Russian Overseas Flagship

The Language Flagship is a national effort to change the way Americans learn languages. Flagship offers pathways for students of all academic majors and language levels to pursue advanced-level language study in one of seven languages: Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, or Turkish.

The Russian Overseas Flagship, established in 2004, provides an immersive overseas experience for undergraduate students enrolled at one of eight U.S. Flagship universities. The program helps participants develop superior proficiency in Russian, a critical language to U.S. competitiveness and security.

There is both a domestic and an overseas component to the program. The domestic component trains students to reach the language proficiency required for the overseas component in Kazakhstan. The overseas component features formal language coursework, content-based elective courses, individualized tutorials, conversation partners, bi-weekly excursions, including several overnight trips, and home stays with Russian-speaking families. Participants also benefit from extensive opportunities for professionally focused language development through regular university courses in their area of specialization and internships with local organizations.

Participating Flagship universities include: Bryn Mawr College, Indiana University, Portland State University, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), University of Georgia, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Virginia Tech.