The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX) is a fellowship funded by the German Bundestag and U.S. Congress, that annually provides 75 American and 75 German Young Professionals the opportunity to spend one year in each others' countries, studying, interning, and living with hosts on a cultural immersion program. The program is open to candidates in all career fields who are interested in a year of cultural exchange.
The CBYX program is sponsored in the U.S. by the Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended. The Department of State issues a grant to administer CBYX for Young Professionals to Cultural Vistas, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in New York. Cultural Vistas has administered CBYX for Young Professionals for over 29 years, together with its German partner organization, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.
Specific Eligibility Criteria
Candidates for CBYX for Young Professionals must:
- have U.S. citizenship or permanent residence
- be between 18.5 and 24 years of age at the start of the program
- possess a high school diploma
- exhibit clear career goals and some relevant experience in their career field (experience can be work, internship, or volunteer)
- have a strong interest in German and international affairs, as well as a strong sense of American identity
- be flexible, independent, and diplomatic
CBYX for Young Professionals is open to candidates in all career fields, and applicants from a broad range of backgrounds are selected for the program each year. Candidates in business, vocational, scientific, engineering, technical, and agricultural fields are especially encouraged to apply. Prior German language knowledge is not required, but is strongly preferred. Previous recipients of Congress-Bundestag scholarships are not eligible to apply.