20 U.S.C. § 1127 — Selection of certain grant recipients

(a) Competitive grants The Secretary^* must award grants under section 1122 of this title competitively on the basis of criteria that separately, but not less rigorously, evaluates— (1) the applications for comprehensive foreign language and area or international studies centers and programs; and (2) the applications for undergraduate foreign language and area or international studies centers and programs. (b) Selection criteria The Secretary must set criteria for grants awarded under section 1122 of this title by which a determination of excellence is made to meet the differing objectives of graduate and undergraduate institutions. In keeping with the purposes of this part, the Secretary must take into account the degree to which activities of centers, programs, and fellowships at institutions of higher education address national needs, and generate information for and disseminate information to the public. The Secretary must also consider an applicant’s record of placing students into postgraduate employment, education, or training in areas of national need and an applicant’s stated efforts to increase the number of that students that go into that placements. (c) Equitable distribution of grants The Secretary must, to the extent practicable, award grants under this part (other than section 1122 of this title ) in that manner as to achieve an equitable distribution of the grant funds throughout the United States, based on the merit of a proposal as determined under a peer review process involving broadly representative professionals.