Campus deadline: January 23, 2026, Noon (12:00 p.m.)
Boren Awards are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. They provide up to $25,000 to U.S. undergraduates to study abroad for 8–52 weeks in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Applicants should identify how their study abroad program, as well as their future academic and career goals, will contribute to U.S. national security, recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness. In exchange for funding, recipients commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation.
Prospective applicants must make an individual advising appointment with Keila Diehl, the Boren campus representative.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must be:
• a U.S. citizen at the time of the application deadline
• at least 18 years of age by the time the application is submitted
• planning an overseas program in a destination outside of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand before graduation (see List of Preferred Destinations [opens external site]). Consider the many offerings at Berkeley Study Abroad (opens external site) or design a study plan on your own.
• planning to study in an overseas destination of which they are not a citizen
• matriculated for the duration of their Boren Awards-funded program in an undergraduate or graduate degree program located within the United States and accredited by a body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education (ROTC cadets and midshipmen and members of the military Reserves or National Guard must be in inactive, non-drilling status for the duration of their Boren Awards-funded program)
Selection Criteria
Applicants will be evaluated on the basis of merit with consideration for program preferences, academic record and potential to succeed in the proposed study abroad program, commitment to international education to fulfill academic and career goals, language interest and aptitude, and the quality and appropriateness of the proposed program and its relevance to the National Security Education Program. Preference will be given to programs based on their duration, focus on intensive study of a preferred language in a preferred overseas destination, the applicant’s field of study, and to applicants with longer-term interest in a federal career.
Application Requirements
- Completed online application
- Two (up to three) letters of recommendation
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (freshmen must also include high school transcripts)
Note: Applicants should submit all materials by the campus deadline, to receive the benefit of the campus ranking. IIE does not encourage students who have missed the campus deadline to submit an application individually, but they will process all applications submitted by the national deadline.
For more information about this opportunity, visit the Boren Awards website (opens external site).
