Bard-Smolny Study Abroad Program

Designed to meet the needs of students who have at least 2 years of college-level Russian or more -- including heritage speakers -- the Bard-Smolny Program in St. Petersburg offers an academically rich environment for students from North American colleges and universities wishing to study abroad in Russia for a single semester or for the full academic year.

In the Bard-Smolny program students enroll side by side with Russian students in classes at Smolny College, the first liberal arts college in Russia. The program enables students to advance their level of competency in the Russian language in our Russian as a Second Language (RSL) program while simultaneously taking other academic courses that meet requirements for their B.A. degree at their home college or university.

The unique and long-standing partnership between Smolny College and Bard College enables students enrolled in the program to immerse themselves fully in Russian academic life. At Smolny, there are innumerable opportunities for meaningful cross-cultural exchange and dialogue. Students from North American institutions sit side-by-side with Russian students in the classroom, participate in student clubs, organizations, and volunteer opportunities with their fellow Smolny classmates, and interact directly with the College’s faculty members. As a result, students are challenged academically, linguistically and culturally in our rigorous and rewarding program.

The Bard-Smolny Program has much more to offer students than a traditional study abroad program. In fact, the program is at the center of a truly remarkable process: the evolution of a new kind of international education and the democratization of Russian higher education.