BSEAH language learning scholarship

Funded by Bringing Southeast Asia Home, a project sponsored by the Henry Luce Foundation Initiative on Southeast Asia, these awards provide $2,000 to subsidize the cost of studying a Southeast Asian language at an institution other than UNC-Chapel Hill.

Language Eligibility

• To be considered a Southeast Asian language, the language must be spoken by a community of people in Southeast Asia. This includes official languages like Thai and Filipino, as well as languages outside of national status, like Javanese, Hmong, Chin, and Cebuano. Languages of South Asia and East Asia generally do not qualify. However, a case can be made for languages like Tamil and even Malagasy, as long as it is clear in your application that they facilitate your study of Southeast Asia.
• The language must be one not already taught at UNC-Chapel Hill, at another local institution at which you could enroll in a class for no additional charge, or on the Language Exchange. As such, Mandarin, Arabic, French, Portuguese, and Dutch do not qualify. Vietnamese language courses beyond the 204 level do qualify.

Award Requirements

• If taught online, the language must be taught synchronously.
• Language instruction must be undertaken during the academic year. Preference is given to students taking language courses for credit.
• This award can be used in conjunction with a study abroad program; however, it is intended for language instruction, not to defer other study abroad costs. It must be used at a university or institution, and it cannot be used for private tutoring.
• Recipients must be enrolled full-time at UNC-Chapel Hill. Students on approved Study Abroad programs or doing field research are considered fully enrolled.

For a list of institutions offering online language instruction, please refer to our language learning opportunities page. This list is not necessarily exhaustive, and you are welcome to use this award for instruction at a different institution.

To Apply
Please submit the following via email to Dr. Becky Butler at becky.butler@unc.edu by Friday, July 28. DEADLINE EXTENDED TO AUGUST 11

• Description (400 words or fewer) of why you want to study the language you are applying for, including future academic or professional aspirations
• One page CV
• One page including
  • Name of institution at which you will study
  • Level of language course in which you will enroll
  • Total cost of the course and the cost required to obtain a transcript
  • Brief statement of financial need, as well as any other sources of funding you have already obtained to support this study, if any. (For undergraduates, this scholarship may affect your overall financial aid package; you can check with OSSA about how this award would impact your existing financial aid.)
• Recommended but not required: If you are taking the language for credit, evidence the course has been preapproved
  • If this study is not part of a Study Abroad program: Complete the Office of Undergraduate Admissions’ course evaluation form. The OUA may take up to seven days to process the form, so it is strongly recommended that you complete this step 10 days prior to submitting your application.
  • If this study is part of a Study Abroad program: Request this information from the Office of Study Abroad.

Please direct all inquiries to Becky Butler, Assistant Director for Southeast Asia Initiatives.