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YFU offers over 200 full and partial merit-based scholarships and needs-based financial aid to students every year.

To be considered for scholarship awards, students must meet the eligibility requirements listed on the individual Scholarship Information pages below and demonstrate characteristics like flexibility, tolerance and open-mindedness. In addition to the standard application and fee (if required), students also need to submit essay responses, a host family introduction letter and teacher recommendations by the scholarship deadline. Students can apply for multiple scholarships and pay only one fee.

Through the generosity of numerous corporations, governments, foundations and individuals, YFU awards more than $2.3 million in partial or full study abroad scholarships annually. Students are encouraged to consider all of their scholarship options and apply to as many as they qualify for by the December 1 scholarship application deadline!

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange

YFU Scholarship Information Sheet

At a Glance

Application Deadline

Program Length


December 11

- School Year (summer departure)

Eligible Countries

Please refer to individual country pages for program duration and departure times.

Scholarship Amount

  • This is a full scholarship.

Eligibility

  • The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, is for motivated high school students who want to live with a host family and attend school for an academic year in Germany. No previous language experience is required. Students who have previously participated in a semester or year exchange in another country are not eligible for the Germany programs and scholarships.
  • To be eligible, you must:
    • Be a U.S. citizen
    • Be a current high school student at the time of application, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale
    • Reside in one of the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, Wisconsin.

Age Requirements

  • Students must be 15 to 18 ½ on August 1 of the program departure year: born between February 1, 2001 and August 1, 2004 for the 2019-20 program

Complete Application Includes:

  • Online Application
  • Host Family Letter
  • 6 Short Answer Essay Questions
  • 2 Teacher Recommendations
  • Academic Transcript
  • School Certificate
  • Parent-student agreement
  • CBYX Terms & Conditions
  • 1 Smiling headshot
  • 5 Candid photos

Application Fee

  • Application fee to be paid by the sponsor.

Scholarship Covers:

  • Round-trip international travel
  • Placement with a carefully selected host family
  • Regional orientation for scholarship recipients and parents
  • Preparatory materials
  • Support services in host country
  • Medical insurance coverage

Scholarship Recipients are Responsible for:

  • Passport
  • Visa fees (if necessary)
  • Any excess luggage tariffs
  • Personal spending money
 



 

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PLEASE KEEP A COPY OF THIS PAGE AND YOUR APPLICATION MATERIALS FOR YOUR REFERENCE.

Note: Scholarship programs are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice.

 

To apply for the CBYX scholarship program, use the link below.

YFU also has a few other scholarships to Germany, both full and partial opportunities! These other opportunities have a separate application through the YFU website. You may apply to as many as you would like. If applying for multiple scholarships, please indicate each scholarship's name and code on your application. All scholarship recipients are required to travel on the YFU group travel dates, and to complete the entire program. For more information regarding YFU and the scholarship selection process call 1.800.TEENAGE or refer to the Scholarships Overview section of this web site.

CBYX Application link: APPLY NOW!