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, checked November 4, 2026: The YES homepage confirms Spring Semester 2027 (January–June) and lists Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Egypt, India, Indonesia, Kosovo, Malaysia, North Macedonia and Pakistan. It directs applicants seeking 2027–2028 opportunities to FLEX Global, which publishes its own country list and selection routes. The Spring YES country group is not a new FLEX Global eligibility list.
Birth-date, grade and application requirements vary by country. For example, the Egypt page gives January 1, 2009–January 1, 2012, while Bangladesh gives a different window. Applicants must use their country’s published conditions; no universal cutoff is established. The Bangladesh page confirms the listed scholarship benefits and exclusions. The current pages no longer present the older general academic-year recruitment-pause notice as their active status.