Program and General Policies

Applicants should be acquainted with program elements and policies of The Language Flagship Fellowships.  

Program Elements               

Duration: Flagship Fellowships are approximately two years in length.          

Fellowship support: Flagship Fellowships provide support for academic expenses directly associated with participation in a Flagship Program, including tuition, a stipend for living expenses, and support for travel costs and health insurance coverage.  The stipend will be based on reasonable costs associated with the location of each Flagship Program.  Flagship Fellowship amounts will vary by individual depending upon composition and duration of the Flagship Program.  Fellowship awards cannot include additional support for dependents.     

Other financial support: Flagship Fellowship award recipients are expected to devote full-time effort to the Language Flagship Program in which they are enrolled.  Therefore, Flagship Fellowship support may not be combined with other sources of funding that would require a Fellow to devote less than full-time effort to the Flagship Program curriculum.    

Merit Review               

Merit review process: Flagship Fellowship applications are received by IIE, where they are reviewed by staff for technical eligibility.  Applications are then forwarded to merit review panelists to assess all eligible applications.  Merit panel recommendations are corroborated with Flagship Institutions’ acceptances of Flagship Program applicants, and a final group of award recipients is recommended to the National Security Education Program Office.        

[NOTE: Each Flagship Institution has its own admissions process.  Flagship Fellowship awardees must apply to and be admitted to a Flagship Institution in order to receive funding from NSEP.  Admission to a Flagship institution does not guarantee Flagship Fellowship funding]  

General Policies 

Logistics:  Flagship Fellowship award recipients will be responsible for making all arrangements related to and required for their participation in a Flagship Program, including travel and housing arrangements.  Fellowship recipients also are responsible for arrangements of the overseas portion of the Flagship Program that are not provided by the Flagship Institution.  Flagship Fellowship award recipients should consult with Flagship Programs before making travel arrangements.   

Travel: All travel paid with Flagship Fellowship funds must comply with the Fly America Act, which requires all air travel be on American Flag Carriers.        

Taxes: Flagship Fellowship award recipients are responsible for their own tax liabilities.        

Limitation of activities of Fellows:  According to the David L. Boren National Security Education Act of 1991, as amended, which established the NSEP: “No person who receives an award, scholarship or fellowship or any other type of assistance under the NSEP shall, as a condition of receiving such assistance or under any other circumstances, be used by any department, agency, or entity of the United States Government engaged in intelligence activities to undertake an activity on its behalf during the period such person is pursuing a program of education for which funds are provided under the program carried out under this title.”        

Fellows’ status:  An individual accepting a Flagship Fellowship under the National Security Education Act of 1991, as amended, is not an official of the United States Government or any of its agencies, nor is s/he an official of a host government of any of its agencies.

Service obligation:  All Flagship Fellowship award recipients incur a service obligation.  See The NSEP Service Requirement for more information. 

Deferment:  Deferments of Flagship Fellowships are not allowed.  Fellows are expected to begin their Flagship Programs at the time designated by the Flagship Institutions in which they will participate.          

Revocation of award:  Grounds for possible revocation or termination include (1) violating the laws of the United States or of the host country; (2) engaging in acts likely to give offense to the host country; (3) failing to maintain satisfactory academic progress and observe appropriate professional standards; (4) failing to maintain appropriate matriculation status, (5) being physically or mentally incapacitated; (6) being used by any department, agency, or entity of the United States Government engaged in intelligence activities to undertake any activity on its behalf.          

Non-discrimination: NSEP is committed to the principle of diversity.  No applicant will be discriminated against on the basis of race, religion, gender, sexual preference, or national origin.