FAQs

All applicants must be US citizens, nationals or permanent residents.  However, for CASA I, non-US citizens, nationals or permanent residents are welcome to apply to CASA, and if accepted, may participate on a Pay-Your-Own-Way (PYOW) basis only.  In addition:

• CASA I applicants also must have a minimum of 3 years of formal instruction in Arabic prior to joining CASA and fall into one of the following categories: (a) current graduate students (e.g., PhD or MA student); (b) undergraduate students in their junior or senior year; or (c) holders of either a bachelor's or master's degree. 
• CASA II applicants also must be a graduate student (priority given to PhDs) in an institution of higher education, who is a prospective teacher in the areas of Middle East and North African (social sciences, humanities and foreign languages).
• CASA III applicants also must be a faculty member or postdoctoral fellow currently employed full-time in a U.S. institution of higher education, teaching or doing research on the Middle East and North Africa region.

Applicants should complete a minimum of 3 years of formal instruction in Arabic, or the equivalent, prior to applying to the CASA program. If you have had two years along with an intensive summer program and feel you are ready to apply, you are welcome to do so. The Selection Exam, which is part of the application process, will help determine your level of proficiency.

For CASA II and III applicants, there is currently no language proficiency requirement but applicants are expected to have at least an intermediate level of Arabic that they wish to boost through participation in CASA. 

CASA I only offers advanced level coursework. It does not offer beginning or intermediate level courses in Arabic.

CASA has historically been funded by the U.S. Department of Education (USED) through the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad grant.  Due to continued limitations of the USED funding, CASA is actively searching for additional sources of funding to continue this important program.
 

CASA I applicants are encouraged to seek funding from other available sources, such as Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships, Boren, ACOR, Rotary, NFLI, and Fulbright Hays Students Scholarship.  If funded, the applicant can be considered as a PYOW (Pay Your Own Way) Fellow.  More details can be found in the Additional Funding section on the Application Instructions page.

CASA II and III do not currently allow for a Pay Your Own Way option.

CASA Fellowships cover: tuition for courses, a roundtrip flight and a modest monthly stipend. For more information on included Fellowship costs, please visit the CASA I Program page for What the Fellowship Covers.  The CASA II and III program pages also list this information for each program.

All Fellows are responsible for paying the CASA non-refundable program fee, selection exam fee, a required international medical insurance plan, and additional costs for travel (such as passports, visas/ renewals, possibly COVID tests, luggage when not included in flight, in-country travel and exploration, etc.). The Stipend will cover basic living expenses (rent, utilities, food, and other basics), but depending on your choice of apartment and lifestyle choices, the stipend may or may not cover additional cultural activities. Pay-Your-Own-Way (PYOW) Fellows are responsible for tuition, flights, living expenses and anything else they may need. 

Yes - CASA II/III are held in the Summer of 2025 for the 2025-2026 cycle.

CASA has been awarded funding from the U.S. Department of Education Fulbright-Hays: Group Projects Abroad for the third year of CASA II and III and is accepting applications for the Summer 2025 program (deadline January 31, 2025). Please see the CASA II and CASA III program pages for further details. 

Application and instructions are usually posted in November and are due in January.  See the Applications section for details.

Applications for the 2025-2026 cycle are now open. 

The CASA I, II and III application deadline for 2025-2026 is January 31st, 2025 at 11:59pm MT

The application software will not allow you to submit your application until it is complete. We will email you if we need any additional materials to complete your file.  Make sure to keep an eye on the email your submit with your application along with your junk mail box (particularly for emails sent through the application software, Community Force).

Notification letters will be emailed in March after the Selection Committee meetings.

The CASA funding from the U.S. Department of Education ​allows the program to operate in Jordan and Morocco, and does not allow travel to Egypt at the moment. It is important for applicants to know that CASA and ​its home, the University of Arizona, have not approved and do not endorse the program at the American University in Cairo (AUC) which currently refers to itself as CASA or as CASA@AUC. Should you pursue AUC’s program, you will be doing so at your own risk, without the endorsement or support of CASA or the University of Arizona.

Our current online application allows applicants to input the name and contact information of their references. References will then receive an email with a link to upload (PDF) or type in their letter directly to your application. Signed letters of recommendation on University letterhead is preferred (via PDF) when possible. Please see the Application section of this website for further details on recommendation letters.

CASA Fellowships are self-reportable and the University of Arizona does not issue a 1099- MISC form for scholarship/fellowship payments to vendors [Fellows]. Please consult with a tax professional regarding any questions.