The ACMS language program comprises 80 lessons. Students are introduced to intermediate to advanced grammar, vocabulary, and conversational usages during the lessons through use of topical categories such greetings, sports, and history. The program emphasizes skills sets that allow students to converse in Mongolian in a natural way, providing students with both the written and spoken forms of Modern Mongolian. The program draws upon materials developed from the knowledge of local experts and the experiences of non-native speakers of Mongolian.

Tuition and fees: $2,000

The program costs cover the tuition and course materials, including the course book. Students are responsible for their own living and travel expenses, and should take these costs into account when estimating the total cost of the participating in the program. The following are estimated costs associated with living in Mongolia for 8-10 weeks.

Housing: $1,200

Food and incidentals: $1,500

Estimated Round trip travel from United States: $1,800

Health and Evacuation Insurance: $300

Total Estimated Living Expenses: $4,800

Total Expenses + Tuition: $6,800

The ACMS offers two types of fellowships for the Intensive Mongolian Language Program.

• Permanent residents and citizens of the United States are eligible for the Language Program Fellowship of up to $3000 to cover travel and living expenses.
• All applicants (including US and non-US citizens) are eligible for Tuition Waiver Fellowships that cover tuition expenses of up to $2,000.

Mongolian Countryside

Note: The ACMS is unable to offer formal academic credit for the program. Students seeking formal academic credit are encouraged to contact the ACMS and explore options for course credit with their home institution.

Those interested in participating in the program should submit the following to the ACMS at info@mongoliacenter.org by March 1, 2009 to be considered for fellowship awards and May 1, 2009 for all other applicants:

1. Application Form (.doc)
2. Resume or CV
3. Short description of your Mongolian Language Proficiency and a list of formal Mongolian language courses completed (500 words or less)
4. Description of how you will utilize your participation in the program to further your career or studies, and any relevant experience you have participating in group language learning. (500 words or less)
5. Letter of recommendation from professor (if student) or colleague (if faculty member).
6. Relevant information on financial need.

Application Materials:

• Program Description (.pdf)
• General Terms and Conditions (.pdf)
• Application Form (.doc)

Criteria for program selection include:

• All applicants must be members of the ACMS
• Prior experience learning Mongolian. Applicants should have a minimum of one year of experience learning Mongolian at the time the program starts.
• Importance of learning Mongolian language for the applicant's academic studies or career plans
• Applicant indicates a commitment to the 90/90 provisions of the program (Attend 90% of classes and complete 90% of homework exercises)

The ACMS is committed to equitable access and participation without regard to gender, race, national origin, color, disability or age. The ACMS will work to ensure access for any persons with disability, but cannot guarantee that Mongolian facilities will be appropriately equipped for all types of disability. Please inquire about specific conditions or questions with regard to disability access.

For questions about the application or program, please contact info@mongoliacenter.org.

Terms and Conditions

2. Fellowship recipients must attend 90 percent of scheduled classes and complete 90 percent of work assigned outside the classroom, referred to hereafter as the “90-90 requirement.” Fellowship recipients must commit up to 10-15 hours of classroom training and up to 15 hours of out of class training per week over an 8-10 week period. This is not flexible. However, fellowship recipients will be given regular weekends and official holidays off (Naadam Festival), and they may use the time outside the committed 30-35 hours per week to pursue other activities such as field research if it does not interfere with the recipients’ abilities to observe the 90-90 requirement.

3. Although the program will offer the equivalent of 9 semester credits hours of instruction, or approximately 144 hours of in-classroom instruction and 100 hours of out-of-classroom assignments, the course itself is not offered for official academic credit through the ACMS.

4. Applications must include all required documents, and must be in English. Applications must be received by the ACMS by March 1, 2009 in order to be considered for fellowships and May 1, 2009 for all other applicants. Applications must be submitted by email attachment to: info@mongoliacenter.org. Scanned, signed copies of letters of support may be submitted separately from other documents and must be received by March 1, 2009 to be considered for fellowships and May 1, 2009 for all other applicants. Applications submitted without letters of support will not be accepted. Letters of support received after the deadlines will not be accepted. Submitted files must include the applicant’s name. For example, “john.doe.language.application.pdf” or “application.john.doe.doc”.

5. Tuition payments must be received by the ACMS by June 1, 2009. The ACMS will send payment information to participants after acceptance in the program.

6. All applicants must be current members of the ACMS to be considered for the program.

1. All travel between the US and Mongolia that uses funds from the fellowship program must meet the provisions of the Fly America Act. Details about these provisions will be provided to award recipients.

2. A portion of the fellowship stipend will be withheld until the recipient submits a final report on their fellowship experience. The final report will include reflections on both the classroom experience, and how the experience is expected to impact future academic and career development.

3. Award recipients are responsible for paying all taxes related to their awards. The fellowship funds awarded are generally considered income in the United States, and therefore must be reported to tax authorities. The ACMS bears no responsibility for withholding or remitting taxes related to these awards.

4. Program participants are responsible for ensuring proper medical and evacuation insurance coverage during their time in Mongolia. Proof of insurance coverage will be required in order to participate in the program and before disbursement of fellowship funds to award recipients.

5. Participants, including award recipients, are responsible for their own lodging, travel, and other expenses throughout their stay in Mongolia. However, the ACMS is available to provide assistance in securing housing and making other travel and living arrangements upon individual request from participants.

6. The ACMS reserves the right to adjust the amounts and types of awards given under this program, as well as the general terms and conditions, before award agreements are reached with each fellowship recipient.