Eurasia: Central Asia and Baltic States Internships

Students wanting to have a professionalizing experience and immerse themselves in the Russian language will find a superb alternative to Russia in Central Asia and Latvia. This internship is unique in that it offers two tracks: 1) a semester-long professionalizing track with a secondary language instruction component (in Almaty, Kazakhstan or Riga, Latvia) and 2) a Spring-term language and cultural immersion track with a secondary professionalizing component (in Almaty, Kazakhstan).

Track 1: (Professionalizing)
Winter 2027: arrive 9–10 Jan; depart 3–7 Apr
Spr/Sum 2027: arrive 8–9 May; depart 31 Jul–4 Aug
Fall 2027: arrive 11–12 Sep; depart 4–8 Dec
Students may remain in the Schengen Treaty Zone (most of Western Europe) for up to ninety days without a visa.

Track 2: (Language and Cultural Immersion)
Spring term 2027: arrive 25–26 April; depart 7 June

To search the available internship opportunities, click here.

More Information

Courses

Students are required to enroll in a minimum of 12 credit hours per semester (this means 6 credit hours per term during the combined spring–summer program). Students may choose from the following courses according to their track:

Track 1: (Professionalizing)
RUSS 101–102—1^st–2^nd-year Russian (4 credit hours)
RUSS 321–422—3^rd-4^th-year Russian (3 credit hours each)
RUSS 399R—International Internship (3 credit hours)
IAS 380R—Proofs of Cultural Immersion (3 credit hours)

Track 2 (Language and Cultural Immersion)
RUSS 101—1st-year Russian (4 credit hours)
RUSS 211—2nd-year Conversation (0.5-5.0V credits)
RUSS 301—Intermediate Russian on SA (2.0 credits)
RUSS 330—Cultural History of Russian (3.0 credits)
RUSS 490—Russian Bridge Course (2.0 credits)

Participants may not take any other courses on this program, including BYU Online courses, without approval by the program director and ISP.

Cost

$7,200–7,700 (Tracks 1 and 2)

Includes Latter-day Saint undergraduate tuition, in-country tuition, housing, two meals a day (Kazakhstan), internship placement, and international health insurance coverage. Does not include airfare, personal expenses, meals in Latvia, travel to the Consulate of Kazakhstan in San Francisco for a visa interview, and the visa fee ($200).

Tracks 1 and 2 cost for accompanying spouses is $2,500–3,000. Includes BYU Latter-day Saint undergraduate tuition for 3 credits, in-country tuition, housing, meals (Kazakhstan) internship placement, and international health insurance coverage.

Funding Sources

Regular BYU tuition scholarships and Federal Insured Student Loans may be applied to Study Abroad programs. Pell Grants may be applied to fall, winter, and spr–sum semesters.

Students who submit the financial aid section of the ISP application, and who have a current FAFSA form on file at the Financial Aid Office (3326 WSC) will be considered for a Study Abroad scholarship.

Academic departments and colleges may also assist with scholarships and grants.

Private grants and scholarships outside of BYU may also assist (see kennedy.byu.edu/scholarships).

Students majoring in the Humanities who complete the preparation course and register for 3 hours of RUSS 399R qualify for a College of Humanities program discount that ranges from $1,500–3,000, based on FAFSA score. Students minoring in the Humanities who fulfill the aforementioned requirements receive half support. Contact Dr. Brown for details.

Preparation

Prior knowledge of Russian is not required to intern in Riga or Almaty.

Students are required to participate in the prep course, IAS 369R, during the second block of fall semester for the winter program, and during the second block of winter semester for the summer and fall programs. Part-time BYU students and non-BYU students pay an additional $300 (approximately) tuition fee for enrolling in the required pre-departure class.

Passports must be valid for at least six months beyond the end of the program and have at least two blank pages. All US citizens must obtain a quick online document known as ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) before entering any of the EU/Schengen member countries.

Accompanying spouses need to be credit-bearing participants on the program. Spouses also will need to apply online and take the preparation course.

International study programs are physically, emotionally, and mentally taxing and you must be in good health to participate. These programs often take place in international locations that do not have the same level of safety and services in terms of transportation, living conditions, residential accommodations, food, public behavior, and policing that you may be used to on campus. If you have further questions or concerns on this, please see the travel policy.

Housing

Students in Almaty live with host families, who provide a furnished, single room along with two meals a day (breakfast and dinner), seven days a week.
Students in Riga live in an apartment and are responsible for providing their own meals. Accommodations include a refrigerator, dishwasher, and cooking and laundry facilities.

Travel

Students are responsible for purchasing their own airfare to and from the program sites. Airline reservations must be made through BYU Travel. Students should contact a BYU Travel agent.

BYU Travel
280 HRCB
(801) 422-6293
travel@byu.edu

Application Process

Students must be 18 years of age or older to participate.

Complete the online application here. A nonrefundable $35 application fee is required; applicants will be interviewed once the application is complete.

Students will be notified via e-mail of their acceptance into the program. The first payment is due upon acceptance; please refer to the Payment Information document.

Application Deadlines:
Winter: 15 October 2026
Spring–Summer: 1 February 2027
Fall Priority: 1 February 2027
Fall Final: 1 August 2027

Program Adjustments

International Study Programs (ISP) reserves the right to cancel this program, revise its offerings, or make any adjustments to the preliminary cost.

If it becomes necessary for ISP to cancel a program, all program payments made to BYU ISP will be refunded to the student’s BYU Financial account.

ISP is the only office authorized to cancel any of its programs.

Faculty

Tony Brown, Professor of Russian
3113 JFSB
(801) 422-7012
tony_brown@byu.edu

Contact Us

International Study Programs
101 HRCB
(801) 422-3686
isp@byu.edu

ISP Student Handbook

To see the student handbook,click here.

Payment Schedule

To see the payment schedule, click here.

Eurasia: Central Asia and Baltic States Internships

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FAQ

More Information

Courses

Cost

Funding Sources

Preparation

Housing

Travel

Application Process

Program Adjustments

Faculty

Contact Us

ISP Student Handbook

Payment Schedule