Deadline to apply: February 15, 2019
American Councils for International Education is now accepting applications for its summer 2019 study abroad offerings in the Balkans. Scholarship funding and U.S. academic credit is available to participants on this program.
Balkan Language Initiative (BLI)
Languages offered:
Albanian in Tirana
Bosnian in Sarajevo
Bulgarian in Sofia
Macedonian in Skopje
Serbian in Belgrade and Podgorica
Dates: June 4 – August 5, 2019 (8 weeks)
Eligibility: Open to students 18 years old and above. Minimum 2 semesters of experience in the target language or a related language. Minimum 2.7 GPA.
Program Features:
- 15 – 18 hours per week of intensive coursework in the target language’s grammar, vocabulary, phonetics, and conversation, as well as literature, history, politics, and regional studies
- Cultural activities and excursions led by in-country staff
- Housing with carefully-selected host families, who provide two meals per day
- Pre-departure orientation in Washington, DC and in-country orientation upon arrival
- Comprehensive health, accident, and evacuation insurance for all participants while overseas
- U.S. undergraduate and graduate academic credit in the target language from Bryn Mawr College
- Special fellowship from U.S. Department of State — Title VIII Language Fellowships: up to 75% of program cost
Financial Aid
All applicants to American Councils study abroad programs are eligible to apply for financial aid, including a Diversity Scholarship, a Need-Based Scholarship, and program-specific scholarships. Please see the financial aid webpage for more information.
Past program participants have successfully applied additional outside sources of financial aid, including Fund for Education Abroad Scholarships and Gilman Scholarships to further reduce their out-of-pocket costs.
The deadline to apply for this program is February 15, 2019.