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David M. Kennedy Center for International Studies
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Riga, Latvia: Traces of Russian and Soviet Empire

Dates: 30 June—10 August 2025
Priority Deadline: 1 November 2024
Application Deadline: 1 February 2025
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Riga is the capital city of Latvia and is situated on the Baltic Sea. Latvia is home to a large ethnic Russian-speaking population, which makes for an excellent location for students to study Russian, live with a Russian-speaking host family, and take in a beautiful slice of Europe. Students attend language class five days a week and a course on contemporary Russia once a week. In addition, students participate in weekly excursions to historic sites throughout Latvia. Students without any prior knowledge of Russian are welcome on the program and will attend a beginning Russian course.

Click here to apply today!

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Contact Us

Katya Jordan
3112A JFSB
(801) 422-3373
katya_jordan@byu.edu

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Program Flyer

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions
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More Information

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Courses

Courses are offered through the Baltic Center for Educational and Academic Development and concentrate on vocabulary development, conversation, pronunciation, and cultural knowledge. Courses are held five days a week for four hours a day. Students will receive credit from among the following courses:

RUSS 101—Beginning Russian on Study Abroad, Part I (5.0 credits)
RUSS 211—Second-Year Conversation (0.5–5.0 variable credits)
RUSS 301—Intermediate Russian on Study Abroad (2.0 credits)
RUSS 330—Cultural History of Russia (3.0 credits)
RUSS 490R—Russian Online Bridge Course (2.0 credits)

Students 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

$7,100-7,600

Includes Latter-day Saint undergraduate full tuition (increased cost for graduate and non–Latter-day Saint students), Baltic Center tuition, housing, all program excursions, international health insurance, and visa support.

Does not include airfare, preparation course tuition, or personal expenses.

Part-time BYU students and non-BYU students pay an additional tuition fee of approximately $300 for the preparation course.
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Funding Sources

Regular BYU tuition scholarships, Pell Grants, and Federal Insured Student Loans may be applied to study abroad programs.

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 (A-41 ASB) will be considered for a Study Abroad scholarship.

Academic departments and colleges may assist with scholarships and grants.

Students majoring in the Humanities who complete the preparation course qualify for a College of Humanities program discount that ranges from $1,000–3,000, depending on one’s FAFSA score. Contact Dr. Brown for details.

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

This program caters to students with no prior Russian language experience and those who have completed RUSS 202.

Students are required to participate in a prep course (IAS 201R, 1.0 credit hour) held during the second block of winter semester on Thursdays from 4:00–6:00pm.

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 our travel policy.

Students must meet all country- and program-specific COVID and health requirements for travel.
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Housing

Students will live with host families and receive two meals a day (breakfast and dinner) seven days a week. All rooms come furnished with a bed, writing desk, and closet.
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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 page.

Priority Deadline: 1 November 2024
Final Deadline: 1 February 2025
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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

Katya Jordan
3112A JFSB
(801) 422-3373
katya_jordan@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.