Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute

CESSI 2025 Applications Open!

Apply by Feb. 1 for Priority Consideration!

Applications are OPEN! Click above to apply. 

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The Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute (CESSI) is an eight-week summer intensive language program for undergraduate and graduate students, researchers, and professionals. Language courses are supplemented by a rich program of cultural events including a dynamic weekly academic lecture series.

Course offerings each summer are dependent on student interest and enrollment. Typical course offerings include Kazakh, Tajik, Uyghur, and Uzbek. Languages are generally offered at the beginning and intermediate level, although advanced level courses may be offered with sufficient student interest. Additional languages, such as Kyrgyz or Azerbaijani, may also be offered with sufficient interest.

CESSI was founded in 2011 by a consortium of international and area studies centers at major U.S. universities. Since its creation, CESSI has been hosted by the Center for Russia, East Europe, and Central Asia (CREECA) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

CESSI is part of the Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes (WISLI), which offers training in more Less Commonly Taught Languages than any other university in the U.S. For more information, visit the WISLI website. Sign up to receive information from WISLI here.

Title VIII Fellowship Competition for CESSI 2025 Open

The Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute is supported by the Title VIII Program. Administered by the U.S. Department of State, Title VIII provides funding for research and language training to American scholars and students for the study of Eastern Europe and Eurasia (Independent States of the Former Soviet Union). Title VIII maintains U.S. expertise in the regions and brings open-source, policy-relevant research to the service of the U.S. Government. For more information, click here.

CESSI Consortium Member Institutions

Columbia University: Harriman Institute

Harvard University: Davis Center for Russian & Eurasian Studies

Michigan State University:

The Ohio State University:

Stanford University: Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies

University of California-Berkeley:

University of Kansas:

University of Pittsburgh: Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies

University of Washington:

University of Wisconsin-Madison:

CESSI is supported by Title VI and Title VIII grant funding provided by the U.S. government.