Updated on 21st June, 2022

Looking to speed up your language learning progress? Check out the below recommended immersion programs available in the US and abroad to help you reach your fluency goals.

So, without further ado…

Welcome to the language immersion program page!

This is where I’ll be collecting information about as many language immersion programs as I can find. This is a work in progress, and as I won’t be able to vouch for all of these personally, I’d love to get your input to expand this for all of my readers.

If you have experience going to any of these programs (or know of others that really enforce immersion, rather than just hanging out and speaking English most of the time), let me know and I’ll let everyone else know by posting your experience, good or bad, here.

One last thing. If you want to replicate that immersion context at home, you can download the Fluent Forever app to speed up your learning, and join a native speaker in our Coaching program to help you on your way.

Why learn with language immersion programs?

You’re probably wondering, what does language immersion mean exactly, and how do immersion programs help me learn a language?

Language immersion, also simply referred to as immersion, involves carrying out learning activities exclusively in a foreign language. This technique, therefore, utilizes the target language as a tool for learners to engage, communicate, and learn in an educational setting while being completely immersed in that language. 

So what are the advantages of language immersion programs? 

Almost without fail, the outcome of being immersed in a foreign language environment is a vastly speeded-up language learning method that’s set up for success.

A faster and surer way to learn

Immersion is how we actually learn our native language so effortlessly during childhood. And when it comes to learning a second or third language, following a language immersion program is an equally powerful tool – along with others – to learn it quickly and effectively. It’s no wonder that these programs have become so popular the world over.

A chance to really understand the language

Practicing your target language more regularly and using it to interact with those around you will help you attune your ears to its linguistic, semantic, and cultural nuances. This constant exposure to the sounds of the language you’re learning, with no intermediary language to fall back on, forces you to increase your efforts to really familiarize yourself with the only language available to communicate in. 

The result? You gain a true, deeper understanding of your new language, making you a more confident and fluent speaker at a faster rate than if you were using English translation to help you on your way.

A myriad of work and study opportunities

The more concrete, practical benefits of learning a new language through immersion translate as professional and academic success. A language immersion program on your resume gives you a competitive edge and could open doors to exciting opportunities, whether you’re applying for that popular college program or hoping to land the career of your dreams. 

Types of language immersion programs

With so many language immersion options out there, if you’re looking for a particular program with a specific outcome, chances are you’ll find it. And because of the sheer variety, classifying all available programs into rigid, finite types is not as straightforward as one might expect.

With that being said, we can still talk about broad – and by no means exhaustive – categories, such as those indicating program location: online, in-class, and overseas. In terms of content and structure, each program will meet different learner levels, goals, and outcomes, and will vary in duration and intensity accordingly. 

As an example, a typical intensive language immersion program lasting 8 to 10 weeks is easily able to deliver study material that’s normally covered in around 2 normal-paced semesters.

What languages are immersion programs available in?

Immersion programs come in all forms and target all ages, backgrounds, and levels of learners. There are specific immersion courses tailored to students in middle or high school, college-goers, and professionals alike. Various language immersion programs for adults sit alongside those designed for younger participants, each created to meet diverse language requirements and interests. And they cover just about any popular language available, all the way from English, to French and Spanish, to Japanese and Korean.

Whatever your target language, and your skills and needs in the language, you’re bound to find an immersion program that will help you reach your goals.

Where in the world can you follow such a program?

Popular destinations for language immersion programs include the USA and further afield. Fancy a medical immersion experience in a hospital in Buenos Aires, or a croissant-filled French-intensive summer stay in Paris? These and so many other specific programs are only a click away. 

Image by Andrea Piacquadio from Pexels

Let’s first take a look at some of the US-based programs, followed by others that are available to follow in various countries across the globe.

US-based multi-language immersion programs 

Middlebury

Middlebury’s language schools are phenomenal. I’ve been several times, and I just love them. They offer a level of strictness and rigor that is hard to beat. They have two campuses, one in Vermont and one in California. These are the immersion languages available at each location:

• Middlebury, VT Campus: Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish
  
• Oakland, CA Campus: Italian, Arabic, Korean

Concordia Language Villages 

Based in Moorhead, Minnesota, Concordia holds intensive programs in Chinese, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Norwegian, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish. 

I haven’t heard personal reviews about these folks, but I do notice that their programs are relatively short (generally 1 week), which I find somewhat problematic, as you really get a lot when you spend a protracted amount of time in a language, and that doesn’t seem to be an option here. 

Still, if it turns out that 1 week is something you can realistically fit into your schedule (and 7–8 weeks à la Middlebury is just madness), you’re certainly going to get something pretty significant from these programs. Just don’t expect a massive leap into fluency in a week.

Language immersion programs available around the world

Lingua Service Worldwide

Collaborating with schools and programs across the globe, Lingua Service looks to have different language experiences available in the countries and regions where they’re spoken. 

Their service appears to specialize in delivering results within short time spans. While I haven’t tested this out personally, it might be worth looking into if you’re a professional with a tight deadline for getting up to speed with a language.

API Abroad

I haven’t tried this one either, but the website offers quite a menu of language experiences. From medical Spanish immersion to filmmaking in New Zealand, you choose your study program or internship abroad depending on your background and interests, with all learning levels and ages catered for.

Recommended language-specific immersion programs 

German

• Die Neue Schule (Berlin, Germany) – While I can’t recommend this one personally, I’ve had a friend go here and like it.
• German Language School (Berlin, Germany) – This was a tip from one of our readers. You can start your German course at the GLS German language school every Monday – on all levels, including absolute beginners. All courses are complemented by after-class activities in Berlin.
  

Italian

• Università per Stranieri di Perugia (Perugia, Umbria, Italy) – I went here in 2008. Wonderful teachers, affordable classes, heavenly location. The only challenge is that folks really do speak English whenever there’s a break, and you take breaks very often (it’s Italy, after all!)
  

Spanish

• There is a tremendous thread about immersion programs in Latin America up on Reddit. Check that out.
• The first suggestion is pretty awesome, at $750 for an entire month of private lessons and lodging in Costa Rica.
• Here is a site with information on immersion programs in Guatemala and their rankings.
• This program in Peru is pretty neat. It’s an NGO that teaches single mothers how to be Spanish teachers. In general, you’re looking at ~$7.50–9.50/hour for private classes and $90/week for homestays (food included), which works out to around $1,000/month for 20 hours of weekly private classes, food, and lodging. (See this Reddit post for details.)
• Also check out the Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas in Spain. Every little community has its own, and they’re public (i.e., cheap).

French 

The American University of Paris – Again, this is not personally tried and tested, but it’s offered by a fully accredited academic institution. Plus, who doesn’t like the sound of 3 weeks of Parisian summer?

While we’re at it, if you’re curious to learn about my own French language immersion experience, and how it led me to create version 1.0 of the Fluent Forever method, here it is!

Yiddish

I’m unclear as to whether these programs are full immersion, but I’ve heard they’re quite good:

• YIVO Institute in New York
• Vilnius Yiddish Institute (Vilnius, Lithuania)
• Steiner Summer Yiddish Program [for college students] (Amherst, MA)

Do-it-yourself online immersion

What happens if you do not have the time or the means to head off somewhere to learn your target language in a few weeks? Should that prevent you from reaping the benefits associated with a language immersion program? I say nay!

Enter self-immersion: a flexible DIY system for learning at the same pace as you would on a program, but from the comfort of your home and at a fraction of the cost. 

One way to achieve this without the effort it takes to create your own immersive environment is to download the Fluent Forever app, which automates the process for you. All you have to do is stick to a suitable time to focus on the review sessions and other bonus tasks created to maximize your language learning and retention. 

Complementing the app is our Live Coaching. Here you’ll work with a native speaker who’s professionally trained in the Fluent Forever method to help create an immersive setting that will get you to fluency. It’s a handy program for those who feel would benefit from having ongoing expert support along their language journey. Get ready to join a Coaching program here.