U.S. Department of State
Provides American high school students the opportunity to spend 8-10 months studying a critical language while immersed in the cultural life of the host community.
Academic Year Abroad
About
Program Duration: 8-10 months
Eligibility: U.S. citizen, high school student 2025-2026, 15-18 years old, and more. View details
Languages: Arabic, Chinese, Korean, and Russian
Program Cost: Covered by NSLI-Y Scholarship
1200+
teens have participated in academic year programs across 10 countries since NSLI-Y’s inception in 2006.
Over 80%*
of alumni reported that NSLI-Y had a significant impact on their educational and/or professional goals.
Nearly 90%*
of alumni continued to study their NSLI-Y target language post-program.
*Statistics from NSLI-Y’s 2023 Alumni Survey.
What to Expect
The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) is a U.S. Department of State merit-based scholarship program for U.S. high school students to study critical languages abroad in an immersive environment. No prior language learning experience is required.
The NSLI-Y academic year abroad program is 8-10 months long. It offers language instruction and a variety of cultural, community, and project-based activities designed to enhance language skills.
Students are enrolled in language classes at a local school or post-secondary institution and receive at least 10 hours of intensive language instruction per week. They may also have the opportunity to take other academic or enrichment classes in the target language.
Beyond the classroom, there are opportunities for cultural, extracurricular, and volunteering activities throughout the year. NSLI-Y academic year abroad participants live with host families for the duration of the program or combined with a supervised dormitory stay.
The program is suitable for students at all language levels; no prior language learning experience is required for participation.
Many NSLI-Y program alumni participate successfully in other U.S. government language learning and cultural exchange programs and continue to use their target language in their academic and professional careers and home community. Learn more about the program’s impact.
Program Format
While each academic year abroad program is distinctive and the program experience may differ, participants can expect:
- Rigorous language instruction, coursework, and homework
- Opportunities to apply acquired language skills and cultural knowledge in an immersive environment
- Cultural activities, volunteering, and historic site visits in the host community
- Accommodations with a host family or combined host family and supervised dormitory stay
- Language partner meetings with local peers
Time Commitment
The NSLI-Y academic year abroad program is a highly structured academic program with a limited degree of independent activities. Students are expected to:
- Dedicate at least several hours to pre-program tasks and assignments
- Complete a minimum of ten hours of live instruction per week (may vary by program location)
- Complete all homework assignments, quizzes, and exams
- Complete a semester or year-long project
Requirements
Participants are required to participate in all pre-program, on-program, and post-program activities:
- Pre-departure orientation
- Pre-program Oral Proficiency Interview (except for those with no prior exposure to the target language)
- Full program schedule, including traveling with the cohort on the designated departure and return dates
- Attendance and participation in all classes
- Cultural activities, excursions and weekend trips
- Post-program Oral Proficiency Interview
- Pre- and post-program surveys
The NSLI-Y program cannot accommodate requests to customize the program schedule, location, coursework, travel dates, host family composition, or placement.
FAQ
- Visas for entrance to and exit from the host country/location
- Round-trip travel between the participant’s home city to the pre-departure orientation and the overseas host program location
- Pre-departure, arrival, and end-of-stay orientations
- Tuition and related academic program costs including preparation, support and testing
- Educational and cultural programming, including program travel
- In-country staff support
- Host family and other housing accommodations, as relevant
- Three basic meals each day
- Secondary/supplementary health coverage for accidents and sickness
- Stipend for local transportation and incidentals
The NSLI-Y scholarship does not cover:
- Costs associated with obtaining a valid U.S. passport (for the participant or legal guardians if required for a visa application)
- Required medical examinations and immunizations for the NSLI-Y medical review or visa requirements
- Pocket money for personal items
- Excess baggage fees
Under certain circumstances, finalists may have to pay for travel to an embassy for a visa application.
NSLI-Y experiences vary across program sites and from year to year. Academic year abroad participants receive at least 10 hours of formal language instruction per week at a local school or post-secondary institution and may take other academic or enrichment classes. Some programs place participants with host families for the full academic year, while others combine shorter host family stays with monitored dormitory or group housing arrangements. Participants often work on semester and/or year-long projects during the program.
The primary focus of NSLI-Y is language learning and language classes, though students may also have an opportunity to attend academic classes in other subjects in the target language. U.S.-specific subjects such as English and World History are unlikely to be offered at an equivalent level or at all. The participant’s U.S. high school makes the final decision on whether to grant academic credit. Students may want to arrange to take certain required courses prior to or after participation in the NSLI-Y program.
As a rigorous immersion program, NSLI-Y requires the full attention and effort of participants, and they should not plan on completing academic study or internships for their U.S. schools while on-program.
NSLI-Y is a structured language-learning experience, and participants should not expect a lot of independence. Participants attend language classes and cultural activities with others in their group. In the evenings and on weekends, participants have planned activities, study time, and/or time with their host families. Participants will have a curfew and should not expect to travel independently while on-program. Please refer to the Terms and Conditions for more information about program policies.
NSLI-Y participants are not allowed to travel independently while on-program. Participants should not expect to travel with host families, but if such an opportunity arises, it must not interfere with program activities and must be approved by the implementing organization in advance. Overnight excursions are not guaranteed. Please refer to the Travel Policies section in the NSLI-Y Terms and Conditions for more information.
Visits from family and home country friends, including those who reside in the host country/location, are strongly discouraged during the academic year abroad program. Such visits interrupt the continuity of the relationship with the host family and diminish the exchange experience for the participant and host family. Participants and their families must follow the requirements of their implementing organizations. See the NSLI-Y Terms and Conditions for more information.
Alumni of NSLI-Y summer abroad programs are eligible to apply for an academic year abroad program if they meet other eligibility requirements. Summer abroad program alumni applying to academic year abroad programs are encouraged to apply for the same NSLI-Y target language, if offered.
Participation in a prior NSLI-Y program will be considered in the application process.