Study Russian Language & East European History, Politics, and Culture Abroad

Funding opportunities:

Below is the link to the funding application portal for German and Russian students and faculty:

https://go.wfu.edu/grfunds

The Lake Fund is open to students studying German and Russian, and has an application deadline of the Monday following Thanksgiving.

The Heiko Wiggers Fund is intended to support expenses related to internships and language certifications. Applications for this fund are accepted on a rolling basis.

WFU/Tbilisi Summer Program: Russian Literature in the Caucasus

This Summer Session I Wake Forest program in Tbilisi, Georgia, offers students the opportunity to study Russophone literature (and optionally Russian language) in an immersive environment. Students explore how local Russophone culture is shaped by Georgia’s history and traditions while engaging with the local community through host family stays and peer tutoring. All participants take a literature-in-translation course taught by Wake Forest faculty member Dr. Kit Pribble, focusing on Russian and Soviet works from and about the Caucasus. Readings emphasize the region’s rich cultural traditions and its complex historical and political experiences, with attention to Georgia’s place in the broader Russian-speaking world. The program welcomes students at all levels: those with no prior Russian, as well as intermediate and advanced students, who may also enroll in a language course. The literature course fulfills the Wake Forest Division II requirement and the Ethical Inquiry 21st-Century Stewardship requirement.

Here are some photos from the Summer 2026 program in Tbilisi!

Other summer programs:

1. Domestic (intensive immersion programs in the U.S.)
   • Middlebury Language School 8-week immersion program. Come take the language pledge and speak only Russian for 8 weeks! Priority deadline for financial aid is in mid-November.
   • Arizona State University Critical Language Institute. Priority deadline for financial aid is in late January.
   • University of Pittsburgh Summer Language Institute. Full scholarships are available through Project GO for ROTC students.
   • Beloit College Summer Language Program. Rolling deadline for funding until May 1.

2. Abroad (programs in Armenia, Georgia, Estonia, Latvia, and Kazakhstan)
   • American Councils Russian Language and Area Studies Program (RLASP) in Armenia, Estonia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan.
   • Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program in Georgia and Kazakhstan. Fully funded 8-week immersion program. Applications are due in November.
   • Study, Research, and Custom Programs Abroad (SRAS) programs in Latvia, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia.
   • Learn Russian in the EU has both group and individual program options in Latvia. If you are interested in pursuing this program, please make sure to contact the Wake Forest Center for Global Programs and Studies (GPS) in advance.

Semester and year-long programs abroad:

1. Middlebury semester or year-long program abroad in Kazakhstan.
2. Study, Research, and Custom Programs Abroad (SRAS) programs in Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Georgia, and Kazakhstan with flexible dates and programming options.
3. CIEE Russian Language + European Studies in Estonia.