Happy New Year! We hope your holiday season has been merry and bright and that 2024 is off to a fantastic start! The priority deadline to apply for CESSI 2024 is less than a month away. We hope the information that follows is helpful and invite you to share this email with anyone who may be interested in participating in CESSI as a student or instructor. Don't hesitate to let us know if we can be of any assistance!

Sara Lomasz Flesch, CESSI Project Coordinator

Adam Kerznar, CESSI Project Assistant

"Happy New Year!" in (clockwise from top left): Kazakh, Uyghur, Tajik and Uzbek

CESSI welcomes students from a variety of backgrounds to apply, including working professionals, heritage speakers, and international students. Applicants do not need to currently be enrolled in an academic program to be eligible. For details on the application process, click here.

Photo credits (clockwise from top left): 📷 Wikipedia, 📷 Tourism Review, 📷 Wikipedia, and 📷Uyghur Beauty

The cost to attend CESSI in 2024 is $5,000*, which includes tuition, student fees, and expenditures for cultural events. This does not include the cost of textbooks, living expenses, health insurance, or the $130 new-student document fee. All applicants must pay the $25 application fee to be considered for admittance. (*Note: The above fee structure does not apply to current UW-Madison Wisconsin and Minnesota resident undergraduate students. WI and MN undergraduates follow the normal UW-Madison fee structure, which can be found here.)

Good news! Four different sources of funding are available for eligible applicants: two fellowships and two scholarships. How much is covered is different for each, so see our website for all the details and deadlines. You also may wish to take the CESSI Funding Quiz to determine which funding awards you are eligible for before beginning your CESSI application.

The Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute was founded in 2011 by a consortium of international and area studies centers at major U.S. universities. We're grateful for the support of these current consortium member institutions: Columbia University's Harriman Institute, Harvard University's Davis Center for Russian & Eurasian Studies, Michigan State University's Asian Studies Center and Center for European, Russian, & Eurasian Studies, The Ohio State University's East Asian Studies Center and Center for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, Stanford University's Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, University of California-Berkeley's Institute of Slavic, East European, & Eurasian Studies, Institute of East Asian Studies, and Tang Center for Silk Road Studies, University of Kansas' Center for East Asian Studies and Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, University of Pittsburgh's Center for Russian, East European & Eurasian Studies, University of Washington's Center for Global Studies and East Asia Center, and University of Wisconsin-Madison's Center for Russia, East Europe, & Central Asia and Center for East Asian Studies.

Applying to anything can be a stressful experience. There are numerous documents to keep track of, personal statements to write and edit, and people to contact for letters and references.  All of this occurs in the midst of other obligations, both personal and professional. It can be a lot to keep track of and overwhelming to even begin.  On this page we offer resources and information to assist with applying. A variety of additional resources are available on our website, including language and cultural resources, CESSI policies and procedures, UW-Madison campus resources and housing information, and more – including a playlist featuring music by Central Asian artists as recommended by 2021 CESSI students! For resource links, see the drop-down menu under Resources on our website.