U.S. Department of State
The U.S. Department of State’s National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) is a merit-based scholarship program for U.S. high school students to study languages critical to U.S. national security and economic competitiveness.
What is NSLI-Y?
NSLI-Y offers programs that immerse participants in the culture of the host community, giving them formal and informal language practice and sparking a lifetime interest in foreign languages and cultures.
Participants live with a host family for all or part of the summer and academic year abroad programs and participate in a variety of cultural activities.
Previous language study is not required. NSLI-Y programs abroad support participants at all language levels.
In their words…
“NSLI-Y is and will always be one of the most important developments of the formative years of my youth. The program inspired a never-ending desire to learn more about not only different languages and cultures but also the hopes and desires that connect us as human beings.”
Tyler, NSLI-Y Arabic Alumnus
History of NSLI-Y
National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) is a program of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA). NSLI-Y was launched as part of the multi-agency U.S. government National Security Language Initiative to improve U.S. capacity of critical language speakers in the United States to support national security and economic competitiveness.
When it was launched in 2006, NSLI-Y offered study abroad opportunities in only two languages: Arabic and Chinese (Mandarin). It has grown significantly since, and currently offers programs in Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Indonesian, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian, and Turkish. In 2019, NSLI-Y added Virtual NSLI-Y, an online program to increase access for critical language study during high school. Over 10,000 individuals proudly call themselves NSLI-Y and Virtual NSLI-Y alumni. The program’s history of growth is testimony to the importance of learning and using critical world languages.
NSLI-Y Goals
- To increase the number of young Americans with the language skills necessary to advance international dialogue, promote economic prosperity and innovation, and contribute to U.S. national security and global stability by building understanding across cultures.
- To improve Americans’ ability to engage with the people of Arabic, Chinese, Indonesian, Korean, Persian, Russian, and Turkish-speaking locations through shared language.
- To provide a tangible incentive for the learning and use of foreign language by creating overseas language study opportunities for U.S. high school students.
- To spark a lifetime interest in critical foreign languages and cultures among American youth.
Partners
NSLI-Y is administered by American Councils for International Education in cooperation with AFS-USA, iEARN, American Cultural Exchange Service (ACES), Amideast, Stony Brook University, and University of Delaware. More information about NSLI-Y’s Partner Organizations can be found here.
Over the course of my experience with the NSLI-Y program, I’ve come to discover just how impactful studying abroad can truly be. I’ve made lifelong friends, discovered my passion for language learning, and gained greater clarity about the eventual impact I want to make on the world. NSLI-Y has been an unforgettable, transformative experience that has shaped me into the person that I am today.
Bethany, NSLI-Y Chinese (Mandarin) Alumna
I learned more than I have in my entire life in the span of my 6-week NSLI-Y program. I learned not only about my target language and culture, but also about the type of leader I want to see in myself in the future.
Maria, NSLI-Y Chinese (Mandarin) Alumna