American Councils is pleased to offer its Balkan Language Initiative (BLI) coursework by way of distance learning. Students will attend daily, remote language instruction, meet with virtual conversation partners, and take part in a variety of virtual cultural activities.

About The Program

The Balkan Language Initiative online offers intensive, highly- individualized instruction in Albanian and Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian. The summer online program provides approximately 12 hours per week of in-class instruction in grammar, phonetics, conversation, and cultural studies conducted by expert faculty.

Academics & Courses

The academic program features daily online (synchronous and asynchronous) instruction that focuses on developing language skills in speaking, reading, listening, grammar, and writing, and through regional studies coursework on history and culture. Participants also complete regular assignments outside of class that expand upon the activities covered in online classes.

Summer Program

Live instruction is approximately 12 academic hours per week, with class sizes of two to six students depending on language level. Participants can expect at least two hours per day of synchronous instruction conducted Monday through Friday. Additional academic hours per week will be delivered in an asynchronous (recorded) format. 

American Councils will administer pre- and post-program testing with an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) to measure participants’ language gains.

Upon successful completion of the summer online program, participants will receive academic credit equivalent to 8 undergraduate credit hours or 10 graduate credit hours from Bryn Mawr College as follows:

Semester, Full-Time Program

Live instruction is approximately 14 academic hours per week for the full-time program. Class sizes range from two to six students depending on language level. Participants can expect at least two hours per day of synchronous instruction conducted Monday through Friday. Additional academic hours per week will be delivered in an asynchronous (recorded) format.

American Councils will administer pre- and post-program testing with an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) to measure participants’ language gains.

Upon successful completion of the online program, participants will receive academic credit equivalent to 16 undergraduate credit hours or 15 graduate credit hours from Bryn Mawr College as follows:

Semester, Part-Time Program

Live instruction is approximately 6 academic hours per week for the part-time program. Class sizes range from two to six students depending on language level. Participants can expect each class session to meet for at least one hour in length and not to exceed two hours in a session. Additional academic hours per week will be delivered in an asynchronous (recorded) format. The total number of live instruction hours will be 84 hours throughout the semester.

American Councils will administer pre- and post-program testing with an Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) to measure participants’ language gains.

Upon successful completion of the online program, participants will receive academic credit equivalent to 8 undergraduate credit hours or 10 graduate credit hours from Bryn Mawr College as follows:

*One Bryn Mawr unit is equivalent to four undergraduate or five graduate semester hours.

Languages & Locations

BLI currently offers the following languages online:

• Albanian - teachers based in Tirana, Albania

• Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian - teachers based in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina

Conversation Partners

To provide opportunities for informal target language practice and connections with locals, participants are paired with conversation partners. Participants and their conversation partners will meet remotely for approximately two hours every week to provide additional contact hours in the target language throughout the summer term.

Cultural Activities

American Councils will arrange virtual cultural activities and excursions to places of historical and cultural importance throughout the Balkans. The virtual activities and excursions are conducted in the target language by local alumni and staff, and participants are given the opportunity to ask questions as the virtual activity is taking place.

Past virtual activities and excursions include virtual host family visits, virtual tours of city sights and local museums, cooking lessons, music and dance lessons, virtual holiday celebrations, discussion groups with local students.

Class Schedule

As teachers are based overseas, American Councils will work with each student on an academic schedule. Classes and activities will be scheduled to find an agreeable and reasonable time for both participants and teachers. American Councils will request information about your time zone for the online program during the acceptance process.

Financial Aid

American Councils has several scholarships available for students applying to the BLI Online program. Applicants can apply for financial aid in the program application. Learn more about financial aid available on this program.

Program Snapshot

Program Focus

Balkan Languages, Area Studies

Language of Instruction

Albanian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian

Program Format

Online

Program Dates

Spring 2025
January 23 - May 12, 2025

Summer 2025
June 12 - August 4, 2025

Fall 2025
September 4 - December 15, 2025

Program Cost

Summer: $4,100
Semester, Part-Time: $4,100
Semester, Full-Time: $8,100

Applications Deadlines

Spring 2025: December 31, 2024
Summer 2025: May 1, 2025
Fall 2025: July 1, 2025

Eligibility / Prerequisites

• At least two semesters of college-level instruction or the equivalent in the target language or a related language

• Minimum GPA of 2.7

• Applicants must be at least 18 years old by the application deadline