CIEE-St. Petersburg: Summer Russian Language

The program is open to Purdue students who have completed at least two semesters of university study by the start of the program. Successful candidates will demonstrate academic success, maturity and a desire to experience another culture.  

Due to the length of the Russian visa process, CIEE requires students to have a valid passport in order to be accepted. Russian immigration requires that this passport is valid for 18 months beyond the end date of the program.

No previous Russian language study is required for the summer programs.

Students interested in completing courses while abroad from Purdue colleges or departments that are not listed above should discuss this with their study abroad advisor before applying to the program.

The Russian Language program is designed to advance Russian language skills with eight weeks of language study at the School of Political Science, Saint Petersburg State University. Students improve grammar, phonetic, and conversational skills through language study, as they explore Russian culture through close analysis of verbal and visual texts, and attend lectures on history, literature, art, and contemporary life. Students can earn up to 10 credits.

Please see CIEE website for more details on available courses.

The program will include a schedule of events and activities, which may vary year-to-year. Some of the things you may get to do:

• Explore city highlights like the Hermitage, the Peter and Paul Fortress, and the Russian Museum, and take a walking tour based on Dostoevsky’s book, Crime and Punishment.
• Enjoy the fascinating phenomenon called White Nights - stroll along the banks of Neva and the city’s numerous canals in almost broad daylight.
• Attend a ballet, concert, or soccer game, and get a taste of Russian and Georgian cuisine with cooking classes.
• Walk in the footsteps of famous writers in St. Petersburg, home to Russia’s most celebrated artists of the 20th century: Anna Akhmatova, Vladimir Nabokov, Joseph Brodsky, and Sergei Dovlatov.
• Spend a day enjoying summertime open-air concerts, yoga and pilates classes, and film screenings at the New Holland, a man-made island previously used for ship-building.
• Visit the biggest planetarium in the world: located in a building that housed natural gas used for lighting St. Petersburg streets more than a century ago. Planetarium ?1 hosts interactive exhibits, educational classes, and classical music concerts.
• Travel overnight to explore beyond St. Petersburg.
• Get to know Russian peers during day-trips, sports events, cinema club meetings, pub quiz trivia nights, and more.

 Please see CIEE website for more details.

All study abroad students have the option to live in a Russian homestay. Participants have their own room with a Russian family in a private apartment. Housing and most meals (two meals daily and three on weekends) are included in the program fee. Students are responsible for weekday lunches. The University cafeteria offers very reasonably priced meals.

CIEE also offers a limited number of rooms at a hostel in downtown St. Petersburg. The hostel is located within a 5-minute walk of Nevskiy Prospekt and a 10-minute bus to the CIEE Study Center or a 20-minute walk. Students are placed in a double room with another CIEE participant. Students are responsible for all meals.

Students should carefully note what costs need to be paid to Purdue University or to a co-sponsor or agency, and what costs need to be paid at the overseas study location.  This will vary by program.

The program fee includes tuition, orientation, and excursions.

The housing fee includes housing in a self-catered apartment *or* placement with host family which includes most meals.

Costs for this program are estimated and subject to change. The cost figures listed below are for: Summer 2022

Purdue University financial aid may be applied to the costs of studying abroad. Students interested in receiving financial aid should

• direct financial aid inquiries to the Division of Financial Aid on the West Lafayette campus; 
• consult website Study Abroad Financial Aid Process;
• complete and submit the FAFSA by the appropriate deadline.

NOTE:  Recipients of certain tuition remission and scholarship programs should pay careful attention to the regulations for using those benefits for study abroad.  Ask your financial aid advisor about any limitations.

Click here for a list of scholarships and grants available to assist with the costs of studying overseas.

For full consideration, students must submit all supporting documents before or by the application deadline.  Popular programs fill quickly, often before the deadline.  To insure a place in a program, apply early.

As soon as a student submits an online application, a My Study Abroad account is created. Applicants should consult this page often to check on the status of the application.

Click below to search for Purdue students who have participated in this program and are willing to be contacted.  If you get no results, you can use the search form to find people who studied in the country you are interested in.

The websites listed below contain information about this program. The accuracy of information at external sites cannot be guaranteed.

• Program Sponsor's Home Page: CIEE
• Program Website
• Search Google(tm)*
• Department of State Consular Information
  (You must find Russia in list)
• CDC Travel Information (You must find Russia in list)