Allison Busch Summer Language Study Fellowship

Summer Language Study for Undergraduate International Students

In 2020, the University Committee on Asia and the Middle East (UCAME) announced the Allison Busch Memorial Language Study Fellowship, to honor the late Allison Busch, Professor of Hindi Literature in the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies.  The fellowship supports international undergraduate students at Columbia and Barnard Colleges, and the Schools of Engineering and General Studies.  The fellowship is meant to support students studying a language of South Asia during the summer.  U.S citizens and permanent residents are not eligible to apply for the fellowship (and should instead apply for Summer FLAS). 

Allison Busch Fellows must attend an approved program of intensive summer language study for a minimum of six weeks and 140 hours of classroom contact.  Applicants must have already completed a minimum of one year of language study, and a competition preference will be given to students who plan to attain an Advanced level of proficiency upon finishing their degrees.

The fellowship consists of between $5,000 to $10,000 to cover tuition, travel, and living expenses to attend an intensive summer language institute in the US or abroad.  Funding is limited to two students per year.

Language of Study

Students may study Bengali, Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu, and others South Asian languages, i.e., Marathi, Telugu, Sinhala, etc.  Students must study at the Intermediate or Advanced levels.  Students with Advanced Proficiency in one language of South Asia may apply to study at the Elementary level for a second language.

How to Apply

The Fellowship is administered by the Department of Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies (MESAAS)

For questions about the fellowship application, eligibility, etc. please see the MESAAS website