Program Dates: Summer 2026 and 2026-27 School Year
Application Deadline: November 12, 2025
This is a very prestigious free international travel opportunity for high school students who want to stand out in the crowd!! The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) is the US State Department funded program which provides American high school students with opportunities to study less commonly taught critical languages in overseas academic settings for free. Full merit-based scholarships are available to study overseas for summer programs (6-7 weeks long) in Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Korean, and Russian. School year (including gap year) programs are also available. NSLI-Y Scholars participate in intensive language classes, home stays, cultural experiences, and volunteer projects. These are EXCELLENT opportunities for students to get started on learning a critical language that could be extremely useful in their future college and career plans. Applicants must be US citizens, with at least a 2.5 GPA, and 15-18 years of age at the start of the program. Previous study in the target language is not required.
For more information and to apply, go to http://www.nsliforyouth.org. Questions? Contact American Councils at 1-800-380-6552 or nsliy@americancouncils.org. NOTE: The NSLI-Y and FLEX Abroad Programs have a common application.