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American Councils for International Education and other implementing organizations partner with the U.S. Department of State on the NSLI-Y program. We are reviewing this website to ensure compliance with recent executive orders and other guidance.

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National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y)

The U.S. Department of State NSLI-Y program is part of an interagency initiative to ensure that Americans are learning and mastering critical languages to foster international cooperation, build mutual understanding, strengthen national security, and bolster the economy. NSLI-Y provides scholarship programs to American high school students to study critical languages and the regions in which these languages are spoken, sparking a lifetime interest that carries through their education and careers.

Languages & Program Experiences

NSLI-Y provides intensive immersion programs to study Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Indonesian, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian, and Turkish in host locations around the world.
Beginners are encouraged to apply, previous language experience is not required.

NSLI-Y offers the following languages:

Arabic

Chinese (Mandarin)

Indonesian

Korean

Persian (Tajiki)

Russian

Turkish

Virtual NSLI-Y

Programs may take place in the following locations:

China, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Korea, Latvia, Morocco, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, and other locations around the world, as conditions allow.

Please note that programs, host locations, and schedules are dependent on local health and safety conditions and are subject to change.

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