The Language Flagship leads the nation in designing, supporting, and implementing a new paradigm for advanced language education. Through an innovative partnership between the federal government, education, and business, The Language Flagship seeks to graduate students who will take their place among the next generation of global professionals, commanding a superior level of fluency in one of many languages critical to U.S. competitiveness and security.

Beginning in 2008 a Persian Stateside Flagship Program is available for undergraduates. The program is based at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. For more information, please see this program's website here.

Beginning in summer 2010, American Councils will offer an overseas immersion program in Dushanbe, Tajikistan for undergraduates in the undergraduate Flagship program at the University of Maryland.

Administered by American Councils for International Education and the University of Maryland, the graduate Persian Flagship Program addresses the critical need for U.S. professionals able to speak, read, write, and understand Persian at the highest levels of functional proficiency. As such it is designed to raise the Persian language proficiency of students to the “superior” or “professional” level (ILR 3, 3+, 4/ACTFL "Superior" or "Distinguished" Levels) through an intensive program tailored to students' professional interests and academic specializations. The Persian Flagship is structured as a two-tier program. The Stateside portion is regarded as the first tier, designed to train students to reach the Persian-language proficiency level required for the Overseas portion in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Students whose language proficiency ranges from Intermediate-High to Advanced-Low levels on the ACTFL scale are invited to apply to the Stateside Program. Students already at the Advanced-Mid or Advanced-High language level should consider applying directly to the second tier, the Overseas Program.

This U.S-based intensive language program is administered by the University of Maryland and intended to assist qualified students in attaining the ACTFL Advanced-Mid/Advanced-High level in Persian language proficiency. The nine-month Persian Stateside Flagship Program is designed for graduate students who have studied Persian for a minimum of two years at the university level. Heritage speakers are also welcome to apply. Applicants must have an ACTFL proficiency level of Intermediate-High or Advanced-Low in speaking, reading, and/or listening; a semester or academic year of immersion-learning in a Persian-speaking country is recommended. Graduates of the Stateside Flagship Program will be eligible to apply for the Persian Overseas Flagship Program in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

The Persian Overseas Flagship Program, administered by American Councils, is designed for Americans who wish to attain superior or distinguished (ILR 3, 3+, 4 http://www.govtilr.org) proficiency in the Persian language. The Overseas Program is hosted by Tajik State National University and entails nine months of intensive Persian language study. The program features formal coursework in discourse development, individualized tutorials, biweekly excursions, and home-stays with Persian-speaking families. Participants benefit from extensive opportunities for professionally focused language development and language utilization through regular university courses in their area of specialization and internships with local organizations. Graduate students and working professionals who have already achieved the Advanced-Mid or Advanced-High level in at least two modalities are eligible to apply for the Overseas Program. Heritage speakers are also welcome to apply. Students receive academic credit for graduate-level courses through Bryn Mawr College or, if already enrolled, the University of Maryland. Support services include mandatory pre-departure orientation in Washington, D.C.; accident and illness insurance; a full-time U.S. resident director; and American Councils offices in Washington, D.C. and Dushanbe.