School of Russian and Asian Studies

What School of Russian and Asian Studies does

SRAS (School of Russian and Asian Studies) is a privately held education services organization founded in 1992 by Renee Stillings in Moscow, Russia, and currently headquartered in Woodside, California. The organization specializes in study abroad programming across Eurasian regions where Russian is widely spoken, with on-the-ground operations and program management in Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg, Irkutsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Vladivostok), Central Asia (Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan; Uzbekistan), the Caucasus (Tbilisi, Georgia), the Baltics (Riga, Latvia), and Eastern Europe (Poland, Ukraine, Bulgaria). SRAS serves individual US and international university students seeking language immersion and regional studies, university faculty and study abroad offices commissioning custom group programs, K-12 educators requiring classroom support, and academic researchers needing archive access. Core products include Individual Student Programs (semester, summer, academic year), Faculty-Led Custom Programs, Short-Term and Certificate Programs, Site Visits for Professionals, Classroom Support Services (peer tutoring with native Russian speakers via Zoom and WhatsApp), Research Support (hourly-billed archive research), Online Research Internships, Virtual Hermitage Tours, and Continuing Education programs. Supporting technology includes a custom application portal (HeiApply), a network of five content websites branded as the "SRAS Family of Sites," and the Vestnik academic journal launched in 2004.

The business model is diversified across multiple revenue streams: study abroad program fees covering tuition, housing, excursions, on-site support, and visa sponsorship; project-based fees for faculty-led custom programs; hourly-billed archive research services ($28/hr for the first 10 hours, $23/hr thereafter, plus archive costs and processing fees); institutional classroom support contracts for peer tutoring and virtual sessions; and freemium online events and workshops. SRAS employs approximately 9 core staff supported by freelance on-site coordinators and guides, and operates with no external venture, private equity, or institutional funding. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales and event-driven, with primary demand generation through the "SRAS on Tour" campus visit program, conference presence at NAFSA, ASEEES, Forum on Education Abroad, AATSEEL, and CARTA, educator workshops, direct university affiliation and partnership programs, and a content marketing engine distributed across the Family of Sites and email newsletters via Mailchimp. The organization serves 400+ participants annually and has published industry-standard enrollment surveys on Russian language programs since assuming responsibility from CCPCR in 2018.

Name

School of Russian and Asian Studies

Legal name

School of Russian and Asian Studies

Website

https://sras.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SRAS is a privately held education services organization founded in 1992 that designs and delivers study abroad programs, faculty-led custom group programs, classroom support, and archive research services across Eurasian regions for US university students, faculty, and academic researchers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Study Abroad and Educational Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Language Schools (611630)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Faculty-Led & Custom Group Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Direct Enrollment & Third-Party University Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAB), Faculty-Led Study Tours & Embedded Short Programs (Home Institution-Led) (EDAIAIAJ), Hybrid, Multi-Location & Multi-Country Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAE)

Keywords

• Study abroad programs
• Language immersion programs
• Faculty-led custom programs
• Archive research services
• Eurasian regional studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Portola Valley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Study Abroad Program Fees: SRAS charges tuition and program fees for semester, summer, and short-term study abroad programs in Russia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Poland, and other Eurasian locations. Fees cover coursework at local institutions, housing, excursions, on-site support, and visa sponsorship.
2. Custom Faculty-Led Group Programs: SRAS designs and delivers customized group programs for university faculty leaders, including curriculum development, logistics, on-site coordination, and cultural programming. Revenue is project-based per group.
3. Classroom Support Services: SRAS provides peer tutoring with native Russian speakers, virtual classroom sessions, and workshop facilitation to US educational institutions. Pricing is structured per session or per semester arrangement.
4. Archive Research Services: SRAS performs remote and on-site archive research for academic researchers, including document retrieval, translation, interpretation, and logistics support. Billed hourly plus archive costs and processing fees.
5. Online Programs: SRAS offers online courses, workshops, and virtual events (e.g., virtual Hermitage tours, holiday events, language seminars) for students and educators, often at low or no cost. Some online programs carry registration fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

SRAS designs and delivers study abroad programs (semester, summer, academic year, short-term) for individual students across Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Baltics, and Eastern Europe. It also develops custom faculty-led group programs and continuing education for university clients, provides classroom support services (native-speaker peer tutoring, virtual sessions), and offers archive research, translation, and consulting for academic researchers.

Product overview

SRAS offers a comprehensive portfolio of study abroad and educational services focused on Russian and Eurasian studies. The core offerings include Individual Student Programs (semester, summer, and academic year options), Faculty-Led Custom Programs, Short-Term and Certificate Programs, and Site Visits for Professionals. These are supplemented by educator support services including Classroom Support Services with peer tutoring, Continuing Education programs, and Research Support for archive access. SRAS also operates a suite of online platforms including the HeiApply Program Platform for applications, Virtual Hermitage Tours, and Online Research Internships. The SRAS Family of Sites comprises five digital publications—GeoHistory, PopKult, Folkways, Students Abroad, and Museum Studies Abroad—along with Vestnik academic journal and the Survey of Enrollments in Russian Language Classes. Financial support is available through SRAS Program Grants and the SRAS Ambassadors program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Student Programs Semester, summer, and academic year study abroad programs in Russia, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Baltic regions with language learning, cultural immersion, and academic coursework at partner institutions. Aimed at undergraduate and graduate students seeking language fluency and regional expertise.
• Faculty-Led Custom Programs Customized group programming for institutions designed to meet specific educational objectives. SRAS consultants and on-site team members work directly with study abroad offices and faculty leaders to create enriching on-site experiences for student groups.
• Short-Term and Certificate Programs Study tours and short-term study abroad opportunities including winter programs, spring break options, and certificate courses focused on intensive language learning and cultural experiences.
• Site Visits for Professionals

Quantifiable outcome

• 425 students from 68+ US universities and 3 high schools participated in SRAS's 2023-2024 Russian language student survey, demonstrating broad reach into the target market.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Liden & Denz Language School (St. Petersburg/Riga)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiden & Denz is a leading language school in St. Petersburg and Riga that provides Russian language instruction for SRAS students. SRAS students consistently praise the quality of instruction at Liden & Denz, particularly for conversational Russian skills development. The school provides structured language courses that integrate with SRAS academic programming.
• NovaMova Language School (Kyiv)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNovaMova is a language school in Kyiv, Ukraine that collaborated with SRAS on the 2021 educator workshop series, specifically hosting a workshop on the language of identity led by Dr. Liubov Proskurina. NovaMova provides Russian and other language instruction for SRAS programming in Ukraine.
• Various Eurasian Educational InstitutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRAS works closely with reputable local educational institutions in its program destinations including Moscow State University (where founder Renee studied), St. Petersburg Economic University, Smolny Institute in St. Petersburg, and other universities and language schools in Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia, Latvia, Poland, and Ukraine. These partnerships provide the academic infrastructure for SRAS programs.
• US University Partners (Study Abroad Offices)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSRAS has developed affiliation and partnership relationships with US university study abroad offices and faculty to recruit students and co-develop programs. Partner institutions include Stetson University, Macalester College, University of Pittsburgh, Bates College, Drew University, Bowdoin College, Connecticut College, Union College, University of Montana, and dozens of others that send students on SRAS programs.
• Bellerage Alinga (formerly Alinga Consulting Group)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSRAS founder Renee Huhs co-founded Alinga Consulting Group (now merged to become Bellerage Alinga), a consulting firm supporting businesses in Russia. SRAS staff have historically served as Communications Director and consultants to Bellerage Alinga. The connection represents a shared professional network in the Eurasian business services space.
• CCPCR (Committee on College and Pre-College Russian)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCPCR was the original administrator of the Survey of Enrollments in Russian Language Classes from 1996-2013. In 2018, the committee retired from the survey and passed responsibility to SRAS, which now conducts and publishes these annual surveys. This represents a transfer of industry-standard data collection responsibility to SRAS.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• API (Academic Programs International): US study abroad provider offering direct-enrollment and faculty-led programs across multiple destinations. Competes with SRAS for university partnership slots and individual student applicants, particularly in non-traditional locations.
• American Councils for International Education: Direct competitor in the Russian/Eurasian studies space, operating language and academic programs across Russia, Central Asia, and the Caucasus. Overlaps heavily with SRAS's destination portfolio and university-facing recruitment model.
• IES Abroad: Major US non-profit study abroad organization offering semester, summer, and custom faculty-led programs globally. Competes with SRAS for institutional partnerships and individual student enrollments, particularly in language-intensive destinations.
• CET Academic Programs: Study abroad provider focused on language and area studies with intensive programs in multiple regions. Closely comparable to SRAS in language immersion emphasis, university partnerships, and shorter-program offerings.
• SIT Study Abroad (World Learning): Thematic, field-based study abroad provider known for language and area studies programs in regions including the former Soviet Union. Comparable to SRAS in mission (language + cultural immersion + thematic focus) and institutional structure (non-profit).
• Liden & Denz: Language school operating in St. Petersburg and Riga (and other locations) that provides Russian language instruction to SRAS students. Functions both as a partner and as a partial competitor for students seeking immersive Russian study.
• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): One of the largest US-based study abroad program providers offering semester, summer, and short-term programs across many global destinations, including Russia. Directly comparable to SRAS in operating model (program fees, faculty-led, classroom support) but at significantly larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• NovaMova: Language school in Kyiv (and online) offering Russian, Ukrainian, and other language instruction. Historic SRAS partner that also serves as a competing destination for students seeking Slavic-language immersion.

Broad incumbents

• Institute of International Education (IIE): Large, established international education organization administering Fulbright and other major programs. Overlaps with SRAS at the broader international education policy level but operates at much larger scale and broader scope.

Regional players

• Middlebury Language Schools: Premier US-based intensive language programs including Russian. Not a direct competitor for study abroad delivery but produces the same student segment and competes for Russian-language students' summer time/budget.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SRASinRussia
• Facebookfacebook.com/SRASFB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sras
• Instagraminstagram.com/srasorg
• Xx.com/srasorg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about School of Russian and Asian Studies