The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program provides scholarships for high school students from countries of strategic importance to the United States to live and study in the U.S. Participants live with host families, attend American high schools, develop leadership skills, and engage in activities to promote mutual understanding. Students act as youth ambassadors, sharing their culture while learning about American society and values. The program was established by Congress in response to the events of September 11, 2001 and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. More than 15,000 participants have taken part since 2003.
Current status: Recruitment for the 2026-2027 academic year has been paused. The official site lists a YES Spring Semester 2027 program (January to June 2027) for students from nine countries: Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kosovo, Malaysia, North Macedonia and Pakistan. For the 2027-2028 academic year, the YES site directs applicants to FLEX Global (discoverflexglobal.org), which builds on the FLEX and YES programs.