Cultural Facts Language Preview Hear from our students Program Info
The Critical Languages Institute is a national training institute for less commonly taught languages, offering summer intensive courses and study-abroad programs around the world.
Every summer, CLI brings students from across the U.S. together to develop their linguistic and cultural competency rapidly and effectively through intensive immersion programs. Explore the tabs above to learn more about the BCS course offerings at CLI.
Dive into the Language
Population:
Spoken by over 19,000,000 people
Vibrant Celebrations:
Bosnian: New Year's Day, Bosnian Independence Day, Labour Day, and Good Friday.
Croatian: Epiphany (Christian feast day), New Year's Day, and Day of Remembrance.
Serbian: Statehood Day, New Year's Day, Eastern Orthodox Christmas, and Good Friday.
The alphabet has:
30 letters
23 consonants
7 vowels
Emphasis on Religion
Religion plays a significant role in shaping each region’s identity, as Islam is predominant in Bosnia, Catholicism in Croatia, and Eastern Orthodoxy in Serbia, influencing cultural traditions, holidays, and customs.
Music and Dance
Each region has rich folk traditions, with Sevdalinka in Bosnia, Klapa singing in Croatia, and Kolo dance in Serbia, reflecting deep ties to heritage, storytelling, and communal celebration.
Savor the Flavors
Bosnia is known for its ćevapi (grilled minced meat sausages) and burek (savory pastry filled with minced meat), along with sweet baklava. Croatia features peka (slow-cooked meat and vegetables), grilled fish from the Adriatic Sea, and kiflice (crescent-shaped pastries), while Serbia enjoys sarma (cabbage rolls), ajvar (spicy red pepper spread), and also shares a love for ćevapi.
Language Preview
"How are you?"
Kako si?
Kако си?
"Have a good day"
Hugodan dan
Угодан дан
"Good Morning"
Dobro jutro
Добро јутро
Hear from our students
Location of Language
Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian are South Slavic languages spoken primarily in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia, respectively. These languages are mutually intelligible and share a common linguistic heritage, often being considered as variants of the Serbo-Croatian language. Each has developed its own standard form, reflecting the unique cultural and historical influences of its region.
Program Information
Course Options
First-year BCS provides beginners a solid introduction to BCS grammar and conversation. Students who complete the course successfully will reach a proficiency of Novice High or Intermediate Low.
Students will be able to communicate in day-to-day situations in BCS, 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 BCS culture through authentic materials and media, as well as activities in BCS and structured interactions with BCS speakers.
First-year BCS combines 4 hours a day of online classroom instruction(140 contact hours) as well daily informal activities in BCS led by facilitators representing BCS-speaking communities from around the world.
Number of Credits: 8
Program Fee: $2,000
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Students of CLI Summer BCS in Sarajevo immerse themselves in Balkan culture while strengthening their mastery of the language through specially designed courses and extramural activities. This small, flexible program is customized to meet the needs of each participant.
Dates: Online: May 27 - July 11, 2025 (May 26, July 4 Holiday)
Sarajevo: July 14 - August 8, 2025
Bosnia's administrative, economic, cultural, and educational center, Sarajevo is a compact, youthful city, boasting a number of museums, galleries, cultural centers, historic buildings, a national theater and opera, old markets, as well as a thriving art scene. There are notable architectural influences from the time Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the former Yugoslavia.
Excursion and activity schedules vary from year to year, but have included:
- Folk dance workshop
- Sevdah Art House
- Balkan films
- Poetry workshop
- Lectures and presentations
- Svro's House
- Historical Museum
- Žuta tabija
- Ilidža and the Bosna Headwaters
- Cooking classes
- Tunnel of Hope
- Travnic, Jajce, Zavnobih Musuem
- Mostar, Počitelj
CLI's program in Sarajevo is a joint effort of the Arizona State University and Linguists Language and Culture Association.
Program Fees
First Year BCS synchronous online program fee of $2,000 and 4-week extension in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina program fee of $2,700* includes:
- 140 online hours and 60 abroad hours of performance-based instruction
- 11 academic credits (8 for online sessions, 3 for study abroad session)
- 4 weeks housing in a shared apartment in central Sarajevo
- excursions and activities
- pre-departure orientation
- arrival orientation
- phone and phone card
- transportation to and from Sarajevo's airport, Butmir International Airport (SJJ)
- travel insurance
It does not include:
- cost of travel to Sarajevo
- meals
- personal expenses
*All prices and descriptions on this page are based on 2024 estimates and subject to change. Participants are responsible for checking current prices and details before signing billing, housing, or meal contracts.
Students will solidify their command of BCS and raise their listening, speaking, and communicative skills to the Intermediate Low level or better. Graduates will be able to interact in day-to-day life in Bosnia and Herzegovina comfortably and to read texts on familiar topics with ease.
Dates: Sarajevo: June 16 - August 8, 2025
Bosnia's administrative, economic, cultural, and educational center, Sarajevo is a compact, youthful city, boasting a number of museums, galleries, cultural centers, historic buildings, a national theater and opera, old markets, as well as a thriving art scene. There are notable architectural influences from the time Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the former Yugoslavia.
Excursion and activity schedules vary from year to year, but have included:
- Folk dance workshop
- Sevdah Art House
- Balkan films
- Poetry workshop
- Lectures and presentations
- Svro's House
- Historical Museum
- Žuta tabija
- Ilidža and the Bosna Headwaters
- Cooking classes
- Tunnel of Hope
- Travnic, Jajce, Zavnobih Musuem
- Mostar, Počitelj
CLI's program in Sarajevo is a joint effort of the Arizona State University and Linguists Language and Culture Association.
Program Fees
The CLI Summer in Sarajevo program fee of $6,500* covers:
- 160 hours of performance-based classroom instruction
- 8 academic credits
- 8 weeks housing in a shared apartment in central Sarajevo
- excursions and activities
- pre-departure orientation
- arrival orientation
- phone and phone card
- transportation to and from Sarajevo's airport, Butmir International Airport (SJJ)
- travel insurance
It does not include:
- cost of travel to Sarajevo
- meals
- personal expenses
*All prices and descriptions on this page are based on 2024 estimates and subject to change. Participants are responsible for checking current prices and details before signing billing, housing, or meal contracts.
Advanced BCS in Sarajevo is designed to help advanced students and heritage speakers reach professional proficiency. Students will develop the advanced communication skills they need in order to become successful intercultural communicators and to function in a professional capacity.
Dates: Sarajevo: June 16 - August 8, 2025
Bosnia's administrative, economic, cultural, and educational center, Sarajevo is a compact, youthful city, boasting a number of museums, galleries, cultural centers, historic buildings, a national theater and opera, old markets, as well as a thriving art scene. There are notable architectural influences from the time Bosnia and Herzegovina was part of the Ottoman Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the former Yugoslavia.
Excursion and activity schedules vary from year to year, but have included:
- Folk dance workshop
- Sevdah Art House
- Balkan films
- Poetry workshop
- Lectures and presentations
- Svro's House
- Historical Museum
- Žuta tabija
- Ilidža and the Bosna Headwaters
- Cooking classes
- Tunnel of Hope
- Travnic, Jajce, Zavnobih Musuem
- Mostar, Počitelj
CLI's program in Sarajevo is a joint effort of the Arizona State University and Linguists Language and Culture Association.
Program Fees
The CLI Summer in Sarajevo program fee of $6,500* covers:
- 160 hours of performance-based classroom instruction
- 8 academic credits
- 8 weeks housing in a shared apartment in central Sarajevo
- excursions and activities
- pre-departure orientation
- arrival orientation
- phone and phone card
- transportation to and from Sarajevo's airport, Butmir International Airport (SJJ)
- travel insurance
It does not include:
- cost of travel to Sarajevo
- meals
- personal expenses
*All prices and descriptions on this page are based on 2024 estimates and subject to change. Participants are responsible for checking current prices and details before signing billing, housing, or meal contracts.
Funding Options
Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships
The Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowships program provides allocations of academic year and summer fellowships to institutions of higher education or consortia of institutions of higher education to assist meritorious undergraduate students and graduate students undergoing training in modern foreign languages and related area or international studies. Eligible students apply for fellowships directly to an institution that has received an allocation of fellowships from the U.S. Department of Education.
The Melikian Center offers both academic year and summer-length FLAS Fellowships. The application for both Academic year and Summer 2025 FLAS Fellowships will close on January 31st, 2025.
The Summer 2025 Foreign Language & Area Studies Fellowship (FLAS) provides eligible students with a $3,500 stipend and $5,000 in tuition during the Summer 2025 semester for funding intermediate and/or intensive study of Albanian, Armenian, Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian (BCS), Kazakh, Macedonian, Persian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Tatar, Turkish, Ukrainian, or Uzbek domestically or abroad.
Melikian Center Awards Program
Supported by the Melikian Center's endowment and by private donations, the Melikian Center Awards Program provides scholarships of up to $2,000 for superior applicants to study critical languages at CLI's domestic programs and up to $6,000 towards CLI's study abroad offerings.
This funding opportunity is open to all CLI applicants. High school, community college, and non-students are especially encouraged to apply.
An application for this funding is included in every CLI Language Program application.
Need-Based Fee Reduction
The Melikian Center offers up to a $1,000 reduction of the published CLI program fee for qualified Pell Grant eligible students and non-students with an annual family income of $50,000 or less. This $1,000 reduction applies to online, online plus study-abroad, or study-abroad programs. Please note that a limited number of fee reductions are available; not all students who apply will receive a need-based fee reduction.
To qualify for this funding opportunity, please indicate your Pell Grant eligibility on your general CLI program application.
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
The State Department's Gilman Scholarship provides awards of up to $5,000 for students in financial need to study abroad, including in CLI overseas programs. Gilman applications require certification of the program by your institution's study-abroad office. If you apply for Gilman support, please contact cli@asu.edu for assistance in getting the required information to your institution.
Gilman summer study applications are accepted from August to October and January to March. Students interested in this opportunity should apply for the early competition, if possible, since applicants to the later competition will not learn their award status until after the deadline to commit to CLI study. Please contact cli@asu.edu for details on timing your Gilman application.
An external application is required to apply for this funding opportunity.
Title VIII Graduate Awards
The Department of State's Title VIII program funds graduate students with U.S. citizenship to study less commonly taught languages.
Students who apply for an online-only program may receive up to $5,500. Students who apply for an online program with a 4-week abroad extension may receive up to $10,500. Students who apply for an 8-week study abroad program through CLI may receive up to $10,500.
Past CLI Title VIII fellows can be awarded the fellowship up to two more times, for a maximum of up to 3 fellowship awards, as long as they maintain their graduate student eligibility.
