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Eurasia: Baltic States and Central Asia Internships

Dates:
Winter: arrive 9-10 January; depart 3-7 April 2027 (approx.)
Spring–Summer: arrive 8-9 May; depart 31 July–4 August 2027 (approx.)
Fall: arrive 11-12 September; depart 4-8 December 2027 (approx.)

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

Riga is the capital city of Latvia and a thriving metropolis situated on the Baltic Sea. Owing partly to its history as a republic of the former Soviet Union, Latvia is home to a sizable Russian-speaking population. This concentration of Russian speakers in a city in Russia’s near abroad makes for an excellent location for students to carry out Russian-, Latvian-, and English-speaking internships and take in a beautiful slice of Europe. Latvia belongs to the Eurozone and as such offers visa-free travel.

Students wanting to have a professionalizing experience in a Russian language environment will find a superb alternative to Russia itself in Almaty, Kazakhstan. In addition, this internship caters to non-Russian speakers, particularly those wanting to teach English as a foreign language. In addition to carrying out an internship, students will attend a Russian language class twice a week.

To search the available internship opportunities click here.

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Contact Us

Tony Brown
3113 JFSB
(801) 422-7012
tony_brown@byu.edu

PDF

Program Flyer

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions
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More Information

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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). Interns may choose from the following courses according to language skills:

RUSS 101—First-year Russian (5 credit hours; for English-language participants)
RUSS 321 & 322—Third-year Russian, Parts 1 & 2 (3 credit hours each)
RUSS 421 & 422—Fourth-year Russian, Parts 1 & 2 (3 credit hours each)

In addition, students are required to register for the following courses:

RUSS 399R—International Internship (3 credit hours)
IAS 380R—Proofs of Cultural Immersion (3 credit hours)

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

Interns: $7,200–7,700

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, or meals.

Accompanying spouses: $2,800–3,300

Includes BYU Latter-day Saint undergraduate tuition for 3 credits, in-country tuition, housing, meals (Kazakhstan) internship placement, and international health insurance coverage.
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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 sp-su 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
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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.
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Housing

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.

Students in Almaty live with host families, who provide a single room. Housing includes two meals a day (breakfast and dinner), seven days a week.
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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
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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 March 2027
Fall Priority: 1 February 2027
Fall Final: 1 August 2027
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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.
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Faculty

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

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

To see the student handbook,click here.
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Payment Schedule

To see the payment schedule, click here.