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
April 3, 2023

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.

The Application For CBYX Program Year 2023-2024 Program Is Now Open

Application Open

The application is due on December 1, 2022.

Apply Now

Read our Participant Blogs

Blurbs about the first week in Germany

By Adam B.

I’m pretty terrible at timing, The first week has been unbelievably busy, but it has also been unbelievably exciting. While the end of my first 7 days has most certainly...keep reading

Freitags in Bad Laasphe

By Skyler F.

Maybe it was just one night, but that will always be a defining memory. On Fridays during the summer, there is a concert where the farmer's market usually takes place...keep reading

Notions About Language Camp (pt. 1)

By Rachel H.

When doing my search for exchange programs, I’d always get stuck in a few places. The first was when I scrolled down to cost and saw a 5-digit number staring...keep reading

My First Week at Language Camp!

By Ally B.

Introduction When first applying for the CBYX program I had a thousand questions. One of my concerns was language camp and what that entailed. So I searched throughout the internet...keep reading

December 17, 1992

By Adam B.

Hello Friends! As of right now, frankly, I have nothing of substance to say. I just wanted to kickstart the blog with a little portion of information about me as...keep reading

A Long Time Coming...

By Ally B.

‘Everything happens for a reason,’ or at least, that’s what everyone kept telling me... The journey to becoming an exchange student in Germany has been similar to a Kansas road...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
600 Southborough Drive, Suite 104
South Portland, Maine 04106
1 (800) 448-9944
cb@ciee.org