The events of September 11, 2001, shocked the nation and forced the United States government to acknowledge its tremendously inadequate capability in foreign language proficiency and global cultural awareness. Post 9/11 military operations reinforced the reality that the Department of Defense (DoD) needs a significantly improved capability in non-western European languages and dialects and a surge capacity to expand its language capabilities. In recent years, colleges and universities have experienced a significant growth in short-term foreign language immersion programs however, fewer government educational grants means that more students are working to pay their way through school, and keeping a job is much easier when the student is gone for a few weeks rather than for a few months or a year. Furthermore, short-term summer immersion programs are very attractive to students who major in challenging subjects with little or no credit for language classes. Still, a fundamental question remained: How do student participants in short-term foreign language immersion programs actually benefit from the experience? This study combined a quantitative assessment with a qualitative evaluation in an attempt to provide a meaningful judgment of how short-term language immersion programs stimulate the language acquisition process. The results showed all program participants, whether first-time participants or repeat students, indicated that the short-term language immersion program provided them with myriad opportunities to improve their language skills. This study revealed that language immersion participants experienced a statistically significant improvement in both listening and reading scores from pre-test to post-test.