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, 2004 - August 1, 2007

Please note that German language proficiency is not a requirement.

Important Dates

Deadline to Apply
December 1, 2021 (11:59 p.m. Pacific Time)

Semi-finalists Notified By
Mid-February

Semi-finalist Interviews*
February-March 2022

Finalists Announced By
April 1, 2022

Pre-departure Orientation
Early August 2022

Language and Cultural Immersion Camp
4 weeks: August-September 2022

Program End Date
June 2023

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 CBYX Application for 2022-2023 is now closed.

Please fill out this form to be notified when the application opens for 2023-2024.

Read our Participant Blogs

A poem to share

By Sabrina B.

Guten Morgen readers, Since being in Germany I have been doing a lot of poem writing. My poems help me digest my emotions and serve as a good record of...keep reading

Nikolaustag

By Sabrina B.

Hallo! Here in Germany on December 6th we celebrated Nikolaustag, a tradition where children set out shoes to be filled by St. Nikolaus. I thought it would be interesting to...keep reading

It's Beginning to Feel a Lot Like Christmas

By Katherine B.

Last night I moved in with my new host family, and so far things are going well. My host sister invited me to bake Christmas cookies with some friends, which...keep reading

Auf Wiedersehen, Oldenburg

By Katherine B.

Winter has arrived here in Germany. The sun sets at 4:00 pm, and the shades of orange and crimson that graced Oldenburg last month have faded into grey. I’m working...keep reading

Thanksgiving in Germany

By Sabrina B.

Moin! Yesterday was Thanksgiving. It is usually a family-oreinted holiday in the United States, so it can be difficult day for exchange students (me included). Fortunately, I was so lucky...keep reading

Oldenburg Weihnachtsmarkt

By Katherine B.

Today, my friends and I decided to go to the Oldenburg Weihnachtsmarkt, or Christmas Market. We each sought out something to eat and spent the afternoon recovering from a grueling...keep reading

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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