SASLI Summer 2025 Applications are open!
SASLI 2025 will run Monday, June 16 – Friday, August 8, 2025
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2025 Course Offerings
Prospective students can select among the following languages and levels for summer 2025:
In Person Offering:
- Hindi (Elementary)
Online Offerings:
- Bengali (Elementary and Intermediate)
- Dari (Elementary and Intermediate)
- Gujarati (Elementary and Intermediate)
- Hindi (Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced)
- Marathi (Elementary and Intermediate)
- Nepali (Elementary and Intermediate)
- Pashto (Elementary and Intermediate)
- Punjabi (Elementary and Intermediate)
- Sanskrit (Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced)
- Sinhala (Elementary and Intermediate)
- Tamil (Elementary and Intermediate)
- Tibetan (Elementary and Intermediate)
- Urdu (Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced)
Eligibility
SASLI welcomes students from varied backgrounds to apply. Applicants do not need to currently be in an academic course of study to be eligible for the program.
Students currently enrolled at any institution must be in good standing at that home institution at the time of application and remain in good standing through the SASLI program.
International students currently in the US on a student visa may be able to apply the same visa for their study at SASLI. Applicants outside the US may need a short-term visa for SASLI. This is only required for international students applying for in-person courses. More information for international students is located here.
Those under the age of 18 should review our Minor Student Eligibility Policy. Eligible applicants under 18 will undergo a special review process before any admission decisions by SASLI. Interested applicants are encouraged to contact SASLI as early as possible to discuss these application procedures.
Application Tips and Reminders
- The form for the WISLI 2025 Common Application will automatically save, so you can return to complete it at a later time.
- You will select the language/level you wish to study at SASLI, which may be offered in person or online. You can also choose an alternative language in the event your first choice is not offered.
- The WISLI 2025 Common Application will provide you with a link to upload the following documents no later than March 15, 2025:
- Unofficial Transcripts: You must submit a copy of your most recent academic transcripts. However, those out of school for more than five years are exempt from this requirement. If you will not be submitting a transcript, please state this in your Personal Statement.
- Personal Statement: Remember that it is perfectly acceptable to submit the same personal statement that you wrote for a funding opportunity such as SASLI FLAS). Otherwise, you can respond to the following essay prompt:
- In approximately 500 words, please address your personal, academic, and professional reasons and goals for wanting to participate in UW-Madison’s Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes (WISLI). Include how you plan to meet the challenges of an intensive language learning environment and how you can personally contribute to this learning environment. In addressing the latter, you may discuss your interpersonal and leadership skills, ability to adapt to new and unexpected situations, and interest in creating a environment where each participant feels valued, respected, and supported. Feel free to share other relevant info that could impact your time on the program.
- Your application is not considered complete until you pay the $25.00 application fee via a secure payment form located on the application and in the application submission confirmation email.
- After you complete your submission, SASLI will communicate with the applicant only, not a proxy.
What do we look for in a SASLI applicant?
No SASLI applicant is like another, and determining whether or not you will succeed in our program is not solely based on academic standing. A few things the SASLI application screening committee generally considers in an applicant’s package are the following:
- A record of academic success. We want to see that you can commit and dedicate yourself to the time and workload necessary to succeed in an intensive language program.
- Past language learning experience/interest in language studies. Prior language study is not required to attend SASLI, and many of our students come without any former knowledge of their selected SASLI language. However, experience studying a language and an interest in a language’s cultural, historical, and political components can benefit you through the application process and your time at SASLI.
- A personal statement is an opportunity to make a case for yourself. Regardless of past grades or experiences, a strong statement can show us that you are ready to commit to the workload necessary to succeed in SASLI. Be sure to follow the essay prompt and refer to it during the writing process. It is acceptable to re-submit a statement you wrote for the SASLI FLAS and SASLI Half/Full Fee Remission awards.
- Materials completed and received by us before the SASLI deadline. While extenuating circumstances may make this difficult, please try to submit your materials, including the personal statement and your unofficial transcripts, before the SASLI deadline.
Applying to a new opportunity can be an exciting yet nerve-racking experience due to the many moving parts, from the personal statement to the transcripts and letters of recommendation. This general Application Resources page might be helpful for your SASLI application or another opportunity, be it a job application, graduate school, or a scholarship.
“SASLI helped me realize that it's totally possible to learn a language that I previously did not know at all. My teachers are inspired & benevolent, they make the learning fun!”
E.P. SASLI 2023 Student