FAQ’s

No, students are not required to declare a Russian major or minor to be eligible for the Russian Flagship Program. The Flagship program works well with any major; we encourage students to major in their area of professional interest and enroll in the Russian Flagship Program with the goal of adding professional proficiency in Russian to their degrees. Because the Flagship curriculum does align well with UGA Russian Major and Minor requirements, students who complete the requirements of the Flagship program are typically just two classes away from earning the Russian major; students who complete part of the Flagship curriculum may qualify for the Russian minor. Most students who complete the UGA Russian Flagship Program graduate with two majors – their specialized area of interest and Russian, with the most common combination being International Affairs and Russian.

There are no extra fees associated with enrolling in the UGA Russian Flagship Program. Students pay regular UGA tuition and fees for the Russian language courses they take at UGA each semester. The individualized tutoring, co-curricular events, and exclusive excursions that take place throughout the year are sponsored by the Flagship program and present no additional cost to the student. The intensive overseas language programs in which students participate to build their Russian skills and satisfy Flagship requirements (at minimum a summer abroad and a Capstone year abroad) vary in cost, including fully funded (no cost to the student) opportunities such as the Critical Language Scholarship, for which Flagship students are highly competitive. To assist with the cost of required summer overseas study, The Language Flagship offers limited Student Support Funding to Flagship students in good standing. Russian Overseas Flagship Capstone funding is available for students through the Boren Awards and ROTC Flagship student support funding for contracted cadets. Our program staff work closely with our students to secure additional sources of financial aid including departmental awards, university-level opportunities, and prestigious national scholarships such as the Gilman Scholarship. For eligible students, scholarships such as HOPE, Zell, and Pell can assist with the cost of study abroad. Many of our students are able to cover the full cost of study abroad through this combination of financial aid.

• All Flagship students in good standing are eligible for a limited amount of Student Support Funding from The Language Flagship to mitigate the cost of participation in approved intensive summer language programs domestically and overseas.
• Flagship students in good standing who are also contracted ROTC cadets are eligible for funding covering the full cost of participation in approved intensive summer language programs domestically and overseas and in the Russian Overseas Flagship Capstone year in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
• Russian Overseas Flagship Capstone funding is available for students through the Boren Awards and ROTC Flagship student support funding.
• Our directorial team works hard to secure additional grants to support our students during intensive summer language study. In past years, the NSA-funded STARTALK grant provided funding for on-campus housing, full meal plan, rich cultural curriculum, and additional instructional staff for students participating in our intensive second-year Russian summer program. Currently, the Department of Education-funded Fulbright-Hays grant provides additional funding to support students participating in the UGA IRLCCB summer program in Riga, Latvia.
• Flagship students are highly competitive candidates for a wide range of additional funding opportunities. We regularly make announcements about funding information sessions and upcoming deadlines and organize exclusive scholarship workshops for Flagship students. All UGA students have access to a variety of funding resources on campus, including free application reviews and mock interviews with national scholarship advisors. See our Scholarships page for a list of opportunities. Of particular note is Critical Language Scholarship (CLS): Flagship students are especially competitive candidates for the fully-funded study abroad opportunities provided by the Critical Language Scholarship. Each year, our program staff and on-campus CLS advisor work with our students to craft competitive applications for this prestigious scholarship.

Overseas study programs have a responsibility to do their best to provide a secure and unthreatening environment in which students can live and learn. Responsible host families and programs consult regularly with colleagues around the country who are involved in the administration of study abroad programs; with resident program directors of programs; with responsible officials of foreign host universities; with contacts in the U.S. Department of State, governmental and nongovernmental agencies, and with other experts, including faculty who are well-informed on issues and events. The UGA Russian Flagship and the UGA Office of Global Engagement place great emphasis on the safety and well-being of study abroad participants and each has established a set of measures to ensure the health and safety of participants. Flagship students undergo pre-study abroad safety and security orientations prior to each overseas experience.

Each fall, the program accepts 20-25 new students into their first-year Russian cohort and a handful of students with prior experience in Russian across higher proficiency levels. As of Summer 2025, there are approximately 85 students enrolled in the UGA Russian Flagship Program.

• It is important not to stop your Russian practice altogether during the summer. A three-month pause in exposure to the language can be quite detrimental to the progress you have worked hard to make over the academic year. To make the most of their summers, our students utilize domestic and overseas summer language programs, individualized tutoring, and even work, internship, and volunteer opportunities incorporating Russian, on a case by case basis.
• After completing first-year Russian (RUSS 1011 and 1012) over fall and spring, most UGA Russian Flagship Program students complete second-year Russian (RUSS 2011 and 2012) over the summer through our immersive 8-week on-campus program (with limited financial support available from The Language Flagship). The program takes place from mid-May through early July and leaves most of July and early August for students to work, intern, travel, take other courses, or rest up for the fall semester.
• Typically in the summer after the sophomore or junior year, UGA Russian Flagship Program students participate in an intensive overseas Russian language summer program. Current available options include the UGA IRLCCB program in Latvia; the American Councils’ RLASP in Kazakhstan, Estonia, Georgia, and Armenia; and the Critical Language Scholarship with sites in Kyrgyzstan and Latvia; new options arise from time to time. Overseas programs are typically 8 weeks long, leaving time for other commitments in the same summer.
• When our students are not participating in a structured Russian language program, they have the option to take advantage of individualized tutoring with one of our highly trained, native Russian speaking tutors. In addition, we circulate a weekly mailer of program, employment, internship, and volunteer opportunities relating to Russian language throughout the year to assist students with securing those opportunities for summer.

Students who complete the full Flagship program graduate with:

• Superior-level language proficiency in their Flagship language of choice
• Advanced cultural skills and experience living and working abroad
• Intercultural insights and contacts facilitating careers in the federal government, global business, nongovernmental organizations, academia, and other fields.

Also, there is a Direct Hire Authority for Flagship graduates who are also Boren recipients https://www.borenawards.org/

The University of Georgia Russian Flagship Program is open to undergraduate students in any major who are interested in gaining high-level proficiency in Russian, advanced intercultural awareness, and the advantage of “Flagship certification”- a professional distinction highly regarded by employers seeking talented candidates with such skills.

Flagship Certification: Completion of a Domestic Flagship Program and an Overseas Capstone experience, including direct enrollment and an internship, as well as meeting or exceeding the proficiency minimum of ILR 3 in speaking, and an ILR 2+ in reading and listening.

Project Global Officer (GO) and the Russian Flagship Program are two separate programs. Project GO provides fully-funded study abroad to ROTC cadets; civilians are not eligible for Project GO. Both civilians and cadets are encouraged to participate in the Russian Flagship Program; cadets can then go into careers in the armed services; both cadets and civilian students can go into business, education, or government service as civilians.