Russian Flagship Program

THIS IS AN APPLICATION TO AN ACADEMIC, NON-DEGREE PROGRAM FOR UW-MADISON UNDERGRADUATES. THIS IS NOT A SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Russian Flagship Program offers highly-motivated students of any major the opportunity to reach a professional level of competence in Russian by graduation.

The program welcomes applications from students of all levels of Russian language proficiency, including students with a Russian language background, heritage learners, and students with no prior experience in Russian.

Successful applicants have a cumulative post-secondary GPA of at least 3.0 and, if they have taken courses in Russian before, a cumulative GPA in Russian courses of at least 3.5.

Students must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to be eligible for Language Flagship scholarships. Students with dual citizenship must travel to Russian Flagship study abroad programs on their U.S. passport and be recognized as a U.S. national for the duration of their stay overseas. Students are not eligible for a Language Flagship scholarship if they are dual citizens of the United States and of the country in which they are studying abroad. Students who are dual citizens of the United States and Kazakhstan are not eligible to participate in the Russian Overseas Flagship capstone program.

The program has two priority deadlines:

• November 15, for those who want to begin in the spring.
• March 15, for those who want to begin in the summer or fall.

Before starting the application, please make sure to gather the following documents and information:

• Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended (other than UW-Madison). Electronic versions of transcripts can be uploaded in the online application form. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable. If you are a high school senior (who has been admitted to UW-Madison) or a first-year student enrolled in Slavic 101: First Semester Russian, please also submit your high school transcript.
• Statement of purpose (500 words): Why are you interested in the UW-Madison Russian Flagship Program? How does the program fit with your educational and career goals? In answering these questions, describe experiences that you have had to date that prepare you for this intensive program.
• Self-evaluation of Russian language proficiency in speaking, reading, and listening. (Please note that your response to this question will not affect your application status and is for informational purposes only.)
• Two letters of recommendation, due to the Russian Flagship Program on or before the application deadline (November 15 or March 15). At least one letter should be from a foreign language teacher; if you have studied Russian before, at least one reference must be from one of your Russian instructors.

For more information about the Russian Flagship, please visit the program’s website, russianflagship.wisc.edu, or contact the program’s coordinator, Jacob Aehl, aehl@wisc.edu.