University of Hawaii at Manoa Asian Studies FLAS Awards

FLAS Awards

FAQs About FLAS Grant Administration

Questions about Eligibility Requirements

Q47. Who is eligible to receive a FLAS fellowship?

Graduate students who are U.S. citizens or nationals or permanent residents and who are enrolled (or accepted for enrollment) in a program that combines modern foreign language training with international or area studies or with the international aspects of professional or other fields of study.

Q48.May an undergraduate student apply for and receive a FLAS?

No. The program law specifies that only graduate students are eligible award recipients.

Q49.May we award a summer FLAS to a student who will have graduated in the spring?

Possibly. Although the program regulations specify that students must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment, you might be able to arrange with your registrar to retain the student on an enrolled basis until the end of the summer. Call your program officer to discuss this situation.

Q50.May we offer a FLAS fellowship to a student from another institution? Yes, as long as the student and his/her language program meet the FLAS program eligibility requirements.

Questions about Types of Fellowships and Appropriate Uses

Q51.For what time period is a FLAS awarded?

A FLAS can be awarded for either a full academic year or a summer.

Q52.What are the requirements for using a FLAS award?

FLAS fellowships are awarded for:

a formal domestic or overseas academic program of full-time study during the academic year,
dissertation research abroad during the academic year, or
a formal program of intensive language study during the summer. Only students who are at the advanced level of language proficiency can be approved to use a FLAS for dissertation research. The use of language in dissertation research must be extensive enough to be able to consider the foreign language improvement facilitated by the research equal to the improvement that would be obtained from a full academic years worth of formal classroom instruction. Given that the legislative intent of the FLAS fellowship program is language acquisition and that the US/ED has a separate dissertation fellowship program (Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Program) with an annual competition, use of the FLAS program for dissertation research is not encouraged by US/ED. Students wishing to use an award for a formal study abroad program must be at the intermediate or advanced level of language proficiency, or at the beginning level if an appropriate beginning language program if the students language is not available in the United States.

Q53.What are the course requirements for academic year FLAS fellows?

Academic year FLAS fellows who are not approved for overseas dissertation research must be enrolled in both language and area or international studies courses. This is why FLAS fellows are asked to list their entire course load during the award period on the Student Performance Report. Academic year FLAS fellows conducting dissertation research must be extensively using foreign language sources at the advanced level in order to be considered to fulfill the requirement. The academic year FLAS award should provide the fellow with the equivalent of a full academic years worth of formal language training.

Q54.Can a FLAS award be used to participate in an internship program?

Generally not, because an internship program constitutes neither a formal academic program of full-time study nor overseas dissertation research. Contact your program officer about the specific case if you feel it meets the full-time study requirement.

Q55.Is a FLAS fellow allowed to work during the fellowship award period?

FLAS fellows are allowed to work during the award period but cannot be required to work in exchange for the FLAS fellowship. Regardless of work status, all FLAS fellows are required to be engaged in full-time foreign language and area/international studies course work or dissertation research during the academic year and in intensive language study during the summer award period.

Q56.Should students be receiving credit(s) for all study conducted while holding a FLAS?

Yes. US/ED expects FLAS fellowships recipients to receive full credit from the programs they attend. Particular attention should be paid to students who are using FLAS fellowships for programs away from the grantee institution, to ensure that appropriate credits will be transferred to the students transcript.

Qustions about Selecting Fellows and Making Awards

Q57.What procedures do we follow when selecting FLAS fellows?

Grantees are bound by the FLAS selection procedures outlined in your FY 20032005 application. Any deviations from these procedures should be discussed with your program officer.

Q58.Is it permissible to make single semester/quarter awards during the academic year?

Generally, no. A FLAS award period is either a full academic year or a summer. However, there are three potential circumstances that allow a grantee to make a single semester or quarter award:

if a FLAS fellow forfeits his/her grant during the award period, thereby making monies available for a subsequent semester or quarter, or
if a FLAS fellow graduates in December and therefore is unable to use the award during the rest of the academic year, or
if a FLAS fellow receives funding for one of the two semesters from another source that is at least the monetary equivalent of a FLAS.

Regardless of which circumstance that might occur, the grantee must provide the other half award to an additional student during the second semester to avoid leaving a student without funding for the latter part of the academic year. An alternative use of funds would be to support additional summer fellowships. If any of the above 3 circumstances is becomes necessary, you should document it in the comments section when submitting your FLAS Institutional List in EELIAS.

Q59.May a student receive both a FLAS and another fellowship during the same award period?

It depends. The FLAS program regulations do not prohibit a student from receiving another fellowship during the FLAS award period, but FLAS Coordinators should be careful in working out fellowship packages with students so that double-dipping is avoided. For instance, the FLAS award should not pay an institutional payment if the other funding source covers the students tuition and fees. It is also possible for the student to receive subsistence monies in excess of the FLAS student subsistence allowance if the excess is paid from another source. A prudent approach is to carefully consider whether to award a FLAS to a student who is receiving sufficient support from another funding source because this is not the best use of the limited number of fellowships allocated to your institution.

Q60.Is a student allowed to begin an academic year award in the spring and continue using the same award to study through the summer and fall?

No, for two reasons:

there are two discrete FLAS award periods per year, the academic year and summer; and
the budget period for FLAS fellowships ends August 14 and carry-overs are not allowed.

Q61.Can an academic year FLAS recipient take a semester or quarter off and finish work for the award period during the summer or following academic year?

No. Students who do not complete their FLAS requirements during the original award period forfeit the remaining portion of their awards. Similarly, if extenuating circumstances prevent a student from accepting/using a FLAS academic year award during the academic year, the fellowship is forfeited and subsequently awarded to a deserving alternate on the FLAS list.

Q62.May a student request a Pass/Fail grade, even though there is a specified grading system (letter grade or percent grade) in place for the course?

No. 657.3 of the FLAS program regulations specify a students grade point average and the institutions performance-based instruction program as eligibility requirements. Therefore, allowing a student to take a course Pass/Fail is contrary to these requirements, and it diminishes the capacity to assess the students progress and language training in a quantifiable and meaningful way. Additionally, when US/ED reviews FLAS annual and final performance reports, it is much easier to see the overall merit of the FLAS fellowship if discrete grades are indicated on the performance report.

Q63.What are the priorities for making FLAS awards to students?

Grantees should adhere to the priorities they listed in their applications in response to the FLAS Awardee Selection Procedures evaluation criterion.

Additionally, grantees are advised to make awards in accordance with the purpose of the FLAS program to ensure continued national competence in foreign languages and area and international studies expertise. Because the national competence in the more-commonly-taught languages is not immediately threatened, the preference for awarding FLAS fellowships should continue to be for the less-commonly-taught languages. Furthermore, the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) requires the U.S. Department of Education to justify continued program funding based on outcomes. For these reasons, program staff strongly encourage grantees to consider the following recommendations in selecting FLAS fellows:

Make fellowship awards to students in a variety of humanities and social science disciplines, as well as professional fields.
Assign lowest consideration in the selection of fellows to:
- students who already possess language fluency equivalent to educated native speakers in the language for which the award is sought, including dissertators; and
- students who are taking the first 12 semester hours or the equivalent in Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian, or Spanish.
- Award fellowships for language study as opposed to dissertation research or writing

The Application Notice published in the September 26, 2002, Federal Register announced two invitational priorities for the FY 2003--2005 FLAS grant cycle:

Fellowships to students in the least-commonly taught languages who are pursuing advanced level language proficiency. Fellowships to talented students pursuing masters degrees who may be more likely to pursue government service.

Q64.Is it allowable to conduct a FLAS competition and from that one competition make awards to an individual student for multiple award periods?

No. In accordance with FLAS selection procedures, you are expected to conduct open, merit-based competitions to select fellows for each fellowship type and award period, i.e., academic year and summer.

Q65.Is there a limit on the number of FLAS fellowships the same student may receive?

The program law and regulations do not restrict the cumulative number of academic year or summer fellowships you may award to the same student. What you may not do, however, is to give the same student more than one academic year fellowship or more than one summer fellowship during a single award period.

Q66.May we make FLAS awards in Latin, Sanskrit, Greek, Classical Chinese, Old Church Slavonic or other ancient languages?

Usually not, since FLAS fellowships are to support the study of modern foreign languages. Contact your program officer for a ruling on a specific request.

Q67.May we set our own FLAS rules and requirements over and above the legislative and regulatory rules?

Yes, as long as the institutions requirements do not conflict with the statute and federal regulations or the selection procedures you outlined in the approved grant application.

Questions about IEPS Approval Procedures

Q68.When do we need to obtain prior program office approval for FLAS awards?

Prior approval from an IEPS program officer is required for all FLAS awards to be used abroad. Please refer to the Requesting FLAS Approval table for details regarding the specific information required. Program office approval is also required for all domestic dissertation research/writing awards, since program officers need to ensure that the FLAS fellow will improve language skills to the same extent as if they had engaged in a full years equivalent of formal language training. For additional guidance on approval requirements, refer to the Requesting FLAS Approval chart on page 18.

Q69.When do we need to submit requests for students proposing to study or conduct research overseas?

To the extent possible, submit travel requests and appropriate justification information at least 30 days prior to the date of the travel. This timeframe gives IEPS program officers sufficient time to review the request for compliance with FLAS requirements, to ensure that the travel is in compliance with the Fly America Act, and when applicable, to notify the U.S. embassy. Requests received after this timeframe may not be approved due to insufficient time for a thorough review. This is why we advise travelers not to make irrevocable reservations prior to receiving official approval from IEPS.

Q70.What are the guidelines for determining whether a summer language program is "intensive?"

The IEPS threshold for determining whether the number of contact hours for a summer language program meets the intensive requirement is 120-180 contact hours of instruction, depending on the level and language of study. Students at the beginning and intermediate levels are expected to attend programs offering a minimum of 140 contact hours, while advanced students may attend programs with fewer hours (but not less than 120). The summer FLAS award should provide each fellow with the equivalent of a full academic years worth of language instruction, so students should be encouraged to attend a program that is a minimum of 6 weeks in length.

Q71.How do we determine whether the student has chosen a quality language program?

Consult with language faculty on campus to see whether they are familiar with the program. You may also contact the IEPS program officer to find out whether the program has been approved for summer FLAS use in the past and how students have evaluated the program(s). Peer FLAS institutions are also good resources for ascertaining whether a language program is of high quality. And, lastly, acquire as much literature as possible about the program(s).

Questions about Money Issues

Q72.Can we use excess institutional payment monies from tuition/fee rates under $11,000 to supplement tuition/fee rates over $11,000?

No. For institutions with tuition and fee rates greater than $11,000, the difference between the actual rate and the $11,000 fixed institutional payment must be waived or paid from non-Title VI funds. FLAS funds resulting from tuition rates that are lower than the $11,000 institutional payment can not be used to supplement institutional payment monies for tuition rates higher than $11,000.

Q72.Our tuition rate is low. Can we use extra institutional payment monies to buy books for the FLAS fellows, or to supplement their subsistence allowances, or to fund other program activities?

No. The regulations require that any institutional payment monies in excess of the actual tuition and fees be used to fund additional fellowship awards, to the extent that enough money is available to pay a full subsistence allowance.

Q73.Is it okay to pool any leftover FLAS monies with other institutions to create an additional FLAS award?

Yes. This strategy arises most frequently in conjunction with summer FLAS awards. In instances where there is not enough money to make a full summer fellowship award, including the subsistence allowance, you may use the excess to make travel awards for $1,000 or the actual cost of travel to and from the students program site, whichever is less. Travel awards are permitted in conjunction with summer fellowships only and cannot exceed $1,000.

Q74.Are we allowed to pay a summer FLAS recipients tuition but not subsistence allowance?

Not unless the student will receive an equivalent or higher subsistence allowance from another source for the same award period. The student must receive a summer FLAS award sufficient to cover full tuition, plus any required fees, and the student subsistence allowance.

Q75.Are we allowed to enter into cost-sharing arrangements with other organizations to maximize our allocation of fellowships?

Yes. Cost-sharing with other organizations to create full fellowship awards is allowable, and we encourage you to do so. What you may not do, however, is expect the fellowship recipient to share the cost or work as a research or teaching assistant in exchange for the FLAS fellowship.

Q76.If a summer FLAS recipient wants to attend a program with tuition and fees that are higher than the summer FLAS institutional payment, can we expect the student to cover the additional tuition cost?

No. If the institutional payment for summer awards is not sufficient to cover the cost of full tuition and fees for the language program, the grantee institution must provide supplemental funding or negotiate a suitable rate with the program sponsor. The student is not required to bear any of the program costs. If the grantee institution is unable to arrange supplemental funding or negotiate a suitable rate, the student should be advised to select an alternative language program that does not exceed the institutional payment.

Q77.We have more FLAS money available than viable candidates for summer FLAS awards. What should we do?

Here are a few options:

If there are other FLAS programs at your institution, consult them to identify eligible candidates;
Consult FLAS programs in your world area at peer institutions to identify eligible candidates;
Consult FLAS programs in other world areas at peer institutions to identify eligible candidates; or
Make travel awards to eligible candidates in conjunction with their summer FLAS awards.

Having more FLAS money than viable candidates could be indications that advertising procedures for your FLAS competitions are inadequate, or that the institution has requested too many fellowships. In either case, grantees are advised to establish FLAS administration procedures to prevent these situations from occurring.

Q78.If a summer programs fee includes room and board, do we still pay the student the full $2,400 subsistence allowance?

No. The subsistence allowance is meant to cover personal expenses including room and board. But, if room and board are included in the tuition/fee payment, you should not pay the student for the same costs. Ask the program for an exact breakout of what the program fee covers and subtract the cost of room and board from the students subsistence allowance. Pay the student the remainder of the subsistence allowance, if any, to ensure the student receives a full award. If the program charge for room and board exceeds $2,400, the student is expected to pay the remainder of the charge.

Q79.May we supplement our FLAS funds with funds from our NRC grant?

No. The FLAS grant and NRC grant are funded under two different discretionary grant programs; and although the programs purposes are complementary, you may not use NRC grant funds to supplement FLAS funds. Similarly, you may not use excess FLAS funds to conduct NRC project activities.

Questions about FLAS and the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad Language Programs

Q80.If a student has been selected for a US/ED Group Projects Abroad (GPA) language program, may we give the student a travel award?

No. The GPA pays all of the students overseas costs (i.e., room and board and tuition/fees) which means he/she has a full GPA fellowship. FLAS travel awards are to be made only to students receiving a FLAS fellowship. (See related question in the Travel Awards FAQs.)

Q81.If the GPA program has selected the maximum number of students it can fund with Fulbright-Hays monies but is willing to take more students if they can pay their way, may we award those students FLAS fellowships?

Yes. However, you must award to each student a full FLAS fellowship including the summer subsistence allowance of $2,400. The student then makes arrangements directly with the GPA grantee institution to pay the same overseas room and board rate established for GPA participants, which is usually $1,800.The FLAS student pays the $1,800 from the FLAS subsistence allowance, and uses the balance to buy books or for in-country travel.

Q82.Is it appropriate for the GPA grantee institution to request/expect payment from FLAS fellowships to offset domestic administrative costs associated with GPA language programs?

No. A summer FLAS is awarded to enroll in a program in either the United States or overseas; therefore, it is inappropriate to expect the FLAS fellowship to be used to pay for GPA domestic administrative costs as well as GPA overseas costs. The GPA grantee institution is responsible for domestic administration, program publicity, and the 2/9th salary of the U.S. director; or if necessary, should cost-share these expenses with sponsoring organizations, rather than expect support from FLAS funds.

Questions about FLAS-Related Travel

Q83.When do we submit requests for travel approvals?

Q84.Will IEPS approve retroactive FLAS overseas travel requests?

No. This is why IEPS advises grantees to follow the procedures in Qs 66 and 81. Also, be advised that any travel not approved by IEPS may not be paid for from the FLAS grant. The institution will have to cover the cost.

Q85.May we give travel awards in conjunction with academic year FLAS awards?

No. The application notice specifies that travel awards can be given only in conjunction with summer FLAS fellowships.

Q86.Are students who are not recipients of summer FLAS fellowships eligible for travel awards?

No. Only summer FLAS fellowship recipients are eligible to receive travel awards in the amount of $1,000 or the actual cost of travel to and from the language program site, whichever is less.

Q87.Are we required to give travel awards to summer FLAS fellowship recipients?

No. Travel awards should be the last-resort option for expending excess FLAS monies that are not enough to award a complete fellowship or summer subsistence allowance. Travel awards are not automatically a part of summer FLAS fellowships.

Q88.May we give a summer FLAS recipient a travel award that exceeds the actual cost of travel?

No. Summer travel awards are limited to $1,000 or the actual cost of travel to and from the program site, whichever is less.

Q89.In addition to giving travel awards to cover the cost of travel to and from the language program site, may we give summer FLAS recipients travel money to do research-related travel while overseas?

No. Doing so is inconsistent with the FLAS program regulations regarding the use of a summer fellowship. The purpose of the summer FLAS is to support intensive language study only. Students are required to use summer travel awards for travel to and from their program sites, not to conduct research- related activities.

Questions about Reporting Requirements

Q90.Are there reporting requirements for the FLAS Program?

Yes. Throughout the FY 20032005 grant cycle, grantee institutions are required to submit FLAS Institutional Lists and narrative comments; and, FLAS fellowship recipients are required to submit Student Performance Reports and narrative comments. All reports will be submitted via the online Evaluation of Exchange, Language, and Area Studies (EELIAS) system. Please see the FLAS reporting schedule on page 37 for due dates. The EELIAS system includes specific instructions for completing the report data and narrative screens.

The FLAS Institutional Lists and narrative comments constitute the annual performance report. To receive FLAS continuation funding for Year 2 and again for Year 3, grantees must submit an annual performance report by the specified due date. IEPS cannot issue a continuation grant award unless and until grantees fulfill the reporting requirements under the FLAS program.

For more information on the continuation grant award process, see Q 35.

Q91.Can students who receive FLAS fellowships for consecutive award periods submit a single student performance report covering both award periods?

No. Students are required to submit separately, two student performance reports for the fellowships received.

Q92.How do I get a student who has disappeared to complete the Student Performance Report?

This is a challenge that many grantees face. Try to locate the student through his/her peers and/or advisor and/or the university alumni office. If you exhaust all channels and are still unable to contact the student, send your program officer a letter of explanation for the official file (we give credit for effort!). To prevent this from happening, establish procedures to ensure a high return of student performance reports. For example, include a statement in the recipient award letter that stipulates reporting as a term and condition of the fellowship; link the distribution of the fellow's last subsistence allowance payment to receipt of the performance report; or, incorporate penalties for not reporting into the institutions FLAS selection procedures, i.e., the student may not have the opportunity to receive a subsequent fellowship if a performance report is not submitted.

Q93.How do students submit FLAS performance reports?

Students are assigned passwords and submit the reports online through EELIAS.

Q94.How can FLAS Coordinators ensure that FLAS recipients are taking the appropriate courses to fulfill FLAS program requirements?

Meet regularly with FLAS recipients and review their course selections. This enables you to monitor whether or not students are taking courses that meet the area studies and international studies content requirements, as well as the appropriate levels of language courses. Doing this will avoid IEPS program officers from flagging FLAS Institutional Lists annual reports for courses that are not consistent with program regulations and expectations.