Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Program

Jointly funded by the German Bundestag and the U.S. Congress, the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX) is a full scholarship exchange program that offers young Americans the opportunity to live with a German host family and attend high school in Germany for a year. This program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by CIEE.

CBYX aims to foster cultural understanding and diplomacy while also promoting the German and English languages. Participants are also encouraged to learn about the political systems of their host country.

Become fluent in German, learn about another culture, and expand your horizons.

Eligibility

To apply for the CBYX program, you must:

Be a U.S. citizen
Have a GPA of 2.5 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)
Be born between February 1, 2003 - August 1, 2006

Please note that German language proficiency is not a requirement.

Important Dates

Deadline to Apply
December 1, 2020 (11:59 p.m. Pacific Time)

Semi-finalists Notified By
Mid-February

Semi-finalist Interviews*
February-March, 2021

Finalists Announced By
April 1, 2021

Pre-departure Orientation
Early August 2021

Language and Cultural Immersion Camp
4 weeks: August - September 2021

Program End Date
June 2022

* Semi-finalists must be present for an interview at one of the four listed locations. Transportation assistance is available for students with financial need on a case-by-case basis.

Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

In addition to the frequently asked questions and participants stories below, please read the CBYX Quick Fact Sheet. Here you fill find information on scholarship inclusions, program duration, application instructions, and more.

Apply

Application for the CBYX 2021-2022 program is now closed.

Please fill out this form to be notified when the application opens for 2022-2023.

Read our Participant Blogs

Going Home

By River H.

Hallo zusammen! There are no words to describe the pain that this will unfortunately be my last blog post covering the incredible journey that we have been on for the...keep reading

Fastnacht

By Grace W.

Helau! This past week, we celebrated Fastnacht (or, in the Mainz dialect, “Fassenacht”), or Carnival, which marks the beginning of Lent. I was also told that it had something to...keep reading

Berlin

By Grace W.

Last week, my social studies class took a trip to Berlin. It was my first time being in Germany’s capital, and I definitely enjoyed seeing the typical Berlin attractions. I...keep reading

Petty Differences

By Grace W.

Even though I’ve been living in Germany for a while now, there are still some things that I continue to find a little odd. These cultural differences are too small...keep reading

Mid-Year Seminar!

By River H.

Hallo zusammen! This past week was our mid-year seminar in the small town of Oberwesel, in southwestern Germany. We got to see most of the teamers from language camp again,...keep reading

Mid-Year Orientation

By Grace W.

This past week, I met up with the other CBYXers in Cologne for our Mid-Year Orientation. It was great to see everyone again; I couldn’t believe that it had been...keep reading

View All

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program (CBYX)

This program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and administered by CIEE.

Please contact us with any questions about this program:

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange Program
CIEE: Council on International Educational Exchange
300 Fore Street
Portland, ME 04101 USA
1 (800) 448-9944
cb@ciee.org