The Secretary shall award grants under section 1122 of this title competitively on the basis of criteria that separately, but not less rigorously, evaluates the applications for comprehensive and undergraduate language and area centers and programs.

The Secretary shall set criteria for grants awarded under section 1122 of this title by which a determination of excellence shall be made to meet the differing objectives of graduate and undergraduate institutions.

The Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, award grants under this part (other than section 1122 of this title) in such manner as to achieve an equitable distribution of the grant funds throughout the United States, based on the merit of a proposal as determined pursuant to a peer review process involving broadly representative professionals.