The Eurasian Regional Language Program (ERLP) offers intensive, highly-individualized instruction in 10 languages of Central and West Asia, Eastern Europe, and the Caucasus. Through homestays, cultural activities, and conversation partners, participants enjoy an unprecedented opportunity to immerse themselves in daily local life while receiving ongoing support and guidance from American Councils expert, overseas staff.
Improve your spoken, written, and overall comprehension of your target language. Programming in multiple languages also available.
Engage with local host families, conversation partners, and teachers on a daily basis.
Experience Eurasia: with majestic scenery, delectable cuisine, and rich history.
Gain academic credit while refining skills in cross-cultural communication.
Join a community of curious, adventurous students ready to go beyond ordinary and explore the Eurasian subcontinent.
Explore diverse languages and cultures across Eurasia through our regional program sites. Each location offers specialized language instruction, academic excellence, and full cultural immersion guided by expert faculty and local partners.
The ERLP academic program is designed to improve students' oral, listening, and reading proficiency in the language of study. Course work typically includes classes in phonetics, grammar, and conversation as well as composition, oral comprehension, and reading. Language courses also cover topics in literature, history, politics, culture, mass media, and area studies.
Depending on the program site and term, students are either enrolled in small group classes or receive individualized instruction. Students receive approximately 15-20 hours per week of in-class contact hours. All classes are conducted in the target language by full-time faculty from leading local universities and educational institutions who have extensive experience teaching foreign students.
Participants receive academic credit through Bryn Mawr College, an institutional partner of American Councils.
8 undergraduate or 10 graduate credit hours
16 undergraduate or 15 graduate credit hours
32 undergraduate or 30 graduate credit hours
ERLP participants live with specially selected host families who provide breakfast and dinner seven days per week. Participants reside in fully furnished, private rooms and are provided their own keys to the apartment. In addition to invaluable logistical support, host families offer unique insight into locals' daily life, ongoing language practice in a warm, supportive environment, regular advice and assistance, and wide-ranging discussions of cultural nuances as participants adapt. AC staff vet all host families, regularly visit program participants at home, and closely monitor participant housing throughout the program.
As part of the program, participants engage in a number of excursions and cultural activities. Activities outside the classroom are designed to give participants a deeper understanding of life, culture, and history in the host country. While excursions and activities vary from year to year and by location, past participants have enjoyed excursions to the following sites: Hissor Fortress (Tajikistan), Tbilisi City Museum (Georgia), Charyn Canyon (Kazakhstan), Lake Sevan (Armenia), Old Orhei Monastery (Moldova).
Explore ancient fortresses and monestaries that reveal each country’s heritage.
Engage with local traditions, crafts, and performances to better understand community life.
Experience breathtaking landscapes like canyons, lakes, and mountains during regional trips.
Discover deep history of the region through museum visits.
To aid cultural integration and support academic learning, participants have the opportunity to meet with conversation partners two hours per week. Conversation partners introduce participants to local people, accompany participants on sightseeing tours, organize cultural activities (cinema, museum, etc.), and provide students with academic support. The conversation partners are expected to speak only the target language.
Students will study in a variety of locations, each tailored to provide the best learning experience. In some countries, classes take place at dedicated language centers, offering immersive instruction in a focused environment. In others, students are based at partner universities, allowing them to experience campus life and local academic culture alongside their language studies. Every location is staffed with teachers that have decades of experience, ensuring high-quality instruction and guidance. No matter the setting, students can expect small class sizes, expert support, authentic cultural immersion, and a curriculum designed to develop fluency and confidence in the target language.
Multiple sources of funding are available to support participants in paying for programs abroad. Participants are encouraged to apply for private scholarships, federal aid and grants, college/university scholarships, and American Councils fellowships and scholarships.
Summer participants attend a two-day orientation program on site immediately upon arrival in country (where they are met at the airport by AC Staff). Semester participants attend a two-day pre-departure orientation in Washington, D.C. before the start of their programs. Orientation sessions cover health and safety, academic culture, host-family life, cultural adjustment, onsite support, and strategies for maximizing language learning. Lodging and meals are provided.
While abroad, participants receive 24/7 emergency support from in-country American Councils staff, which includes both local professionals and U.S. expatriates. Local offices coordinate academic placements, cultural excursions, housing, and medical assistance. The AC Study Abroad Team in Washington, D.C. maintains regular contact with overseas staff, partner universities, and families to ensure ongoing support and program quality.
Participants are covered by Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) for the full duration of the program. The policy provides up to $250,000 in medical coverage per accident or illness, as well as complete coverage for emergency medical evacuation. Enrollment is automatic and included in program costs.
American Councils provides visa support for participants for the duration of the program in the host country, if applicable. Students are responsible for obtaining any additional visas required by their travel plans. Visa instructions and forms are provided after acceptance.
