The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsors many programs that are now accepting applications for scholarships that provide American high school students the opportunity to study abroad.
Opportunities include:
The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad Program offers scholarships to American high school students to spend an academic year living with host families and attending school in countries that may include Bosnia & Herzegovina, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mali (semester), Morocco, Oman, South Africa, Thailand, Tunisia, and Turkey. This post-9/11 program focuses on increasing understanding between people in the United States and countries with significant Muslim populations. Visit www.yes-abroad.org to apply. The application deadline is January 9, 2014.
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX) was established in 1983 to celebrate German-American friendship based on common values of democracy. Secondary school students, ages 15–18, live with host families, attend local schools, and participate in community life in Germany. Young professionals (undergraduates) and high school graduates of vocational studies, ages 18–24, study and participate in practical training. For more information and application deadlines, visit the organization in charge of recruitment for your state at http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org/
The American Youth Leadership Program offers opportunities for American high school students and educators to travel abroad on a three- to four-week-long exchange program to gain first-hand knowledge of foreign cultures and to collaborate on solving global issues. Academic and experiential educational exchange programs focus on dialogue and debate, leadership development, and community service. Recruitment areas and application deadlines vary by program, so please check http://exchanges.state.gov/us/program/youth-leadership-programs for more information.
The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) offers merit-based scholarships to American high school aged students for overseas study of one of seven critical foreign languages: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian, and Turkish. The NSLI-Y program is designed to immerse participants in the cultural life of the host country, giving them invaluable formal and informal language practice. Previous language study is not required. The application period is now closed but opens early fall. Visit www.nsliforyouth.org.
For more information on exchanges sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, visit www.exchanges.state.gov.
