Every June and July, the intensive summer Swahili Workshop helps students develop their linguistic and cultural competency rapidly and effectively through live online instruction, extracurricular activities, authentic materials, and real-time interactions with instructors and presenters from southeast Africa. Classes are conducted primarily in Swahili and focus on the rapid development of practical communication skills.
Students who apply by midnight EST on December 6 receive priority consideration for admission and for funding.
It is advantegeous to apply by this deadline since there is the possibility that individual scholarships and fellowships may expend their budgets during priority admission and not be available during general admission or rolling admission.
Students may apply for admission and for funding until midnight EST on January 31, 2025.
Admission and funding opportunities will be limited to classes that did not fill during priority admission and to scholarships and fellowships that were not fully awarded during priority admission.
Students may continue applying for admission, without funding, during rolling admission.
During Rolling Admission, students may apply for admission to the Language Workshop for self-funded study (or study funded by organizations other than the Language Workshop).
Admission remains competitive. Students who apply for full classes will be waitlisted. Students come off the waitlists in order of merit, not in the order of application.
After this date, there will not be time for non-IU students to get through Workshop acceptance, IU admissions, and IU enrollment before their course begins.
IU students may continue to apply, since they do not need to go through IU admissions.
After this date, there will not be time for non-IU students to get through Workshop acceptance, IU admissions, and IU enrollment before their course begins.
IU students may continue to apply, since they do not need to go through IU admissions.
The final date for IU students to apply to the Language Workshop is midnight EST on the last Thursday before their class begins.
BCS, Czech, Hungarian, Polish: May 15
Azerbaijani and Kyrgyz: May 22.
Arabic (all levels), Chinese 1, Russian 1 & 2: May 29
All other courses: June 5
Course Options
Swahili Level 1 provides beginners a solid introduction to the language, equivalent to the 1st-Year curriculum in the African Studies Program 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 Swahili, 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 Bantu culture through authentic materials and media, as well as real-life activities and structured interactions with speakers of Swahili.
Funding Options
Funded through an award from the U.S. Department of Education to the IU Center for International Business Education and Research, the CIBER scholarship supports students of IU's Kelly School of Business who study in the Language Workshop.
The Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies provides scholarships for undergraduate women planning international careers to study in the Language Workshop. Scholarships provide whole or partial tuition.
The Department of Education provides scholarships for summer study in the Language Workshop. This program is administered by units other than the Language Workshop. Interested students should apply directly to the FLAS program.
The Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies provides scholarships for study in the Language Workshop. This scholarship is aimed especially at students who are not eligible for any of the above programs.
The Online Workshop is collection of accelerated, intensive online courses designed to help you develop speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills quickly. You will complete 1 full year of language training in only 2 months.The classes are synchronous. They are conducted primarily in the language of study and emphasize the development of real-time interpersonal communication skills.
At the end of the Online Workshop, you will receive an external assessment of your language proficiency and an OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) certificate.*
In the intensive Online Workshop you will study 17-20 hours per week in live online classes with an instructor and with other students. After class you will complete 2-3 hours of independent study to prepare for the next day’s class. You can also take part in interactive, real-time cultural activities with visiting scholars, performers, and practitioners.
As an Online 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 Online Workshop for a range of academic, professional, and personal reasons, but are united in their strong interest in learning the language.
The small class sizes, expert instructors, and highly motivated students of the Online Language Workshop provide a stimulating setting for you to develop your oral and written communication skills rapidly.
The 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 Online Language Workshop!
*Subject to availability of assessors for your language.
Class Dates: June 9 – August 1, 2025
Online Class Times: Monday – Friday, 11:00am-3:00pm, eastern daylight time
*This is the rate for 8 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 $590 IU Student Services Fee.
Online Program The online program offers 8 undergraduate credits*. Workshop courses must be taken for credit. There is no audit option.
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 for IU graduate students.
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.
*Individual programs different numbers of credits. You will see the exact number of credits for your program after enrollment and before classes begin.
Live Instruction: 18 hours/week, 144 hours total
Independent Work: 10-15 hours/week, 120 hours total
Cultural activities: 30-60 min/week, 5-10 hours total
OPI Certificate: Provided at end of program
Transcript: Available at end of program
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
Highschool students, who are age 16+ on day 1 of the program
If you are applying for a 2nd-Level course or higher, you will take a placement test before enrolling. Testing begins in March and is calibrated to take into account that students will be mid-semester at the time of their test.
