Join us at the Chinese Flagship
Contact us today if you are interested and eligible! You can enroll anytime during the academic semesters or the summer. Please read all information on this page carefully and fill out the application form in “How to Apply” to get started.
We welcome inquiry from interested high school students, their parents, or instructors.
Eligibility
- To enroll in the Flagship program as a student, and receive Flagship funding and support, you must:
- Be a full-time University of Minnesota undergraduate student in good academic standing
- Be a US citizen or permanent resident (Flagship is a U.S. government federal grant)
- Be committed to completing the entire Chinese Flagship program and achieving superior-level Chinese proficiency
Admission Standards
We take a holistic approach for admission into the Chinese Flagship program. Students are evaluated on the following, including but not limited to:
- Pass the OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) at the appropriate level of Chinese instruction
- Pass the STAMP (Standards-based Measurement of Proficiency) test at the appropriate level of Chinese instruction
- Minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0
- Ability to complete their degree program and Flagship Capstone in a maximum of 5 years
Subject to further change at the program's discretion.
How to Apply
Complete all the steps in the application instructions below. Once you are admitted to Chinese Flagship program, you will be eligible for Flagship tutoring and scholarships.
1. Fill out the online application form. After receiving your application, the program’s Associate Director Dr. Yao Tu will contact you to arrange proficiency tests (OPI and STAMP) or require additional information. Please allow up to 5 business days for a response.
2. The Associate Director will notify you of your proficiency test results through email. If you pass the tests, you will receive the UMN Chinese Flagship pledge form. Sign the pledge form and email it back to the Associate Director.
3. Once we receive your pledge form, you will receive an invitation link to join the Flagship Student Certification System (SCS). Activate your SCS account and complete all registration steps there. You are formally admitted into the program once you complete the SCS registration.
Students from immersion programs or with AP scores
If you have graduated from a Chinese immersion program, or have an AP Chinese score that is 3 or above, you will be automatically admitted into the program once you fill out the online application form in “How to Apply.” You are expected to sign the pledge form we email you, register in SCS, meet all program standards, and take yearly proficiency tests to track progress.
If you already have advanced language proficiency, contact chnflag@umn.edu to arrange special individual tutorials that suit your interest.
Provisional admission of absolute beginners
If you are enrolled in CHN1011 or CHN1015, you can be provisionally admitted into the Chinese Flagship program. Please follow all the application steps in “How to Apply” except for the proficiency test requirement.
Once you have signed the pledge form, you will be eligible for individual tutoring and other Flagship opportunities. You will take the proficiency test at the end of your first semester. Your Flagship status will continue into the second semester only if you successfully pass the proficiency benchmarks and receive a cumulative GPA of 3.0 and above at the end of the first semester.
ROTC
ROTC students receive special consideration in our admission process. Find out more about the federal ROTC Flagship Initiative. Contact chnflag@umn.edu as soon as you are interested.
Post-admission
Once admitted, you should set up the following appointments:
- Set up an appointment with the Associate Director Yao Tu (ytu@umn.edu) to schedule individual tutoring.
- Set up an appointment with the Academic Advisor Claudia Hasegawa (haseg002@umn.edu) to go through your degree plans.
Contact
Please contact chnflag@umn.edu for any questions about the application process.