Student Fellowships

The Illinois Global Institute Graduate Language Fellowship provides support for language training needed to conduct research or to meet other professional development needs for University of Illinois graduate students. The fellowship offers academic year support (AY 2026-2027) to graduate students at the MA or PhD level. IGI Graduate Language Fellows will receive a $22,000 stipend.  As cultural and language training go hand in hand, fellows will be required to take one language course and one relevant area studies course each semester that they hold a fellowship. Additional requirements may be listed in awards letters. Academic advisors or fellowship coordinators at each center will assist fellows in selecting the appropriate language and area studies courses.

Application instructions and the online application form will be available soon. Applications will be due by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.  

Eligible Languages by Center

Center for African Studies

  • Arabic
  • Swahili
  • Wolof

Center for African Studies (CAS) - Application Upload

For more information, contact CAS Associate Director Maimouna Barro (barro@illinois.edu)

Center for Global Studies

  • Arabic
  • Bosnian-Serbian-Croatian
  • Chinese-Mandarin
  • Czech
  • Hebrew-Modern
  • Hindi
  • Italian
  • Japanese
  • Korean
  • Persian
  • Polish
  • Portuguese (Brazilian)
  • Quechua
  • Russian
  • Swahili
  • Swedish
  • Turkish
  • Ukrainian
  • Wolof

Center for Global Studies (CGS) - Application Upload

For more information, contact CGS Outreach Coordinator Tim Pollack (tpollack@illinois.edu)

Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies

  • Brazilian Portuguese
  • Quechua
  • Q’anjob’al

Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) - Application Upload

For more information, contact CLACS Associate Director Kasia Szremski (szremski@illinois.edu)

Center for South Asia and Middle Eastern Studies

  • Arabic
  • Hebrew
  • Persian
  • Turkish

Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (CSAMES) - Application Upload

For more information, contact CSAMES Outreach Coordinator Maha Chahine (chahine2@illinois.edu)

European Union Center

  • Arabic      
  • Bosnian
  • Croatian      
  • Czech    
  • Greek, modern      
  • Hebrew, modern
  • Italian      
  • Polish
  • Portuguese
  • Serbian         
  • Swedish
  • Turkish      
  • Ukrainian   

European Union Center (EUC) - Application Upload

For more information, contact EUC Associate Director Havva Karakas Keles (hkarakas@illinois.edu)

Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center

  • Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian
  • Bulgarian
  • Czech
  • Polish
  • Russian
  • Ukrainian

Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center (REEEC) - Application Upload

For more information, contact REEEC Associate Director Markian Dobczansky (markian@illinois.edu)

Eligibility

  • This fellowship supports study of eligible less commonly taught languages (see list above) at all available levels. Languages must be taught on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Preference will be given to applicants studying at the intermediate to advanced level.
  • Applicants must enroll in a language course and an area studies course on campus each semester that they hold the fellowship.
  • Applicants must be degree-seeking students in good academic standing enrolled in graduate programs at the University of Illinois.
  • Incoming graduate students are eligible to receive a fellowship if they are accepted for enrollment and matriculate for the 2026-2027 academic year or are already enrolled full-time at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
  • For eligible fellows, the award will carry a tuition waiver.  For terms and eligible programs see https://grad.illinois.edu/academics/handbook-policies/program-tuition-waiver-designations-college
  • Among applications of similar quality, the review committee will prioritize those students who can demonstrate the greatest need for language skills development as part of their graduate training.

Application Instructions

Applicants may apply through one center. Please make note of any center-specific requirements before applying (see above). All applicants must submit the following materials to the relevant center:

  • Application form (click to download)
  • Personal statement explaining your rationale for studying a particular language, experience with the language (if any) and/or any other foreign languages, how the proposed language study is integral to your program of study and research specialization, as well as how the study of the language and area will advance your academic/professional goals
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • Two letters of recommendation (one must be from your current advisor). It is strongly recommended that the second letter come from a current or previous language instructor. Only two letters of recommendation will be accepted per application, as additional letters will not be reviewed by the review committee. 

All materials (except for recommendation letters which should be submitted directly by the recommender) should be combined into one PDF and uploaded via the center's application upload link noted above.

Applications are due by Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT

Letters of Recommendation

You are responsible for providing your recommenders with instructions on how to submit a letter of recommendation. Each center has its own upload link for recommenders. We suggest contacting your recommenders and providing them with information as early as possible. We also suggest sending your recommenders your personal statement. 

*Consider forwarding this web page to your recommenders and directing them to the below instructions:

Letters of Recommendation are due by Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT 

Letters of recommendation must be submitted via the center's recommender upload link (see upload links below). 

The filename should be labeled as follows: LastName, FirstName – HomeDeptAbbrev – IGILanguageFellow  – RecommenderInitials.pdf.
Example: Smith, Jane – Political Sci – IGILanguageFellow – AW.pdf

Center for African Studies (CAS) - Recommender Upload 

Center for Global Studies (CGS) - Recommender Upload 

Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) - Recommender Upload 

Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (CSAMES) - Recommender Upload 

European Union Center (EUC) - Recommender Upload 

Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center (REEEC) - Recommender Upload 

Important Dates

Applications Due: Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT
Letters of Recommendation Due: Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. CT 
Award/Alternate/Rejection Letters Sent: Spring Semester 2026

Contacts