WISLI Funding Application

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Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with the first round of notifications occurring in early March.

WISLI Tuition Scholarship

The WISLI Tuition Scholarship covers 50% of your tuition for language study. Funding is limited and competitive. To be considered, applicants must submit the WISLI Funding Application, which has an earlier deadline than the general program application.

These awards are intended to support students studying within the United States with clear academic or career goals related to their language and world region.

Institute-Specific Funding

The WISLI Funding Application also serves as the application for institute-specific funding opportunities, including the SASLI Half Fee Remission and SEALC Tuition Scholarship for SEASSI. Due to limited funding, applicants should anticipate receiving no more than one WISLI-administered award and plan to cover student fees and the remaining tuition balance through other sources.

Eligibility and Priority

All WISLI applicants are eligible to apply for a Tuition Scholarship. Because funding is limited and competitive, priority is given to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at U.S. colleges or universities who demonstrate financial need and have clear academic or career goals related to their language and world region.

Award recipients must complete the full eight-week program. Applicants who anticipate repeated absences or commitments that would prevent full participation in the program are not eligible for scholarship funding.

What an Award Does NOT Cover

Awards are limited to tuition costs and exclude expenses such as segregated fees, textbooks, living expenses, health insurance, the one-time official document fee of $130.00, and other costs.

Application Materials

Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all application materials are complete and submitted on time. To apply for a WISLI Tuition Scholarship and/or a program-specific award, you will need to:

  1. Apply to study at WISLI 2027
  2. Prepare a Statement of Purpose (approximately 500–600 words) explaining your personal, academic, and/or professional goals and how language study at WISLI supports those goals. Include the broader impact you hope your language study will have. You may reuse the statement from your general WISLI application.
  3. Prepare a brief Statement of Financial Need addressing any major sources of income for academic study, the financial support needed to participate in WISLI, and other circumstances that may demonstrate your need for support.
  4. Solicit one letter of recommendation. One strong, substantive recommendation is required. Ask your recommender to email the letter directly to wisli@lpo.wisc.edu. Letters must be received by the application deadline (February 1, 2027).
  5. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), if eligible. You do not need to add UW–Madison to your FAFSA for this purpose. Download the Eligibility Overview from your FAFSA Submission Summary, which displays your Student Aid Index (SAI), and include it with your WISLI Funding Application. A screenshot is also acceptable if your name and SAI are visible.
  6. Complete the general WISLI Funding Application:
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These awards are made possible through the generous support of the International Division’s Office of the Dean and the Language Program Office — aims to broaden access to the study of less commonly taught languages.