CESSI Application Instructions
Applications for CESSI 2024 and Title VIII Fellowship Closed
- CESSI Application Form
- CESSI Personal Statement
- Transcripts from any higher ed institution, including summer intensive language programs
- We can look up previous CESSI transcripts, just be sure to let us know if you attended CESSI in the past via your application form
- CV/Resume
- $25 Application Fee
- Click HERE to pay.
- Letters of Recommendation. NOTE: If you are not applying for CESSI-administered funding, you do not need to submit any letters of recommendation. If you are planning to apply for CESSI Tuition Remission or the Title VIII Fellowship, please have two letters of recommendation submitted on your behalf. Current students should submit letters of recommendation from professors or instructors; professionals and scholars may submit letters of recommendation from employers or other individuals who can speak to the applicant’s aptitude for languages and interest in Central Eurasia. Letters must be on the recommender’s official letterhead and must be emailed as a PDF directly by the recommender to cessi@creeca.wisc.edu. Please consult with us at cessi@creeca.wisc.edu if you are unable to submit electronic copies.
Upload All Application Materials To:
The secure CESSI box folder linked here.
Please clearly label the files sent to this box folder with your last name. For example: “LastName_UndergradTranscript” or “LastName_StatementofPurpose”.
If you have any questions about the application process, would prefer to pay the application fee via check rather than online, or encounter any issues, please reach out to cessi@creeca.wisc.edu.
Please be aware that the CESSI Application for acceptance to the CESSI 2024 cohort is separate from funding applications to fund your CESSI studies. You may wish to take the CESSI Funding Quiz to determine which funding awards you are eligible for before beginning your application. There is also a video series covering the application stages and funding opportunities for CESSI and sibling WISLI programs. Additional instructions for each funding application are below and more information on each funding source is available on the Costs and Funding page.
The CESSI Application Step-by-Step
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Step 1: The CESSI Application Form
Complete the online CESSI Application Form. Please fill in all the information requested and then click “Submit” at the bottom of the page.
Step 2: The Personal Statement
Submit a personal statement of research and/or career plans. In your statement, you should address the following points:
● Why you want to study your chosen Central Asian language
● Why you want to study at CESSI
● What experience you have that will prepare you for an intensive language program
The recommended length for your statement is 1-2 pages, double-spaced.
NOTE: CESSI applicants who are applying for a Title VIII fellowship must submit a Title VIII-specific statement of purpose. The Title VIII statement of purpose supplants the CESSI personal statement; Title VIII fellowship applicants do NOT need to submit a personal statement. Please see the below Title VIII tab for statement of purpose guidelines.
Step 3: Transcripts
Submit transcripts (official or unofficial) from all institutions of higher education that you have attended. If you have attended CESSI in the past, you do not need to include these – just be sure to make it clear when you apply that this is the case. Please do not mail paper copies to the CREECA office. Please consult with us at cessi@creeca.wisc.edu if you are unable to submit electronic transcript copies.
Step 4: CV/Resume
Submit a copy of your CV/Resume.
Step 5: Application Fee
Pay the non-refundable application fee of $25.00. Submit the application fee to CREECA via check or electronic payment. If you send your payment as a check, please email us to let us know it is on the way. Please note: CESSI’s fee payment link is hosted by the Center for South Asian Studies on the Language Program Office website.
You can submit the application fee electronically here. When completing the payment form, please double check you have entered the correct language you are applying for and have selected the correct program from the drop-down menu before continuing on. If you are unsure how to fill out this portion of the payment form, please contact our office prior to submitting a payment.
It is our goal to make CESSI as affordable as possible. If the application fee or new student document fee are a hardship, please reach out to cessi@creeca.wisc.edu to discuss your case.
Step 6: Recommendation Letters
Each fellowship or scholarship associated with CESSI requires two recommendation letters and must be sent directly to CESSI from the recommender. If you are applying for multiple financial aid opportunities, understandably, you may be reluctant to ask recommenders to repeatedly submit slightly different letters across several platforms. CESSI allows students to use the same recommendation letters for applications to funding opportunities administered by CREECA. If you decide to do this, we suggest advising your recommenders to refer broadly to financial aid rather than naming a specific opportunity as the letters will be read by different review committees. For example, “X is an excellent candidate for this fellowship because…” rather than “X is an excellent candidate for the Title VIII fellowship because…”.
If you are applying for a FLAS fellowship and wish to have your recommendation letters applied to other scholarship applications administered by CREECA, please have your recommenders email their letter directly to CREECA’s FLAS Coordinator Sara Lomasz Flesch rather than submit it through the FLAS application portal.
If you are not applying for any CESSI-administered financial aid, such as Title VIII, Tuition Remission, or FLAS, then you do not need to provide recommendation letters.
Eligibility
CESSI welcomes students from a variety of backgrounds to apply, including working professionals, heritage speakers, and international students. Applicants do not need to currently be enrolled in an academic program to be eligible. Please note that fellowships and scholarships have their own eligibility requirements, which you can find here.
Students who are currently enrolled at any institution must be in good standing at that home institution at the time of application and remain in good standing throughout the CESSI program.
Prior to applying to CESSI we recommend determining which funding opportunities for which you are eligible to apply. The CESSI Funding Quiz can help you determine which opportunities you are eligible for.
Disability Accommodations: CESSI complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). For more information about compliance, contact the McBurney Disability Resource Center, (608)263-2704. Disclosure of need for special accommodations is not required for this application.
Policy on Minors: Minors must be enrolled in a degree-seeking program to apply for admission to CESSI. Eligible minors are subject to additional application procedures that serve to demonstrate their potential to succeed in a college-level intensive course. We encourage interested applicants to reach out to cessi@creeca.wisc.edu prior to submitting an online application form to inquire about these additional application procedures. Processing of a minor application can take several weeks, and applicants should plan accordingly.
As per UW-Madison policy and FERPA regulations, all application materials should be prepared and submitted by the student personally. All communications with the program office should also be undertaken by the student personally. We will not and cannot communicate with a parent or guardian regarding a student’s interest or status in the program.
Additional Instructions For....
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Title VIII Fellowship Applicants
Supplemental Application for CESSI 2024 Title VIII Fellowships Now Closed
In addition to the base materials required for the CESSI application, Title VIII applicants must submit a statement of purpose for the fellowship. This statement of purpose supplants the CESSI personal statement; Title VIII fellowship applicants do NOT need to submit a personal statement. In the statement of purpose, describe a) your commitment to continued study of the languages and societies of Central Eurasia, and b) how your academic and career plans will further Title VIII’s mission of developing and maintaining U.S. expertise on the Central Eurasian region. Title VIII fellows are encouraged to pursue speaking engagements with INR’s Office of Analytic Outreach and seek employment with a U.S. government agency; competitive applications will address this priority in the statement of purpose. The recommended length for your statement is 1-2 pages, double-spaced. Be sure to indicate on the application form that you are applying for a TVIII fellowship.
Title VIII applicants must also provide 2 letters of recommendation, outlined above.
Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship Applicants
FLAS Fellowship Application for CESSI 2024 Now Closed
FLAS applicants must complete a separate application at flas.wisc.edu. Additionally, the CESSI application must be completed before the FLAS deadline in order to be considered for the award.
If you are applying for a FLAS fellowship and wish to have your recommendation letters applied to other scholarship applications administered by CREECA, please have your recommenders email their letter directly to CREECA’s FLAS Coordinator Sara Lomasz Flesch rather than submit it through the FLAS application portal.
CESSI Tuition Remission Scholarship Applicants
CESSI 2024 Tuition Remission Scholarship Application Now Closed
CESSI Tuition Remission applicants must submit 2 letters of recommendation in addition to the base materials required for the CESSI application. You can find the directions for submitting the 2 letters of recommendation outlined above. Please be sure to indicate on the application form that you are applying for Tuition Remission in order to be considered for the scholarship.
Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institute (WISLI) Scholarship Applicants
WISLI Tuition Scholarship Application Now Closed
The WISLI Tuition Scholarship (WTS) covers 50% of tuition for summer 2024 language study at one of the WISLI summer language institutes, of which CESSI is one.
All applicants to a WISLI summer language institute are eligible to apply for WTS, including domestic and international students, students in degree programs at UW-Madison or another institution, and adult lifelong learners and non-degree seeking students.
WTS applicants must submit the WTS application form, a statement of purpose, and 2 letters of recommendation.
The deadline to apply for WTS was February 21, 2024. More information and the application form can be found here.