Questions about Accepting the FLAS Fellowship
Q: How do I accept the FLAS Fellowship? Read through the FLAS Offer Letter, sign, and email the letter to CSEAS by the deadline.
Q: I am graduating in June. Can I still receive the FLAS Fellowship for Summer? Yes, students should request to extend their graduation date to August through their department advisor right away. You will need to submit a form to declare for summer graduation (instead of spring). If students need a letter of justification to attach to their form, CSEAS can provide the letter. You are still able to walk at commencement in June with an August graduation date.
Q: I have other UCLA summer funding for research and study. Can I still receive the FLAS Fellowship for Summer? Undergraduate students cannot receive the Summer FLAS if they plan to also enroll in UCLA Summer Sessions. Graduate students cannot receive the Summer FLAS while holding a Graduate Summer Research Mentorship Fellowship (GSRM). Students should decide which summer funding they want to accept and decline the other.
Q: Why can't I hold FLAS and GSRM simultaneously for the summer? Due to the UCLA limit on maximum amount of support during the academic year (which includes summer) and policy that the GSRM project will be the student's sole activity in summer, graduate students are NOT able to hold both fellowships simultaneously.
Q: Why can't I hold FLAS and enroll in UCLA Summer Session? The FLAS Fellowship is considered financial aid at UCLA. With a Summer FLAS, you would hit the maximum amount of financial aid eligibility for the summer and would not receive any additional aid for UCLA Summer Sessions. Moreover, it is not feasible to plan a 6-week intensive language program around the UCLA Summer Sessions schedule.
Q: I have initially accepted the Summer FLAS but cannot enroll in a summer language program anymore. What do I do? You can inform CSEAS that you cannot enroll in an intensive summer language program and decline the FLAS Fellowship. You will return the funds to CSEAS via UCLA Bruin Bill.
Questions about the Language Program
Q: I plan to enroll in an intensive summer language course through a program with a university or private instructor in Southeast Asia. How do I set up the course? Students should contact the program or instructor to ask for a CV and detailed syllabus that includes course description, course dates, course textbooks and materials, meeting times, grading scale, assignments, and week-by-week breakdown of the curriculum content. Students send the instructor CV and contact and course syllabus to CSEAS by the deadline stated in the offer letter.
Q: I plan to enroll in an intensive summer language course through a program with a university or private instructor in the US. How do I set up the course? Students should contact the program or instructor to ask for a CV and detailed syllabus that includes course description, course dates, course textbooks and materials, meeting times, grading scale, assignments, and week-by-week breakdown of the curriculum content. Students send the instructor CV and contact and course syllabus to CSEAS by the deadline stated in the offer letter.
Q: How long should my course be? The course needs to be at least 6 weeks during the summer months - June to September. The course needs to fulfill the contact hour requirement.
Q: What is a contact hour? A contact hour is one hour of face-to-face instruction. Intermediate level of language study requires 140 contact hours. Advanced level of language study requires 120 contact hours.
Q: Can I take two separate courses to fulfill the contact hour requirement? Yes, you can take two different courses to meet the contact hour minimum for your language level. You can also combine a formal university program with additional hours with a private instructor.
Q: When should I take a placement exam? Students must arrange to take a language proficiency evaluation with an instructor at the beginning and end of the course.
Q: What is expected of my language instructor? Your language instructor will submit the results of your pre-program and post-program evaluation (exams) to an online report for you. CSEAS will contact your instructor with instructions and deadlines.
Q: Do I need to take the language course for a letter grade? Yes. Ask your program or instructor to send you a letter grade after the program ends. You will submit the letter grade with a post-fellowship final report for the course through an online reporting system. CSEAS will provide instructions on how to submit the online report in late August.
Questions about the Funding
Q: When will I receive the FLAS funds? Since the FLAS Fellowship is considered UCLA aid, you will receive the FLAS funds in a lump sum via direct deposit through UCLA Bruin Bill from the UCLA Financial Aid Office or UCLA Graduate Division during the third week of June as part of summer quarter disbursement.
Q: How will I receive the FLAS funds? FLAS funds will be disbursed to you through the UCLA Financial Aid Office or UCLA Graduate Division. The funds will appear on UCLA Bruin Bill and be deposited into the bank checking account linked to you. If you have never received scholarship funds from UCLA, you must sign up for direct deposit through UCLA Bruin Bill. If you have received funds from in the past through a check in the mail, you also need to sign up for direct deposit since the check might not reach you in time before your travel date.
Q: How do I pay the tuition for the course? You must ask your program or instructor about the process of paying tuition either through a bank wire transfer or in cash once you are there in the country. If you have already received the FLAS funds, you will handle the tuition payment directly to the program or instructor. But in some cases, you might have to pay tuition first out-of-pocket before receiving the FLAS funds to reimburse yourself.
Q: My tuition is due soon but I have not received the FLAS funds. What do I do? The FLAS Fellowship is disbursed as a lump-sum during the third week of June. You need to ask for an extension until early July to pay the tuition. You can also pay the tuition for the language program first and wait for the FLAS funds to arrive.
Q: My tuition is more than $5000. Can I get additional FLAS funding? No, the maximum amount for tuition under the FLAS Fellowship is set at $5000. You can ask your language program to reduce the tuition and fees to $5000.
Q: Do I need to send a budget report or receipts? No. Once you receive the FLAS funds, you do not need to send CSEAS any receipts. You will only need to send CSEAS your flight itinerary, wait for approval, and book your flight on a US airline carrier.
Questions about Travel and Accommodations
Q: When do I book my roundtrip airfare? You will receive a travel grant of $1000. You must book a flight at least 30 days before your program starts. You can decide to book your roundtrip flight right away and reimburse yourself with the FLAS funds later on or wait until you receive the FLAS funds to book your airfare.
Q: Can I stay longer after the program ends? You can book your travel dates to arrive in the country anytime before the program starts and to return to the US anytime after the program ends. However, you will not receive any additional stipend for the extended stay.
Q: What if my airfare costs more than $1000? You will also receive a living stipend of $3500 for accommodations, ground transportation, and food. You can use the stipend to cover the remaining costs of airfare.
Q: Do I need to fly on a US airline carrier? Yes, since the FLAS Fellowship is federal funding, students are required to fly on a US airline carrier for both domestic and international flights. Flights operated by foreign airlines but share the same code with a US airline are allowable. For example: American Airlines flights operated by Japan Airlines.
Q: I have already booked my airfare. When do I send the itinerary? You can send the itinerary confirmation to CSEAS immediately after booking the flight.
Q: Do I need a visa? Most likely. Confirm whether or not you will need a visa to stay in the country for more than 30 days. You will need to apply to the consulate for the visa well in advance of your departure date.
Q: How do I register my trip abroad? You must register your trip through the Smart Travel Enrollment Program (STEP) with the US Department of State - https://step.state.gov/. You must also register your trip with UCLA.
Q: What if I get sick while abroad? You should contact CSEAS. You should maintain personal health insurance while abroad. When you register your trip with UCLA, you will be covered under the travel insurance policy. You will pay medical expenses out-of-pocket and get reimbursed under the policy. Read through the Health & Safety Guide from the UCLA International Education Office prior to your program.
Q: How do I arrange accommodations for the program? You can contact your program or instructor for recommendations on lodging options in the country. You must do your own search and arrange your accommodations for the duration of the program yourself.
Q: I have a few questions about living in Southeast Asia? Who can I ask? You can contact the UCLA instructor for your language to ask about living in Southeast Asia. If you want to talk to students who have previously studied in Southeast Asia, contact CSEAS for their contact info.
Questions about Reporting
Q: Will I need to report to CSEAS? CSEAS will contact you in the middle of your program to check in. You are responsible for attending your class and keeping up with the coursework.
Q: What are the other reporting requirements? FLAS recipients are required to submit a final online report with the letter grade for their course in late August. Additionally, FLAS recipients are required to provide information in an online survey every other year following graduation from UCLA for up to 8 years. The online form asks questions about your ongoing use of the target language and in your field of employment. FLAS recipients must provide their current contact information to the UCLA center awarding their FLAS in compliance with this requirement.
Questions about Transcripts
Q: Will the course appear on my UCLA transcript? No, your course units and grade will not appear on your UCLA transcript. If you are attending a program with a US university, you may receive a transcript from that institution.
Q: Do I need to transfer the units and grade to my UCLA transcript? You do not need to transfer the summer course units to UCLA.
Q: I want to have the summer language course apply towards fulfilling my language requirement at UCLA. You will need to contact your department for the process of getting approval for the course to fulfill language requirement. In most cases, your department will require you to take an exam with a UCLA instructor to access if your language proficiency level is sufficient to fulfill the requirement.