Scholarship Amount

This is a full scholarship.

Eligibility

• The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX) is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Congress and German Bundestag and administered by YFU USA. CBYX 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. Additional information on this prestigious scholarship may be found here.

To be eligible, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen, national or permanent resident

• Have a GPA of 2.50 or better 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, 2006 and August 1, 2009 for the 2024-25 program).

Complete Application Includes:

• Online Application

• Host Family Letter

• 5 Short Answer Essay Questions

• 1 Teacher and 1 Community Leader Recommendation

• Academic Transcript

• School Certificate

• Parent-student agreement

• CBYX Terms & Conditions

• 1 Smiling headshot

• 5 Candid photos

Apply for the CBYX scholarship program.

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 website.

Application Fees

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*

Notes

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

• *In some instances, additional CBYX grant funding is available to cover personal spending money for students who demonstrate financial need. Please contact the YFU Registration department at admissions@yfu.org to learn more about the qualifications for additional funding for personal spending money.

• YFU USA will be holding a special Virtual Information Night (VIN) for students interested in the CBYX program. Stay tuned for additional details soon!

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