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.
Eligibility
- This fellowship supports study of eligible Less Commonly Taught Languages (see list below) at all available levels. Languages must be taught on the campus of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
- 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 refer to center-specific requirements before applying (see below). All applicants must submit to the relevant center the following materials:
- 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 provided below.
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 recommender upload link for your center.
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
Application Information by Center
Please see below for application information specific to each center:
Center for African Studies
Eligible languages: Arabic, Swahili, Wolof
Center for African Studies (CAS) - Application Upload
Center for African Studies (CAS) - Recommender Upload
For more information, contact CAS Associate Director Maimouna Barro (barro@illinois.edu)
Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies
Eligible languages: Chinese, Japanese, Korean
Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies (CEAPS) - Application Upload
Center for East Asian and Pacific Studies (CEAPS) - Recommender Upload
For more information, contact CEAPS Associate Director Yuchia Chang (yuchia@illinois.edu)
Center for Global Studies
The Center for Global Studies welcomes applications from students whose research or professional goals address global challenges such as climate change, migration, global health, economic inequality, information policy, human security, or human rights. We particularly encourage work on global governance and policy using approaches that connect research to practical solutions - examining how policies, institutions, and communities across borders address shared problems and advance interdisciplinary understanding through innovative theoretical and applied perspectives.
Eligible languages: Arabic, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Chinese-Mandarin, Czech, Hebrew-Modern, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazilian), Quechua, Russian, Swahili, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Wolof
Center for Global Studies (CGS) - Application Upload
Center for Global Studies (CGS) - Recommender Upload
For more information, contact CGS Outreach Coordinator Tim Pollack (tpollack@illinois.edu)
Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies
The Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies welcomes applications from students in any discipline whose research focuses on Latin America.
Eligible languages: Portuguese (Brazilian), Quechua, Q’anjob’al
Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) - Application Upload
Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) - Recommender Upload
For more information, contact CLACS Associate Director Kasia Szremski (szremski@illinois.edu)
Center for South Asia and Middle Eastern Studies
The Center for South Asia and Middle Eastern Studies welcomes applications that demonstrate scholarly engagement with South Asia or the Middle East and North Africa region, where proficiency in Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Persian, or Turkish is essential.
Eligible languages: Arabic, Hebrew, Hindi, Persian, Turkish
Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (CSAMES) - Application Upload
Center for South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies (CSAMES) - Recommender Upload
For more information, contact CSAMES Outreach Coordinator Maha Chahine (chahine2@illinois.edu)
Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity
The Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity welcomes applications that advance gender equity and human development in Global South contexts. We encourage projects that use interdisciplinary and intersectional approaches to examine how structural inequalities shape access to resources and rights from a gendered perspective. Preference will be given for applications at the intermediate to advanced level.
Eligible languages: Arabic, Hindi, Persian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Quechua, Swahili, Wolof
Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity (CSGGE) - Application Upload
Center for the Study of Global Gender Equity (CSGGE) - Recommender Upload
For more information, contact CSGGE Associate Director Anita Kaiser (arkaiser@illinois.edu)
European Union Center
The European Union Center welcomes research proposals focused on the European Union, Western Europe, and Europe more broadly. We invite projects that address important topics such as migration, global and transatlantic relations, war, peace and security, as well as the experiences of linguistic and cultural minorities and diasporic communities across Europe. This includes long-standing historical communities, post-imperial and post-colonial populations, and more recent migrant groups throughout the continent.
Eligible languages: Arabic, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Czech, Greek (modern), Hebrew (modern), Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian
European Union Center (EUC) - Application Upload
European Union Center (EUC) - Recommender Upload
For more information, contact EUC Associate Director Havva Karakas Keles (hkarakas@illinois.edu)
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center
The Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center welcomes applications from students interested in pursuing research on or using a language of East Europe, Eurasia, or Russia.
Eligible languages: Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Bulgarian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center (REEEC) - Application Upload
Russian, East European, and Eurasian Center (REEEC) - Recommender Upload
For more information, contact REEEC Associate Director Markian Dobczansky (markian@illinois.edu)
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