Complete up to two semesters of college language coursework in just two summer months—from anywhere you choose! Whether you prefer learning from the comfort of your home or while exploring new places, our flexible online summer language program fits your lifestyle.
This is a virtual, full-immersion program.
Our next sessions will be June 16 - August 1, 2025
We will offer Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Russian.
Join a dynamic community of students from across the country and around the world, all driven by the goal of achieving fluency in foreign languages vital to national security. Our experienced CLS faculty employ cutting-edge teaching methods in a virtual setting, while also offering rich cultural experiences to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the country and its people.
Our courses cater to a wide range of learners, including working professionals, adult learners, undergraduates, graduate students, and high school juniors and seniors—anyone serious about mastering a new language or rapidly enhancing their proficiency.
Affordable – CLS granted $80,000 in tuition awards Learn more…
Stellar teaching
Rigorous learning
Complete 1 year of language in 7 weeks
Earn 8 semester hours of college credit!
Summer 2025 Dates
Session 1:
Online Orientation: June 7
Classes Begin: June 16
End Session 1: July 8
Mid-Term Break:
Culture Day: July 9
Session 2:
Classes Begin: July 10
End of Program: August 1
Daily Class Schedule (Central Time), Monday - Friday
9 am - 12 noon, morning session
12 - 1 pm, lunch break
1 - 2 pm, afternoon session
After 2 pm, tutoring and office hours available
Homework, expect approximately 5 to 6 hours per week day
Weekends, self-directed with group study available
Hear from our students about virtual immersion
Lena and Rich Eng, Second-Year Chinese Students
“We had a wonderful experience learning Mandarin Chinese (second year) with CLS this summer! We have had our eyes set on CLS for a while and finally pulled the trigger since we both recently retired. 李老师 (Chris Magriney) was an amazing professor who met each of us students where we were and helped us make marked improvement. He cultivated an incredibly safe space not just for learning but also for making meaningful friendships with our classmates (some of whom we continue to meet afterwards to practice our Chinese together!)
“Who would have thought that we could have received nearly 2 semesters of instruction in only 7 weeks? Lena and I added hundreds of words to our vocabulary and greatly increased our ability to both understand spoken Mandarin as well as speak it. We will definitely repeat CLS in the future and look forward to Year 3 where afterwards we expect to be able to hold normal conversations with our Chinese-speaking friends on everyday subjects.
“Thanks again for creating such an awesome program. Outside of only one other university in the country, we know of nothing else like what you have at Beloit! (And you are the best value by far).”
RJ Nowling, Second-Year Japanese Student, Associate Professor of Computer Science Milwaukee School of Engineering
“I decided to take Japanese classes this summer through Beloit’s Center for Language Studies for personal development. (I’m a faculty member in computer science at a different institution of higher education.) I chose Beloit because of the program’s small class sizes, 1-on-1 personal attention to students, and experienced faculty.
“The program exceeded my expectations. My instructor was very experienced (over 20 years of teaching!), kind, knowledgeable, flexible, and attentive. We had substantial amounts of interaction with the instructor and fellow students every day. I had a great experience and even picked up a few teaching approaches to use in my own classroom! I highly recommend Beloit’s summer language programs.”
Amandine De Simone, Advanced Russian Student, Mount Holyoke College graduate
I found the Advanced Russian summer course taught by Olga Ogurtsova to be both intellectually rigorous and enjoyable. Class size was very small, which allowed everyone in the group plenty of personal attention. Olga’s way of teaching is precise and rigorous, but also incredibly kind and full of encouragement. Together we read a novella, held a mock political debate, and had deep and interesting conversations during office hours about cultural, literary, and other topics. I now count on making Russian a part of my long-term future, and I sincerely feel that Olga Ogurtsova changed my life.
Reed Stone, Third-Year Japanese Student, Dickinson College
“Taking Beloit’s CLS summer program was everything and more that I could have expected from an intensive Japanese course. Despite the daily influx of new vocabulary and grammar, the professors built top-notch courses that balance growth and reinforcement in each student’s respective language. The small cohorts encouraged students to engage with every lesson to the fullest; the support that developed throughout the seven weeks within our class was also highly appreciated. The CLS program provided several opportunities that went beyond traditional assessments by finding ways to connect ourselves and our interests to what we were learning, such as having students research and present our interests in Japanese. Projects like these let us blend our creativity with the curriculum to familiarize ourselves with what was newly learned.
“The program’s flexibility and accessibility were advantageous, as students could reap the benefits of an intensive program without the physical limitations non-remote programs have. Professors were accommodating to ensure our experiences were maximized to the fullest, an experience where you can grow your language skills and study
alongside
your life. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to spend this summer with the CLS program, and I could not recommend it more to those who want to start or continue their language-learning journey.”
Marjolaine De Simone, Advanced Russian Student, Mount Holyoke College graduate
Taking Advanced Russian with Olga Ogurtsova was an outstanding experience. The class was a serious deep plunge into grammar, and we also learned about Russian history and culture and read a novella together. It was very gratifying to read literature at a level that without her we would not have been able to reach. Olga was extremely dedicated to her students, and she met with each of us individually every week, both to give us more tailored help and to have a chance to chat on a more personal level. Her kindness and sense of humor, as well as her excellent teaching, made the class truly wonderful.
Brianna Penkala, Second-Year Russian student, Case Western Reserve University
The CLS Russian class greatly improved my Russian speaking, reading, and writing abilities. It gives you the opportunity to be fully immersed in studying the language in a way that is crucial to reaching fluency. The class itself is a welcoming environment and the instructors are invested in your success. Though there is absolutely a lot of work required to do well in the class, it is completely worth your time.
William Sweek, Advanced Russian Student, MA Candidate, University of Chicago
“When I think back on the Beloit College CLS 2021 summer Russian program, I am struck by how close we became in those weeks. I was deeply moved by the fact that we had all been brought together by a shared fascination with the language.
“Not only did I learn an enormous amount of Russian (enough for me to finish the major a year early at my college!) but I found, for those several weeks, a real joy in the community we shared, both among students and professors. In so many ways, that program was a truly idyllic language learning experience, and I feel very grateful that I had the chance to be a part of it not once, but twice.”
Mary Elliot, Advanced Russian Student, PhD Candidate
“After stepping away from academia and Russian studies for over a decade, I decided to return to pursue a PhD in Comparative Literature with Russian as my primary area of study. In order to prepare to dive back into this space, I joined the virtual summer CLS program at Beloit and it was a truly marvelous experience. In all my years of language study, both overseas and in the US, I had never experienced such tremendous growth in my skills and understanding in such a short time. The teachers are truly the best I have ever had and the experience — the most productively challenging and supportive imaginable! On a 10-point scale, I give this program an 11!”
<iframe src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Z2GckNyCeWc?wmode=transparent" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="width: 762.641px; height: 429px;" title="VIDEO: What is the Center for Language Studies?" class="lw_media lw_media_responsive"></iframe><p><a class="has-arrow" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2GckNyCeWc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch Jim's testimonial on YouTube</a></p>