13 Ultimate International Scholarships in Language and Literature

Do you like to read books? Or perhaps writing books or poems, or other sorts of writing creativity? Are you interested in intensifying your knowledge and skills in a certain language? If you answered “yes” to any one, or all of those questions, you should consider majoring in language and literature for your higher education.

This article will give you a heads-up on what a degree in language and literature is like, and the scholarships that you can apply for to help fund your studies.

Majoring in Language and Literature

A degree in language and literature is designed to get you reading books, analyzing theories, critiquing prose and verse, and taking a more critical look at the signs and words surrounding us every day. The aim is to get students to think creatively and analytically about the language.

A course with a focus on literature typically allows students to study literary texts from throughout history. Often you will start with modules covering a diverse range of literature from different periods; for instance, you could be reading Shakespeare one week and Virginia Woolf the next. Your reading will require you to study and analyze passages, relating texts to their cultural, social, historical, and political contexts.

A specific language-focused degree will train students to analyze the workings of the concerning language outside of literature, including language-based communication in all kinds of forms and contexts. This could include analysis of casual spoken conversation, text speak, advertising methods, or the uses of language in specialized legal and medical discourse.

Language and literature graduates are often found within the following areas of career:

• Digital Copywriter
• Editorial Assistant
• English as a foreign language teacher
• Lexicographer
• Magazine/newspaper journalist
• International relations consultant
• College professor
• Foreign exchange trader
• Cultural events coordinator
• Travel agent
• National security agent
• Immigration officer
• Translator / Interpreter
• Proofreader
• Foreign correspondent
• UNESCO official
• FBI agent
• Foreign service officer
• Foreign diplomat missionary

Scholarships for Language and Literature Students

If you are interested to major in language and literature, or perhaps already majoring within the field of study, you might want to check out the following language and literature scholarships to study abroad.

1. Manchester Writing School at Manchester Metropolitan University Joyce Nield Scholarship: One scholarship is available for an outstanding student from a non-UK Commonwealth country to study an MFA or MA in Creative Writing at the University.
2. The University of Utah Scholarships: The Department of World Languages and Cultures at The University of Utah offers a wide range of scholarships for both its domestic and international students:
   1. William D. Cocorinis Scholarship: Merit scholarship worth $1,000 for tuition, offered to students with an academic emphasis in the modern or ancient Greek language, history, or culture. Preference will be given first, to students of merit who are engaged in the study of Modern Greek and second, to students of merit who are otherwise engaged in Hellenic Studies.
   2. Jerry Lodge Memorial Scholarship: Merit scholarships varying from $1,000 to $2,000 for tuition, offered to deserving students in the Department of World Languages & Cultures majoring in the Classics, which includes the study of Greek language and literature. Preference will be given to students in Classical Greek and those with financial needs.
3. Lund University Global Scholarship Program: An annual, selective, merit-based scholarship targeted at top academic students from countries outside the EU/EEA. Scholarship grants may cover 25%, 50%, 75%, or up to 100% of the tuition fee (depends on the budget available to the program/faculty and has no reflection on the student’s academic level of excellence).
4. Sarah Quinn BAME Writing Scholarship at Curtis Brown Creative: One fully paid scholarship available for a talented BAME (Black, Asian, or Minority Ethnic) student to study Curtis Brown Creative’s Writing YA and Children’s Fiction course. As part of your application, you’ll need to send the first 3,000 words of a novel in progress, plus a synopsis.
5. Swedish Institute Scholarships: Offered to international students applying for studies in Sweden at Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D., and post-doctoral levels.
   1. Swedish Institute Scholarships for South Africa (SISSA): Up to 10 scholarships are available for studies at the master’s level. Each scholarship covers tuition fees, living expenses of SEK 10,000 per month, a travel grant of SEK 15,000, insurance against illness and accident, membership of the SI Network for Future Global Leaders (NFGL), and a membership of the SI Alumni Network after your scholarship period (one academic year – which is two semesters – may be extended for programs longer than two semesters, provided that the student has passed his/her courses/credits).
   2. Swedish Institute Scholarships for Global Professionals (SISGP): An estimated 300 scholarships for full-time master’s studies in Sweden. Each scholarship covers tuition fees, living expenses of SEK 10,000 per month, a travel grant of SEK 15,000, insurance against illness and accident, and membership in the SI NFGL and the SI Alumni Network. The scholarship is intended for full-time one-year or two-year master’s programs and is only awarded for programs starting in the autumn semester.
   3. Swedish Institute Scholarships for the Western Balkans and Turkey for Master’s Studies: Around 16 scholarships in total are available for applicants from the six Western Balkan countries and Turkey. Each scholarship covers tuition fees, living expenses of SEK 10,000 per month, a travel grant of SEK 5,000, insurance, and membership in the SI NFGL and the SI Alumni Network.
   4. Visby Program Scholarships for Master’s Level Studies: Scholarships for students from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine who are liable to pay tuition fees to the universities. The scholarship includes tuition fees, a monthly grant of SEK 10,000 for living expenses, a travel grant of SEK 5,000, insurance (accompanying family members included), and memberships of the SI NFGL and SI Alumni Network.
   5. Swedish-Turkish Scholarship Program for Ph.D. Studies and Postdoctoral Research: About 12 scholarships, each consisting of SEK 18,000 monthly grant for living expenses for Ph.D. students and university lecturers, SEK 21,000 monthly grant for living expenses for postdocs and senior researchers, travel grant of SEK 5,000, insurance for the scholarship holder and accompanying family members, and membership in the SI NFGL.
   6. Visby Program Scholarships for Ph.D. Studies and Postdoctoral Research: About 40 scholarships are offered to citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine who are enrolled in Ph.D. studies outside of Sweden. Each scholarship includes a monthly grant for living expenses (SEK 18,000 per month for Ph.D. students and SEK 21,000 per month for postdocs and senior researchers), a travel grant of SEK 5,000, insurance, and membership of the SI NFGL.
6. School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics Masters Scholarships at Newcastle University: Bursaries worth ₤12,500 (full fees and maintenance) offered to outstanding applicants. Scholarships will be awarded on a competitive basis to applicants who, at the time the application is submitted, have accepted an offer of a place on one of the following Master’s programs in the School: MLitt (Masters by Research) in Literature (including Film), or Linguistics; MA in English Literature; MA in Creative Writing; MA in Writing Poetry; MA in Linguistics.
7. The Lidl German Language and Literature Graduate Scholarships and Student Funding: A package of support for students studying German Language and Literature. This generous gift includes funding for graduate scholarships, undergraduate prizes, and year-abroad funding.
   1. Lidl Graduate Scholarship at the University of Oxford: One scholarship will be awarded annually to a student wishing to pursue an MSt in Modern Languages with German as the principal language. The scholarship is available to students who demonstrate exceptional academic merit, but who may otherwise be prevented from taking up the course due to financial circumstances. No separate application is required.
   2. Lidl Undergraduate Year Abroad Funding: Ten bursaries of ₤1,000 each will be offered each year (needs-based) and comes with the opportunity to visit Lidl HQ in Germany. Funding is available no matter what a student is doing in their year abroad.
   3. Oxford-Lidl Prizes: A number of undergraduate prizes, up to ₤500 each, in German Language and Literature.
8. Scholarships and Awards at Western University: A wide range of need-based and merit-based awards and scholarships are offered for studies within the Faculty of Arts & Humanities at Western University, Canada. Scholarships and awards are available to both domestic and international students.
9. GSHSS International Scholarship and Bursary at The University of Melbourne: Scholarships offering 25 or 50 percent fee remission, or a $5,000 bursary, to a select group of high-ranking international students in recognition of their excellent academic results, supporting them to undertake a graduate coursework degree at the GSHSS. The applicable study areas for this scholarship and bursary are Historical, philosophical, political, and social studies, and; Language, literature, and cultural studies.
10. Scholarships and Financial Aid at SFSU: A number of English language scholarships for international students, and other forms of financial aid are offered at the Department of English Language and Literature at San Francisco State University (SFSU), USA.
11. UBC Financial Assistance: Various graduate and Ph.D. scholarships to study English language at the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Canada, within the Department of English Language & Literatures. These scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic grade point average (over the last three years), letters of reference, the writing sample, and the proposed program of work. This last is particularly important for Ph.D. applications.
12. Polish Language & Literature Scholarships at UToronto: A number of graduate and undergraduate scholarships for both domestic and international students pursuing a degree in Polish Language & Literature at the University of Toronto (UToronto / UoT), Canada.
13. Asian Languages & Literatures Scholarships and Grants at the University of Minnesota: The College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota offers a wide range of scholarships and grants for studies within Asian Languages & Literature. These scholarships are available to undergraduate students.