Many people think of study abroad as something to do in college, but there are options for high school students as well. In addition to the private companies offering programs abroad, the US State Department has an Education section offering a wide variety of language and cultural scholarship programs. I’ve had students who attended two of these programs, and they (and their parents) were really pleased with how everything was run, as well as the language skills they gained.
The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) provides more than 1,000 scholarships for U.S. high school students to study abroad for a few weeks, summer, or an academic year in more than 25 countries. These exchange programs prepare young Americans to succeed in the 21st century's global economy by developing foreign language skills, increasing cross-cultural understanding, strengthening confidence and leadership capacity, and fostering new academic insights and ambitions.
Applications are now being received for the following scholarship programs. Please share this information widely with teachers, students, parents, and others in your networks.
Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX): Live with a host family and attend high school in Germany.
Application Deadline: November 1, 2023
Length: Academic Year
Future Leaders Exchange Abroad (FLEX Abroad): Live with a host family and attend high school in Georgia, Kazakhstan, or Poland
Application Deadline: December 6, 2023
Length: Academic Year
Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad (YES Abroad): Live with a host family and attend high school in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, or Europe
Application Deadline: December 6, 2023
Length: Academic Year
National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y): Immerse yourself in Arabic, Indonesian, Mandarin, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian, or Turkish language learning
Application Deadline: November 2, 2023
Length: Six-seven weeks in summer or Academic Year
Youth Ambassadors: Learn about civic education and develop leadership skills in the Caribbean and South or Central America
Application Deadline: November 13, 2023
Length: Two-three weeks in summer
Programs cover international airfare, tuition, program costs, meals, and living accommodations (often with a host family), among other things. There are no language prerequisites, except for select Youth Ambassadors programs. Applicants must be between the ages of 15 and 18.5 when the program starts. The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs strives to represent the diversity of the U.S. and societies abroad in its programs.