CLS Spark Program
CLS Spark is a virtual initiative for U.S. undergraduate students to learn languages essential to America’s engagement with the world. Designed to leverage best practices in online language learning developed by the CLS Program during the pandemic, CLS Spark provides American students the opportunity to study critical languages virtually when they may not have access to studying these languages on their campuses. Participants will spend the summer learning either Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Russian through online classes and activities facilitated by native speakers at a host institution abroad.
- Arabic for students with no formal classroom experience learning the language;
- Chinese for students with no formal classroom experience learning the language;
- Korean for students with no formal classroom experience learning the language;
- Japanese for students with no formal classroom experience or one year of formal classroom experience learning the language; and
- Russian for students with no formal classroom experience learning the language.
Benefits:
- Funding for all instruction and course materials
- Language gains certified via ACTFL OPI assessment
- A stipend of $300 to go toward equipment and connectivity costs
- Automatic consideration as a semifinalist for the CLS summer institutes
- Alumni networks and resources
Eligibility:
- Be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national
- Enrolled in an undergraduate degree-granting program at a U.S.-based institution (graduating seniors can apply but may not qualify for the semifinalist status unless they are going directly into graduate school)
- Must be 18 years of age
Link to complete eligibility requirements
Deadline: Mid-November, 2025
Campus Contact:
Nives Dal Bo-Wheeler, nives.dalbowheeler@maine.edu (Office of Major Scholarships, Director)