Scholarships & Grants

Departmental Scholarships

Lawrence Scholarships in Experiential Learning

The Lawrence Scholarships in Experiential Learning are $2,000 scholarships that support CLA undergraduate students majoring or minoring in Asian and Middle Eastern studies (AMES) who have secured internships. Read about our recent student awardees and their internship experiences.

Ming Li Tchou Scholarship

The Ming Li Tchou Scholarship supports students in the Departments of History and Asian and Middle Eastern Studies who are interested in pursuing a degree focused on China studies. The scholarship was established to help students deepen their understanding of China and encourage them to engage in the ongoing work of dialog and mutual understanding in US-China relations.

Lin Zhen Scholarship in Chinese Language and Taiwan Studies

The Lin Zhen Scholarship in Chinese Language and Taiwan Studies is awarded to support AMES majors, AMES minors, and students in the integrated BA/MA and MA in Asian studies programs in traveling to Taiwan and/or studying the Chinese language. Two of these scholarships are awarded each year.

The Hmong Studies Program Fund

The Hmong Studies Program Fund supports the Hmong Studies Program and may be used for study abroad program participation support, awards, activities, and other general program needs.

College of Liberal Arts Scholarships

The College of Liberal Arts offers scholarships for continuing students currently enrolled in CLA. Each year, academically talented CLA students receive scholarships based on need or merit; these scholarships can be geared towards CLA students who are:

Applications for the CLA Continuing Student Scholarships are completed online. Get an overview of available scholarships and financial resources through CLA Student Resources' informational page on undergraduate scholarships and grants.

Language Scholarships

Critical Language Scholarships

Critical Language Scholarships (CLS) fully support 10 weeks of intensive study of a language judged critical to US diplomatic interests, including Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Korean, Russian, and Turkish.

Classes are held during the summer in foreign countries and are both linguistically and culturally immersive. Applicants may need intermediate or advanced knowledge of some languages to participate. All applicants must be able to articulate their for continuing to develop and use their language skills after completing the program. This program is especially good for science and engineering students with full course schedules.

The CLS application opens in mid-September for the following summer, and applications are due in mid-November. See the CLS website for more information and contact the Office of National and International Scholarships for advice on applications.

Boren Scholarships

The Boren Scholarships provide funding opportunities for US undergraduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to US interests and underrepresented in learning abroad experiences, including Africa, Asian, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East.

Award amounts range from $8,000–$20,000 depending on the length of the study program. Preference will be given to proposals for countries, languages, and fields of study critical to US national security, to students who will study abroad for longer periods of time, and to students who are highly motivated by the opportunity to work in the federal government. Boren Scholars must agree to spend at least a year working for the federal government in an area with national security responsibilities.

Students must apply through the University of Minnesota and should contact the Office of National and International Scholarships about the application process. The campus deadline for applications is in mid-November and the national deadline is in early February. See the Boren website for more information.

Foreign Language and Area Studies Scholarships

The Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Scholarships support students who are US citizens or permanent residents and are enrolled or accepted for enrollment in a University of Minnesota degree program that combines modern foreign language training with international, Asian, and/or African area studies or with international aspects of professional or other fields of study.

Summer grants support language study through learning abroad. Grants for the academic year support study at the University of Minnesota. Undergraduate recipients must be at the intermediate level in the target language.

See more information about FLAS Scholarships on the Institute for Global Studies website.

Blakemore Freeman Fellowships

The Blakemore Freeman Fellowships are awarded for one academic year of advanced-level language study in an approved program in East or Southeast Asia. Eligible languages include Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Burmese, Indonesian, Khmer, Thai, and Vietnamese.

Applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents who have completed an undergraduate degree by the start of the grant, be at or near an advanced level in the language, and be pursuing a professional, business, technical, or academic career that involves regular use of a modern East or Southeast Asian language. Applications open in early July and are due in late December.

For more information, contact the Office of National and International Scholarships by email at natschol@umn.edu or visit the Blakemore Foundation website.

Min (Amy) Xu and Michael Schumann Scholarship

The Min (Amy) Xu and Michael Schumann Scholarship through the China Center offers support to University of Minnesota students interested in China or its culture by providing financial support to help with their academic progress and to help meet the costs of obtaining a college education.

Applicants must be full-time undergraduate, graduate, or professional degree students enrolled in a degree-seeking program at the University of Minnesota.

See the China Center website for more information.

Study Abroad Scholarships

Learning Abroad Center

The Learning Abroad Center provides multiple scholarships for students looking for financial help studying abroad. Find out more information on the Learning Abroad Center scholarship page.

The China Center provides multiple scholarships for students looking for financial help studying abroad in Greater China. Find out more information on the China Center study abroad scholarship page.

Other Scholarships

Asian American and Native Asian Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Scholarship

The Asian American and Native Asian Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Scholarship supports Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) students to complete their college education.

Applicants must be of Asian and/or Pacific Islander ethnicity as defined by the US census; be a citizen or national or legal permanent resident of the US (citizens of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau are also eligible); and be enrolled as a full-time student in a degree-seeking undergraduate program.

The application is available on the Asian and Pacific Islander American (APIA) website.

For more information, contact the Asian Pacific American Resource Center.

American Center of Oriental Research Academic Fellowships

The American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) Academic Fellowships are for professional scholars and undergraduate and graduate students.

Fellowships are available for Americans, Jordanians, Canadians, and scholars of other nationalities.

Find more information on undergraduate ACOR fellowships on the ACOR website.

A. I. Johnson Scholarship

The A. I. Johnson Scholarship which is open to all enrolled undergraduate students at the University of Minnesota. The online A.I. Johnson scholarship application is available early spring semester for scholarships for the following school year. Exact application periods and deadlines are noted on the application. This scholarship was created to honor Alfred I. Johnson who was a Regent of the University and Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. The selected students commit to completing 400 hours in an off-campus public service internship. This scholarship provides students with a demonstrated interest in public affairs a stipend for their internships. Scholarship amounts may vary from year to year. Applicants must show evidence of a strong interest in public affairs, with an intention to pursue a career or avocational activities in public affairs, including any kind of community volunteer activity, organizing to affect public policy, service on government advisory committees, and service in elective offices. Students are not expected to have an internship confirmed at the time of application but they must obtain a public service internship to receive the scholarship. Financial need will be taken into consideration.