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 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale).
Be born between February 1, 2002 - August 1, 2005

Please note that German language proficiency is not a requirement.

Important Dates

Deadline to Apply
December 3, 2019

Semi-finalists Notified By
January 30, 2020

Semi-finalist Interviews*
February 15 - 16, 2020 (Herndon, VA)
February 29 - March 1, 2020 (Denver, CO)
March 14 - 15, 2020 (Atlanta, GA)
March 21 - 22, 2020 (Dallas, TX)

Finalists Announced By
April 1, 2020

Pre-departure Orientation
August 6 - 8, 2020

Language and Cultural Immersion Camp
August 9 - September 5, 2020

Program End Date
June 2021

* 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

The application for the CBYX program year 2020-2021 is now open!

Please click below to start your application!

Start Your Application

Read our Participant Blogs

School "Spieltag"

By Olivia L.

Recently, my school held their very first ever "Spieltag" or play day, and yes it's exactly what it sounds like. Students showed up to school so that they could play...keep reading

Nebraska Presentation: Sharing my cultutre

By Olivia L.

Sometimes amazing opportunities you have to search for and really work hard to accomplish, and others simply fall into you lap. My host sister Kirsten recently asked me if I...keep reading

A Trip to the Supermarkt

By Grace W.

On Saturday, I went to the grocery store with my host dad and host sister. Our outing began by putting all of our glass and plastic bottles in the trunk...keep reading

Germany's Reunification Day

By Olivia L.

Yesterday, 3/10/19, was the German reunification day where we celebrated the fall of the Berlin Wall. My family, a friend, and I took this opportunity to watch the local Warburg...keep reading

My School Schedule

By Grace W.

After a week of following my host sister around with her schedule, I finally have my own! Like I mentioned in my last blog post, classes here vary every day,...keep reading

A Day in Gymnasium

By Olivia L.

As you can imagine, German school systems are not set up in the way american school systems. Whether this be a small difference of how the teachers dress to school...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