applications

closed

The application for EHLS 2027 will open in February 2026.

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EHLS is a scholarship program that is designed to support you while you are a program participant. Every EHLS participant signs a scholarship agreement before starting the program.

Scholarships for the EHLS Program are awarded through the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which is administered by the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO).

The purpose of the scholarship is to help people with critical language and cultural expertise develop the English language and career skills needed to pursue a career in the federal government with national security responsibilities.

As an EHLS participant, you will receive a full scholarship to attend the program. The scholarship will make it possible for you to devote your full time and attention to succeeding in the program by providing a living stipend.

As an EHLS scholar, you will receive the following benefits:

  • Coverage of all tuition and fees for the full 8 months of the program
  • A living stipend of $3,600 per month for the first 6 months and $1,200 per month for the final 2 months of the program
  • Reimbursement of up to $1,000 for costs of relocating to attend the program. This is offered to scholars moving from outside the metropolitan Washington, DC, area only. You must provide receipts or other proof of payment to receive reimbursement.

When you accept the scholarship, you incur certain obligations that you must fulfill while in the program:

  • You agree not to hold any form of employment and not to study in another academic program during the first 6 months (the intensive portion of the program)
  • You agree to attend all classes as scheduled, prepare for and participate in all instructional activities, communicate professionally inside and outside the classroom, and complete all assignments.

If you fail to fulfill these obligations, you may be dismissed from the program and be liable for repayment of part or all of the scholarship.

The scholarship is funded by the National Security Education Program (NSEP), which is administered by the Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO). When you accept the scholarship, you agree to fulfill the EHLS service requirement, which requires you to work for the federal government for one year after you complete the program.

The EHLS Program will not give you a federal job; you must make a full and good faith effort to find one for yourself. You must begin working for the government no later than three years after you graduate from the program, and you must complete the one-year requirement within five years of the date you begin your service. If you do not demonstrate a full and good faith effort to fulfill the service requirement, you will be required to reimburse the U.S. government for the full amount of assistance received from the scholarship.

As a scholarship recipient, you will be expected to seek a position that has national security responsibilities. All positions in the Department of Defense, Department of State, Department of Homeland Security, and the Intelligence Community fit this definition, as do many positions in other agencies and positions with some government contractors.

You will be encouraged to seek a position that meets your interests and aligns with your skills and background. You will receive assistance from NSEP during and after the program to help identify appropriate federal job opportunities.

Past EHLS scholars and graduates of other NSEP programs have found positions with national security responsibilities in the agencies on this list of examples:

DEPARTMENT

BUREAU*

Department of Defense

 

 

American Forces Information Services

Combatant Command

Counterintelligence Field Activity

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency

Defense Commissary Agency

Defense Contract Audit Agency 

Defense Contract Management Agency

Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency

Defense Finance and Accounting Service

Defense Health Agency

Defense Human Resources Activity

Defense Information Systems Agency

Defense Intelligence Agency

Defense Language Institute

Defense Logistics Agency

Defense Security Cooperation Agency

Defense Security Service

Defense Special Weapons Agency

Defense Technical Information Center

Defense Threat Reduction Agency

Department of Defense Education Activity

Department of the Army 

Joint Chiefs of Staff

Missile Defense Agency

National Defense University

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

National Security Agency

Office of Economic Adjustment

Office of Inspector General

Office of the Secretary of Defense

U.S. Air Force

U.S. Army

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces

U.S. Joint Forces Command

U.S. National Guard

U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps

Washington Headquarters Services

 

Department of Homeland Security

 

 

Critical Infrastructure Partnership Advisory Council

Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Domestic Nuclear Detection Office

Federal Emergency Management Center

Federal Law Enforcement Training Center

Management Directorate

National Protection and Programs Directorate

Office of Emergency Communications

Office of Intelligence and Analysis 

Office of Operations Coordination

Office of Partnership and Engagement

Office of Strategy, Policy, and Plans

Office of the Inspector General

Office of the Secretary

Science and Technology Directorate

Transportation Security Administration

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

U.S. Coast Guard

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. Secret Service

 

Department of State

 

 

Bureau of Administration

Bureau of African Affairs

Bureau of Arms Control, Verification, and Compliance

Bureau of Budget and Planning

Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations

Bureau of Consular Affairs

Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism 

Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor

Bureau of Diplomatic Security

Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs

Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs

Bureau of Energy Resources

Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs

Bureau of Global Public Affairs

Bureau of Human Resources

Bureau of Information Resource Management

Bureau of Intelligence and Research

Bureau of International Information Programs

Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs

Bureau of International Organization Affairs

Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation

Bureau of Legislative Affairs

Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs      

Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs

Bureau of Overseas Building Operations

Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration

Bureau of Public Affairs

Bureau of Resource Management 

Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs

Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs

Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications

Deputy Secretary of State

Executive Secretariat

Foreign Service

Foreign Service Institute

Global Engagement Center
Office of Foreign Missions

Office of Global Women’s Issues

Office of Policy, Planning, and Resources

Office of the Chief Economist

Office of the Coordinator for Reconstruction and Stabilization

Office of the Director General

Office of the Legal Advisor

Office of the Science and Technology Advisor

Office of the Secretary of State

Office of the Secretary of the Special Advisor to the President and Secretary of State for Democracy in the Balkans

Office of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Health Diplomacy

Office of the Under Secretary for Management

Office of the Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs

Office of U.S. Foreign Assistance Resources

Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons

Special Envoys and Special Representatives

Student Internship Program

U.S. Agency for International Development 

U.S. Information Agency

U.S. Mission to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs

Intelligence Community

 

 

 

Past Information Sessions

Find recordings of past information sessions HERE

applications

closed

The application for EHLS 2027 will open in February 2026.

Join our email list to be notified of the latest EHLS news: