Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals
Apply through Independent Application Process
Internal Deadline: none - see website for details, usually December
» Scholarship's official website
Description
The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals is a funded fellowship that annually provides 75 American and 75 German young professionals the opportunity to spend one year in each other’s countries, studying, interning, and living with hosts on a cultural immersion program.
The program for Americans consists of three phases:
- Intensive Language Training: Two months of intensive German language training
- Study Phase: One semester of classes in one’s academic or career field at a university, technical, or professional school
- Internship Phase: Three to five month internship in one’s career field
Participants are placed with a German host and are expected to participate in family activities and household life. In some cases, participants are placed in a German shared-apartment, or in a student dormitory, and are expected to take part in the daily life of the people with whom they live. The program pays for basic living and travel costs for all participants, including travel, housing, and a monthly stipend.
CBYX is open to candidates in all career fields, and applicants from a broad range of backgrounds are selected for the program each year. CBYX is sponsored in the U.S. by the Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended. Cultural Vistas has administered CBYX for Young Professionals for 40 years.
Eligibility
Candidates for CBYX for Young Professionals must:
- be U.S. citizens,
- be between 18½ and 24 years of age at the start of the program,
- possess a high school diploma,
- be strongly interested in Germany and world affairs.
Prior German language knowledge is not required.
Selection Criteria
Participants must exhibit clear career goals and relevant experience in their career field, which includes work, internships, or volunteering. Participants are expected to act as “young ambassadors” of the United States in Germany and represent the diversity of the U.S. in various factors, including but not limited to, career field, educational background, geographic location, disabilities, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, and socio-economic status.