Chinese

Developed in conjunction with the Chinese Language Flagship Program at Indiana University, Chinese Level 1 provides beginners a solid introduction to Chinese, equivalent to the 1^st-Year curriculum in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Indiana University.

Students who complete the course successfully will reach a proficiency of Intermediate Low or better. They will be able to communicate in day-to-day situations in Chinese, will be able to read and write effectively on familiar topics, and will have a solid foundation for further study or travel.

The program introduces Chinese culture through authentic materials and media, as well as activities in Chinese and structured interactions with Chinese speakers.

Meet 2025's Instructor, Sydni Lockeby Catalano 江红

Developed in conjunction with the Chinese Flagship Program at Indiana University, the Workshop's Level 2 Chinese course is an intensive immersion program equivalent to the 2nd-Year Chinese sequence in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Indiana University.

This course is designed for students with Intermediate Low proficiency who wish to solidify their speaking, reading, and writing skills. Students who complete the course successfully will reach Intermediate Mid proficiency or better. 

Working with carefully selected materials, students will develop the linguistic and cultural skills they need in order to function effectively in a Chinese-speaking environment and successfully navigate day-to-day interactions. They will be able to understand the main ideas of news, videos, podcasts, chats, stories, articles, etc. dealing with familiar topics.

Meet the 2025 instructors,

Mengjie Lei	Yuan-Chia Yang

Developed in conjunction with the Chinese Flagship Program at Indiana University, the Workshop's Level 3 Chinese course is an intensive, immersive program equivalent to 3rd-Year Chinese in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Indiana University.

This course is designed for students with Intermediate Mid proficiency who want to develop advanced speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Students who complete the course successfully will reach Intermediate High proficiency or better. 

Working with authentic materials showcasing Chinese culture, students will improve their mastery of the linguistic and cultural skills they need in order to function effectively in a Chinese-speaking environment. They will be able to understand news, videos, podcasts, chats, stories, literature etc. on day-to-day topics with ease, and to interact confidently with native speakers in a wide range of contexts.

Meet 2025's instructor, Ya Wen Tsai

The Workshop's Level 4 Chinese program provides intensive, online, evening instruction at the 4th-Year level.

This program is designed for students with Intermediate High proficiency who want to solidify advanced speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Students who complete the entire sequence successfully may expect to reach Advanced Low proficiency. 

Chinese 4 combines 3 hours a day of classroom instruction, 20 minutes a day of one-on-one training, and incorporates online experiential activities in Chinese led by facilitators from Chinese-speaking communities around the world.

Students who complete the program can expect to exit able to participate confidently in a wide range of communicative environments and to engage appropriately and effectively in professional, academic, political, and informal discourse in Chinese. They will be able to interpret tone, rhetoric, and cultural references and to produce their own written and oral discourse on familiar topics with ease, fluency, and precision.

The Workshop's Level 5 Chinese course is an intensive immersion program at the 5th-Year level.

This course is designed for students with Advanced Low proficiency who want to establish solid advanced speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills. Students who complete the course successfully will reach Advanced Mid or Advanced High proficiency. 

Chinese 5 combines 3 hours a day of classroom instruction, 20 minutes a day of one-on-one training, and incorporates online experiential activities in Chinese led by facilitators from Chinese-speaking communities around the world.

Students who complete the program can expect to exit able to participate confidently in a wide range of communicative environments and to engage appropriately and effectively in professional, academic, political, and informal discourse in Chinese. They will be able to interpret tone, rhetoric, and cultural references and to produce their own written and oral discourse on familiar topics with ease, fluency, and precision.

The Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies provides scholarships for undergraduate women planning international careers to study in the Language Workshop.

Learn more

The Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies provides scholarships for study in the Language Workshop for students not eligible for other funding.

Learn more

1 year of language in 2 months

The Immersion Workshop offers accelerated, intensive courses to help you develop your speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills quickly. You will complete 1 full year of language training in only 2 months. Classes are practical and emphasize the development of real-time communication skills.

At the end of the Workshop, you will receive an external assessment of your language proficiency and an OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) certificate.

In the Immersion Workshop you will study 20 hours per week in small classes (8-12 students on average) led by highly experienced instructors. After class you will complete 3-5 hours of independent study to prepare for the next day’s class and will have 30-45 minutes of individual practice with a language skills trainer. You will have the opportunity to participate in daily informal activities led by Workshop faculty and by scholars, performers, and practitioners from regions where your language is spoken.

As an Immersion Workshop participant, you will be part of a diverse group of talented language learners, including advanced high-school students, undergraduates, graduate students, scholars, professionals, and others. People join the Immersion Workshop for a range of academic, professional, and personal reasons, but they are united in their common interest in learning the language.

The small class sizes, expert instructors, and highly motivated students of the Workshop provide a stimulating setting for you to develop your oral and written communication skills rapidly.

The Immersion Workshop is challenging, but it is one of the most effective and most exciting ways to acquire language rapidly.

We look forward to welcoming you to the next Indiana University Immersion Language Workshop!

Class Dates:

• Chinese 1, Russian 1-2 (9 weeks) June 1 – July 31, 2026
• Chinese 2-3, Russian 3-4 (8 weeks) June 8 – July 31, 2026

Class Times: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 12:00pm

Estimated Costs - 9-week immmersion programs: $6,630

• Tuition 8 credits x $332 = $2,656
• Language Workshop Program Fee - $753
• IU Student Services Fee - $589
• Housing, Laundry - $2,635
• Optional Supplemental Courses
  
  
• Meals: Not included, see General Program Handbook for details.
• Travel to Indiana: Not included
• Textbooks: Not included

*All rates on this page are estimates based on data available at the time of posting and are subject to change.

Estimated Costs - 8-week immersion programs: $6,350 

• Tuition: 8 credits x $332 = $2,656
• Language Workshop Program Fee - $753
• IU Student Services Fee - $589
• Housing, Laundry - $2,352
• Optional Supplemental Courses
• Meals: Not included, see General Program Handbook for details.
• Travel to Indiana: Not included
• Textbooks: Not included

*All rates on this page are estimates based on data available at the time of posting and are subject to change.

• Credit Loads
  • All courses must be taken for credit. Auditing courses is not offered. 
  • Most courses provide 8 undergraduate credits
    
    • •  
• Graduate Credit
  • IU graduate students receive graduate credit automatically if it is available for their course.
  • Graduate course loads are more variable than undergraduate. Contact languageworkshop@iu.edu for the exact graduate credit load if you are an IU graduate student.
  • Non-IU participants may petition to receive graduate credit if it is available for their course.
    • Approval is not automatic.
    • Application fees apply.
    • Not all courses offer graduate credit.
    • IU cannot guarantee that your home university will accept graduate credit.
    • Write to languageworkshop@iu.edu to schedule a credit advising session.

• Classroom Instruction: 20 hours/week
• One-on-One Training: 2.4 hours/week
• Independent Work: 20 hours/week (average)
• Cultural activities: Min. 2 activities/week required (but you may attend more if you wish)

This course is open to all, including:

• Students from Indiana University
• Students from other universities and colleges
• Graduate, undergraduate, and community college students
• Lifelong learners
• High School students, who are age 18+ on day 1 of the program

Students applying for a 2nd-Level course or higher, including IU students, take a placement test before enrolling.

The test consists of a short online quiz, a writing sample, and a video sample.

Testing begins in March and is calibrated to take into account that students will be mid-semester at the time of their test.

Placement results are mandatory. Students who do not wish to take the course into which the place may withdraw from the program without penalty.

• Hours of Instruction: 20 hours/week
  180 total for 9-week courses (Chinese 1, Russian 1 – 2)
  160 total for 8-week courses (Chinese 2 – 3, Russian 3 – 4)
• One-on-One Training: 30-45 min/day, 4 days/week
• Co-curricular activities: Minimum 5 opportunities/week
• OPI Certificate: Provided at end of program

Advanced Language Study Online

The Advanced Online Workshop offers accelerated, intensive courses to help you develop your speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills quickly. You will complete 1 full year of advanced language training in only 2 months. Classes are practical and emphasize the development of real-time communication skills.

At the end of the Workshop, you will receive an external assessment of your language proficiency and an OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) certificate.

In the Advanced Online Workshop you will study 15 hours per week in small, focused classes led by highly experienced instructors. In addition to class you will complete 1-2 hours of independent study to prepare for the next day’s class and 20 minutes of individual practice with a language skills trainer. You will have the opportunity to participate in frequent experiential online activities led by scholars, performers, and practitioners from around the world.

As an Advanced Online Workshop participant, you will be part of a diverse group of talented language learners, including undergraduates, graduate students, scholars, professionals, and others. People join the Advanced Online Workshop for a range of academic, professional, and personal reasons, but they are united in their common interest in learning the language.

The small class sizes, expert instructors, and highly motivated students of the Workshop provide a stimulating setting for you to develop your oral and written communication skills rapidly.

The Advanced Online Workshop is challenging, but it is one of the most effective and most exciting ways to acquire language rapidly.

We look forward to welcoming you to the next Indiana University Advanced Online Language Workshop!

Class Dates: June 1 – July 31, 2026

Class Times: Monday – Friday, 6:00pm – 9:00pm, EDT

Estimated Costs - Advanced Online Programs: $2,920

• Tuition: 8 credits - $2,450
• Language Workshop Program Fee - $462
• Textbooks: Not included

*This is the rate for undergraduate credits for in-state nondegree online language students. All Workshop students pay in-state rates, but students receiving graduate credit, students in 6-credit or 10-credit courses, students in IU schools with their own tuition may be subject to different rates. IU students are also subject to a $593 IU Student Services Fee.

All rates on this page are subject to change.Consult https://academics.iu.edu/fees for current fee levels.

•  Credit Loads 
  • All courses must be taken for credit. The Workshop does not offer courses for audit. 
  • Advanced Online Workshop programs offer 8 undergraduate credits.
    
    
• • Graduate Credit
    • IU graduate students receive graduate credit if it is available for their course.
    • Graduate course loads are more variable than undergraduate. Contact languageworkshop@iu.edu for the exact graduate credit load if you are an IU graduate student.
    • Non-IU participants may petition to receive graduate credit if it is available for their course.
      • Approval is not automatic.
      • Application fees apply.
      • Not all courses offer graduate credit.
      • IU cannot guarantee that your home university will accept graduate credit.
      • Write to languageworkshop@iu.edu to schedule a credit advising session

• Classroom Instruction: 15 hours/week
• One-on-One Training: 40-60 minutes/week
• Independent Work: 10 hours/week (average)
• Cultural activities: 20-40 minutes/week (average)

This course is open to all, including:

• Students from Indiana University
• Students from other universities and colleges
• Graduate, undergraduate, and community college students
• Lifelong learners
• High School students who are at least 16 years old on day 1 of the program

Students applying for Advanced Online Workshop programs, including IU students, must take a placement test before enrolling.

The test consists of a short online quiz, a writing sample, and a video sample.

Testing begins in March and is calibrated to take into account that students will be mid-semester at the time of their test.

Placement results are non-negotiable. Students who unhappy with the course into which they place may withdraw without penalty.