuition up to $10,000 per academic year. Any remaining tuition is the responsibility of the student.

What does the Undergraduate AY Fellowship NOT cover?

The undergraduate FLAS Fellowship tuition funding does not cover:

1. fees or costs not related to coursework (including housing);
2. books and materials; and
3. medical insurance.

The student may cover these costs with the stipend. 

What are the terms of the AY FLAS award?

If awarded an academic year FLAS, you must agree to ALL of the following conditions:

• Take at least one grade-based language course each semester.*
• Take at least one grade-based content course in the Russian, East European and Eurasian (REE) field of study.*
• Be registered as a full time student both semesters (12 hours/semester for undergraduate students).
• Complete the information sent to you through the U.S. Department of Education's online computer system (IRIS).
• Meet with the designated language evaluation instructors at the beginning and end of the duration of your award for language assessment.
• Complete a final fellow report of your activities at the end of the award period in IRIS.
• Participate in events held during the academic year for the Center.
• Participate in Department of Education follow-up surveys after graduation, for up to eight (8) years after the grant cycle.

*Courses must be approved by the FLAS Coordinator. Students may not receive an incomplete for FLAS required courses.

Will the FLAS affect financial aid?

Yes, the FLAS will definitely affect your financial aid package. Upon receiving a FLAS Fellowship, you will want to speak with your Financial Aid counselor to discuss the specifics of the changes. In some cases, receiving a FLAS may drastically reduce or eliminate your financial aid from the Office of Student Financial Services. 

Can I accept other fellowships or work during the academic year?

Generally students who are awarded a FLAS are not allowed to accept other major fellowships, federal awards or significant employment. The FLAS is designed to allow you to focus on your studies full time. However, the FLAS Coordinator may approve special cases of employment (up to 15 hours/week) or additional scholarships on a case-by-case basis. Students are required to get pre-approval from the FLAS Coordinator prior to accepting a major scholarship or employment.

Summer FAQ

What is the Summer FLAS?

The CREEES summer FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) is a fellowship awarded to students who are studying an approved modern foreign language at an approved university or institute in the U.S. or abroad (not UT). Students must be at the intermediate or advanced level of language study to use an award for an approved overseas language program. The summer program must be at least 6 weeks long, intensive and be the equivalent of one academic year of study, typically 120 in-class hours for advanced students and 140 in-class hours for beginner/intermediate students. 

Do I need to have a proposed program of study?

Yes, applications should include a proposed program of study. We understand that this program may change, and recipients will have an opportunity to finalize their program of study after receiving award notification. Any changes will need approval from the FLAS Coordinator and possibly the DoED Program Officer.

What does the Summer FLAS Fellowship provide?

The summer FLAS Fellowship provides a stipend of $2,500 plus tuition and course-related fees up to $5,000. The remaining tuition and summer program expenses are the responsibility of the student. Summer FLAS recipients are able to apply for a Travel Award of up to $1,000 to help cover the costs of travel, if funding is available. Unspent tuition fees remain at CREEES and go towards additional FLAS Fellowships and/or travel awards.

What does the summer fellowship NOT cover?

The summer FLAS Fellowship tuition payment does not cover: fees not related to coursework, housing, books and materials, housing, medical or travel insurance, food, and travel costs. The student may cover these costs with the FLAS stipend.

Do I need to have a certain level of proficiency to be eligible?

Undergraduate students must be at the intermediate or advanced level during the award period to qualify for a Summer FLAS.

What are the terms of the award?

If awarded a summer FLAS, you must agree to ALL of the following conditions:

• Enroll in an intensive summer language program (120-140 contact hours) in a pre-approved FLAS eligible language.
• Complete the information sent to you through the U.S. Department of Education's online computer system (IRIS).
• Meet with the designated language evaluation instructors at the beginning and end of the duration of your award for language assessment.
• Complete a final fellow report of your activities at the end of the award period (IRIS).
• Participate in Department of Education follow-up surveys after graduation, for up to eight (8) years after the grant cycle.

How do I know if a summer language program is "intensive?"

Summer language programs must be a minimum of six week with 140 contact hours (in-class instruction) for intermediate level of study and 120 contact hours for advanced level. They should cover an academic year's worth of material.

Do I need to be enrolled at UT during the summer?

Students do not have to be enrolled at UT during the summer, but they must be enrolled in a program of modern foreign language training for a language for which the institution has developed or is developing performance-based instruction.

Students who receive a FLAS award and are traveling abroad MUST also complete the International Office Travel Authorization process for individual students and those traveling to a UT-designated restricted regionMUST receive approval from the International Oversight Committee at UT before FLAS funding will be disbursed. All enrolled undergraduate, graduate and professional students participating in activities or events abroad (whether required or optional) must take steps to comply with this new travel policy. Please visit the UT International Office website for more details. 

Will courses completed under a Summer FLAS award show up on my UT transcript?

Students on an affiliated program through Texas Global will have credits transfer in through the Education Abroad office. Otherwise receiving credit is not guaranteed and requires the student's initiative to seek credit for courses taken abroad on a FLAS.