Center for International and Professional Experience

The Center for International and Professional Experience (CIPE) offers a wide variety of resources for students seeking international experience by providing information, advice, and guidance to potential travelers, as well as contact information for returned students.

CIPE also offers a number of fellowship opportunities for Yale College undergraduate and Yale University graduate students through their Fellowship Programs Office.  The following grants, fellowships, and scholarships are a highlight of opportunities available to students whose research  is related to the study of East Asia.

Chinese Cultural (Yung Wing) Scholarship

Created in memory of Yung Wing, the first Chinese student to earn a degree at Yale University, the Chinese Cultural (Yung Wing) Scholarship supports year-long study of Chinese at an approved Chinese university. The scholarship covers tuition, instructional material, housing and medical care in addition to a monthly stipend for living expenses in China. It does not, however, include travel costs.

The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China has invited Yale University to nominate five students for a year-long Chinese Cultural (Yung Wing) Scholarship during the 2015-16 academic year. Eligible are undergraduate, graduating seniors, and graduate students who have completed (or will have completed by the end of spring term 2015) at least one year of Yale or Yale-equivalent formal Chinese language study.

Applicants must be non-Chinese nationals under the age of 30. An undergraduate recipient would need to take a Leave of Absence during the 2015-16 academic year.

Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.

NSEP David L. Boren Scholarships

The National Security Education Program (NSEP) David L. Boren Scholarships provide up to $20,000 to U.S. undergraduate students to study abroad in areas of the world that are critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad, including Africa, Asia, Central & Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle East. (The countries of Western Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are excluded.)  Boren Scholars represent a variety of academic backgrounds, but all are interested in studying less commonly taught languages, including but not limited to Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Swahili.  See the lists of preferred countries, languages, and fields of study on the Boren website.

Boren Scholarships are funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which focuses on geographic areas, languages, and fields of study deemed critical to U.S. national security. So applicants should identify how their study abroad program, as well as their future academic and career goals, will contribute to U.S. national security, broadly defined. NSEP draws on a broad definition of national security, recognizing that the scope of national security has expanded to include not only the traditional concerns of protecting and promoting American well-being, but also the challenges of global society, including sustainable development, environmental degradation, global disease and hunger, population growth and migration, and economic competitiveness.

The NSEP service requirement stipulates that an award recipient work for the Federal Government in a position with national security responsibilities for an amount of time equal to the duration of assistance provided under the program, but in no case less than one year. Service should begin within three years of graduation, but is deferrable for graduate school. Detailed information on the service obligation may be found on the official website.

Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.

Parker Huang Fellowships

The Parker Huang Undergraduate Travel Fellowship helps to support a year of study, research, or work abroad. These fellowships are made possible by a generous gift from an alumnus honoring Parker Po-fei Huang, a distinguished teacher of Chinese at Yale who retired in 1985. The Parker Huang Fellowships are “being given not because of American successes abroad, but because of our failures and because the international failures of the most powerful country on earth are costly for those who are most powerless.” The Fellowships are awarded each year to students who plan to study or work in non-English-speaking countries. First preference is given to proposals for projects in China; thereafter, elsewhere in Asia, Africa or other regions (such as Central Asia, the Caucasus, Eastern Europe, Russia, Latin America, or the Middle East). The awards are intended to support either advanced language study beyond the intermediate level (begun at Yale or elsewhere) or study/work/research (in the language of the host country) focusing on socio-cultural issues in the host country. Proposals may include either university study, independent projects, or an unpaid or low-paying work experience. Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.

Robert Lyons Danly 1969 Memorial Travel Fellowship

The Robert Lyons Danly 1969 Memorial Travel Fellowship was established to support undergraduate students at Yale pursuing research in Japan during the summer. This fellowship is made possible through the generosity of Malcolm M. Brown, M.D., ’69, in memory of the late Robert Lyons Danly. The intention of the fellowship is to honor Professor Danly’s accomplishments as a leading translator and scholar of Japanese literature, by making it possible for Yale undergraduates to travel to Japan for research purposes. All freshmen, sophomores and juniors who are U.S. citizens and whose past studies have had a demonstrated focus on Japan, including, but not limited to, language study, are eligible to apply. The fellowship may also be used to assist undergraduates in other fields of study who are pursuing Japan-related research. The proposed project must be a full-time commitment and be the primary activity for the duration of the fellowship. Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.

Summer Fellowship in Japan

The Japan Program of the Council on East Asian Studies has established the Summer Fellowship in Japan to nurture interest in Japan and Japanese studies among undergraduates. These awards will allow students with a demonstrated interest in Japan to spend a summer there either conducting research, working on an independent project or participating in an internship. The funds may not be used for language study or formal coursework. Up to three awards of $7,000 each will be made annually. Please visit the Yale University Student Grants & Fellowships Website for complete details.