Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships provide tuition and stipend to students studying designated foreign languages in combination with area studies or international aspects of professional studies. The priority is to encourage the study of less commonly taught modern languages. FLAS Fellowships are administered by the University of Michigan Area Studies Centers and are awarded competitively through annual fellowship competitions. The U.S. Department of Education (US/ED) funds these awards under the provisions of Title VI of the Higher Education Act. The amount of funding and number of awards are contingent upon annual US/ED program approval, federal regulations, as well as continued congressional funding, all of which may change from year to year.