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, 2005 - August 1, 2008

Please note that German language proficiency is not a requirement.

Important Dates

Deadline to Apply
December 1, 2022 (11:59 p.m. Pacific Time)

Semi-finalists Notified By
January 30, 2023

Semi-finalist Interviews*
February-March, 2023

Finalists Announced By
Early-to-mid April

Pre-departure Orientation (Washington DC)
August 3-5, 2023

Language and Cultural Immersion Camp (Germany)
4 weeks: August 6 - September 4, 2023

Program End Date
Anticipated June 19, 2024

*Interviews will be conducted in-person in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, and Washington DC

Resources

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Apply

The CBYX Application for 2023-2024 is now closed.

Please fill out this form to be notified when the application opens for 2024-2025.

Read our Participant Blogs

Notions About Exhaustion

By Rachel H.

When people talk about their exchange year they mention one icebreaker (a funny story of them being wrong or messing up), one instance of how they changed, and about a...keep reading

To Switch or Not to Switch: An (Unofficial) Guide to Solving Host Family Problems

By Lauren M.

Host family troubles. While being the most feared part of one’s exchange year, it is unfortunately inevitable. Many hours of language camp consists of learning how to communicate, but it...keep reading

Mid-Year in Köln

By Ally B.

Introduction In the CBYX program there are certain events we are expected to participate through throughout the year, those of which being; D.C. orientation, a month at language camp, a...keep reading

A Weekend of Karneval

By Lauren M.

Karneval: no school, only partying. I came to Germany for the culture, and though Karneval is not widely celebrated throughout Germany, it’s been one of the best ‘’holidays’’ I’ve experienced...keep reading

Christmas in Denmark (& New Years' Eve Traditions)

By Ally B.

Introduction When I received my host family placement, I was excited to figure out everything about my host siblings, host parents, what city I would be in, etc. - literally...keep reading

Celebrating the New Year

By Mara T.

Happy New Year! This month's blogpost I do not only want to talk about our New Years celebration on December 31, but also the Lunar New Year that I celebrated...keep reading

CBYX

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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
600 Southborough Drive, Suite 104
South Portland, Maine 04106
1 (800) 448-9944
cb@ciee.org