The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange, or CBYX, program is a dynamic and immersive exchange program jointly offered by the U.S. and German governments. CBYX is a crucial thread in the people-to-people ties between the United States and Germany. CBYX’s three components offer opportunities to study and/or work abroad for high school students, recent high school graduates with a vocational interest, and young professionals. The High School and Young Professional components are reciprocal, with Americans going to Germany and Germans coming to America. We offer the Vocational component to Americans seeking experience in Germany. No previous language experience is required for the CBYX program!
As citizen ambassadors, American CBYX participants represent the spirit, values, and diversity of the United States. Similarly, German participants acquaint Americans with German culture and perspectives. In both directions, participants and communities benefit from mutual understanding and the sharing of ideas.
American high school students can apply for a funded study abroad opportunity to spend an academic year attending a German school while living with a host family. Similarly, the Vocational and Young Professional programs provide American high school graduates with a chance to study and train in Germany for an academic year, while gaining real-world work experiences and German language instruction. The program provides a network of support through reputable international exchange organizations, field staff, trained volunteers, and carefully screened host families to ensure the safety and success of the participant’s exchange experience. The program is designed to strengthen ties between U.S. and German youth, improve their career skills through formal study and work experience, and expand their perspectives and awareness of each other's culture, society, history, and politics. Volunteer host families, schools, and communities across the United States and Germany all play a key role in achieving program success.
CBYX provides opportunities to Americans:
High School Students (15-18 year olds)
Vocational School Graduates (18-19 year olds)
Young Professionals (18.5-24 year olds)
In addition, Americans can explore German culture without leaving home by hosting a CBYX participant. Learn more at hosting.state.gov
Germans interested in becoming CBYX participants or hosts should visit the Bundestag website
Learn more about the U.S.-German relationship here: https://www.state.gov/u-s-relations-with-germany/
Program Length
1 YearEligibility and Application Overview
Applications for CBYX High School and Young Professionals are now open!
- High School applications are due November 1, 2023. Visit the CBYX High School website to apply.
- Young Professional applications are due November 1, 2023. Visit the CBYX Young Professional website to apply.
- Vocational applications will open in September 2023 and will be due in December, 2023. Visit the CBYX Vocational website to apply.
The U.S. Department of State is committed to representing the diversity of the United States through the participants in the CBYX program. CBYX welcomes applicants of diverse race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, geographic location, socioeconomic status, disability, sexual orientation or gender identity. We encourage all Americans to apply, so that each CBYX cohort of citizen ambassadors reflects our nation’s diversity.
High School Students (15-18 year olds)
The High School program is offered to Americans seeking to study in Germany and Germans seeking to study in the United States.
Participants in the CBYX High School program attend a local high school and live with a host family for their year abroad. The U.S. Department of State partners with four organizations for the recruitment of U.S. citizens and placement of German participants with host families in the United States. Those organizations are AFS-USA, ASSE, CIEE, and YFU. The German Bundestag partners with five organizations for the recruitment of German citizens and placement of American citizens in Germany. Those organizations are AFS-Germany, GIVE, Experiment, Partnership International, and Youth for Understanding-Germany.
Applications from U.S. high school students are accepted at:
http://www.usagermanyscholarship.org/app/
To host a German CBYX high school scholarship recipient in your home visit:
http://hosting.state.gov
Information for German high school students and families wishing to host can be found on the German Bundestag website:
https://www.bundestag.de/ppp
Vocational School Graduates (18-19 year olds)
The CBYX Vocational program is offered to Americans seeking experience in Germany.
Participants in the CBYX Vocational program, who are graduating American secondary school seniors with an interest in vocational training programs, live with host families in Germany. Vocational program participants receive two months of German language training, spend a brief time in a German high school, and then focus their remaining program on vocational training internships in a variety of fields. Participants in this CBYX program take a “gap year” between high school and their next step to benefit from Germany’s exceptional vocational training system and institutions. The U.S. Department of State partners with Nacel Open Door on the recruitment of U.S. citizens for the Vocational component of the CBYX program. The German Bundestag partners with Open Door International to place the U.S. participants with German hosts.
Applications from U.S. citizens are accepted via the Nacel Open Door website:
http://www.nacelopendoor.org/exchange-programs/americans-abroad.html
Germans interested in hosting U.S. vocational participants can visit the Open Door International website at https://www.opendoorinternational.de/gastfamilie-werden
Young Professionals (18.5-24 year olds)
The Young Professionals program is offered to Americans seeking to work and study in Germany, and Germans seeking to work and study in the United States.
Participants in the CBYX Young Professionals program spend two months undergoing German language training; study for a semester at a university, technical, or professional school; and finish out the academic year program getting practical work experience. The U.S. Department of State partners with Cultural Vistas on the recruitment of U.S. citizens and the placement of German participants for the Young Professionals component of CBYX. The German Bundestag partners with Cultural Vistas Europe for the recruitment of German young professionals and the placement of U.S. young professionals in Germany.
Applications from U.S. citizens are accepted via the Cultural Vistas website:
https://culturalvistas.org/programs/abroad/congress-bundestag-youth-exchange-young-professionals/
To host a German CBYX young professional, please visit:
https://culturalvistas.org/for-prospective-hosts/host-information-cbyx/
Information for Germans interested in hosting American young professionals or applying to the young professionals program is on the Bundestag website:
https://www.bundestag.de/ppp
Program Evaluation
The U.S. Department of State recently commissioned an independent review of the effectiveness of this program. The external analysis found that the CBYX program has long-lasting positive impacts on American participants and the U.S. communities, families, and businesses that hosted German participants.
A printable two page document talking about the results of the evaluation can be found here.
A printable two page document on the benefits of the program for U.S. youth who go to Germany, can be found here.
A printable two-page document on the benefits of the program for U.S. communities, families, and schools, can be found here.
For a more in-depth look at the impact of the CBYX program, the full evaluation can be downloaded here.
