Location
  • Ukraine
    • Kharkiv
Length
1 to 36 weeks
Language
Russian

Program Details

Language Level
BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced
Immersion Level
Intensive Standard
Class Size
Private Lessons Small Class (1-7)
Weekly Classroom Hours
12
Housing
Apartment Host Family
Age Min.
16

Pricing

Starting Price
449
Price Details
1 week - $449
4 weeks - $1,549
8 weeks - $2,999

Custom programs for your dates and goals are available! Please contact us to learn more.

The program fee includes tuition, housing, pre-departure and on-site support, and airport transfers.
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Airport Transfers Classes SIM cards Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Meals
Oct 08, 2021
Nov 05, 2021
2 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

This program runs year-round on a rolling admission basis. A visa is not required for a stay of under 90 days.

Study Ukrainian or Russian language in the students' capital of Ukraine! Kharkiv is the second largest city with friendly and welcoming people. Experience a true cultural and language immersion through staying with a host family or with local students. Take classes taught by experienced professors at one of the oldest Ukrainian universities. Receive 24/7 support from our on-site staff. Improve your language skills and strengthen the ability to communicate effectively and fluently.

Kharkiv was voted best for living in Ukraine 4 years in a row. It has a great public transportation system, so getting around and exploring will be easy. Kharkiv is a green city with many parks. It is a cultural center with 7 theaters and over 20 concert venues. It has a young vibe with 69 universities and colleges. Kharkiv is the best city for studying abroad!

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Russian and Ukrainian language offered at any level from Beginner to Advanced
  • Earn transfer credits from a top Ukrainian university
  • Experience a true cultural and language immersion. Visit museums, ballet and other cultural events in Kharkiv.
  • Stay with a host family or with local students
  • Practice Russian and/or Ukrainian with native speakers

Program Reviews

4.33 Rating
based on 3 reviews
  • 5 rating 33.33%
  • 4 rating 66.67%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Instruction 5
  • Support 4.35
  • Fun 4.35
  • Housing 4.35
  • Value 4.35
Showing 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Default avatar
Jessica
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great immersion experience with full support

I went on an 8-week program with EESA in Kharkiv, Ukraine. I had a really great experience and would recommend this program to everyone. I had taken a year of Russian at my university prior to that program, but how much I learnt in those 8 weeks was probably worth more than my whole year of Russian classes in the U.S. I loved my professor Tatiana, she was very patient with us and was great at explaining and helping us get further. Getting immersed in the language-speaking environment was such a great benefit. An advice I would give to any future students is to not be afraid and go out there and try to use your Russian.
My special thank goes to the on-site staff from EESA. They were very nice and very attentive to all my needs. They made sure I was adjusting well, introduced me to a lot of new people in the beginning and provided great support overall.
I genuinely recommend this program for improving your Russian, making new friends, getting a different perspective on many things and simply for having an exciting new experience. I already plan on visiting again!
I greatly enjoyed my 8 weeks of the Russian language program with EESA in Kharkiv. I strongly recommend this program to future students. Our professors were amazing and on-site support was very helpful, especially in the beginning.

First, the classes were very efficient. I had Tatiana, she had a lot of experience and was good at helping us understand new topics. Being in the language environment certainly added to the progress that I was able to make.

Second, the on site staff was very nice and helpful. Olga and Dennis went out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and had everything that we needed. We also got introduced to a network of peer students, and I was able to make friends with a lot of them.

Third, I couldn't wish for a better host family. They were very welcoming and helpful.

The last but not least, I loved Kharkiv! It's a great city with lots of activities available, amazing theaters and beautiful and well taken care of parks.

Don't hesitate to go when you have a chance! You will have a great time!

63 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Naomi
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

High quality teaching although support could be better

I studied for three months in Kharkiv, Ukraine with the EESA study abroad programme, completing 72 'academic hours' (=48 hours, if I'm not mistaken) over that time period. I chose to study fewer hours a week because I was also enrolled on an online Russian language programme that took up the majority of my time. In a year of Covid, I was grateful for an opportunity to actual travel and live somewhere new, getting plenty of Russian practice. I grew up in Central Asia and spoke Russian a little as a child, but have struggled to find the right level of teaching - that pushes me, while being aware of my mistakes. EESA was excellent when it came to language provision - my teacher, Tatiana, was hard-working, well-prepared, experienced, engaging and fun to be with! We focused on areas that I was interested in (which was mostly reading Economics texts in Russian) and had a good blend of speaking and writing, which taught me a lot. Sometimes the sessions were quite long and I could see that both my teacher and I were tired, but we still had a good time and used the lesson well.

Kharkiv is a great city for students. I cannot recommend it enough! Especially if you are hoping to practice Russian, this city is for you. In Kyiv or other cities in the west, I think you'd struggle to hear more Russian than in Kharkiv. I didn't speak any Ukrainian and I managed to get by just fine, although if I had stayed longer, I would have wanted to try to learn it too!

I lived with two girls, who were my hosts for the time. Their support was invaluable, because if you have never been to Ukraine before, you need someone to explain the transport system or various other factors, to you. I also felt safer living with other girls. Sometimes it was difficult, because it was a cross-cultural experience and we didn't always see eye to eye, but we parted as friends. I do recommend living with someone if you come to Kharkiv, it makes socialising a lot easier too!

At the time that I came, there was only one other student. Because of this, the support I was given was not the best (and maybe also because I was only studying part-time). I felt like I could have done with an induction (although they do do that for other students usually), more events (made difficult because of Covid) and more opportunities to meet people. They do try to support you in some areas, but it was not really enough for me. They have a peer support network, but I was linked to this too late. I think when there are more students and life is more 'normal', they are better at supporting you while you are living in the country.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
Living in a new place is full of nerve-wracking moments! I was fined when I was in Kyiv because I didn't understand how the trolleybus system worked, I was accused of stealing a water bottle once from a supermarket, I set off an alarm in the supermarket another time because of not knowing that one item I bought had a security tag, I was barked at by guard dogs, I irritated people by being too slow to figure out new machines and systems.... but all this is part of living somewhere new! I learnt to be less embarrassed by my mistakes and to be forgiving to others, even when they were not forgiving to me!
67 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Ry
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Review of intensive Russian language study program

The program is very rewarding and allows you to significantly improve all aspects of your Russian knowledge as long as you take initiative in finding opportunities to study and improve your skills. While the classroom instruction is very helpful, you will need to seek out additional opportunities to practice what you learn outside of university. The program certainly connects you with local Ukrainian peers to practice with, however a lot of your experience with this program will be with the activities and people that you seek out outside of the classroom.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Expand your local social circle as much as possible
73 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers