Rapidly build fluency and gain a deeper understanding of French and Francophone language and culture, past and present.

Spend a summer at the Betty Ashbury Jones MA ’86 School of French and you’ll experience the single most effective method for rapid language acquisition: a total immersion environment with the Language Pledge®—a promise to read, write, listen, and speak only in your language of study. Programs are open to undergraduates, recent graduates, graduate students at other institutions, and professionals of all ages.

French Program Options

Apply to a program based on your language proficiency. High school graduates to 80+ years old are eligible.

Live in Language

Our faculty come from France, Quebec, Africa, the French Caribbean, Lebanon, and the Maghreb. You will learn from dedicated professionals in French as a Second Language. Using a communicative approach to teaching, they will provide you with a deep foundation in the language, while sharing an understanding of the rich and varied culture and traditions found throughout the Francophone world. For graduate students, our programs provide rigorous graduate instruction in key content areas, taught by renowned specialists.

Outside the classroom, you’ll be immersed in an extraordinarily vibrant community of French Language learners. You’ll participate in organized in-language cocurricular activities—such as soccer, singing, and even baking pastries—each designed to help you build new vocabulary while developing cultural fluency.

Funding

Thanks to the support of generous donors (including Language Schools alumni) and Middlebury’s commitment to provide an opportunity for as many students as possible, we are pleased to offer need-based financial aid and merit-based fellowships and scholarships.

You’ll find several options available for both the immersion and graduate programs, as well as funding for specific languages of study. Students can also apply to outside funding opportunities including the Boren Fellowship, Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship, and VA Benefits.

A Day in the Life: 7-Week School of French, Middlebury Language Schools

What does a typical weekday look like at our School of French? Check out a day in the life of Cassie Worley, an artistic director and retired producer and drama teacher who returned to the Language Schools for her second summer.