Our Programs

Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX)

Strengthening German-American relations for 40 years

Explore German-American relations and embrace intercultural exchange

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Funding Partners

The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals is a fellowship that annually provides 75 American and 75 German young professionals the opportunity to spend one year in each other’s countries, studying, interning, and living with hosts on a cultural immersion program.

The program for Americans consists of three phases:

  • Intensive Language Training: Two months of intensive German language training
  • Study Phase: One semester of classes in one’s academic or career field at a university, technical, or professional school
  • Internship Phase: Three to five month internship in one’s career field

CBYX is open to candidates in all career fields, and applicants from a broad range of backgrounds are selected for the program each year. CBYX 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. Cultural Vistas has administered CBYX for Young Professionals for 40 years.

For more information, please contact cbyx@culturalvistas.org.

Program Details

Inside the CBYX Experience:

View the CBYX Year abroad through the eyes of a 30th cohort member.

How to Apply

Please click the button below to request an application for the 2025-2026 program year. Once our team verifies your eligibility, we will send you a link to apply when the application period opens on September 1, 2024. 

Online application form; requiring copies of the following documents to be uploaded with your submission:

For more information, please contact cbyx@culturalvistas.org.

Ready to get started? Start your application today.

Participant Career Fields

CBYX participants come from a wide range of backgrounds and career fields.  One aim of the selection process is to put together a group of participants that represents the diversity of the United States, including diversity among career fields. As such, there is no “typical” participant.  The list below is by no means exhaustive, but represents career fields of CBYX participants in recent years.  All applicants should have some relevant internship, work, or volunteer experience in their career field.

View Career Fields

Inside the CBYX Experience:

U.S. Ambassador Philip D. Murphy explains why CBYX is so unique.

Host German CBYX Participants in the United States

The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals is a reciprocal fellowship program that gives 75 German participants the opportunity to spend one year studying, working, and experiencing everyday life in communities across the United States.

After arriving in the United States each August, CBYX participants enroll in career-oriented classes at a local college to gain a more comprehensive view of the American educational system, as well as to further their knowledge of their professional focus area. Career fields represented on the program are extremely diverse, ranging from small business and banking to many technical and vocational fields, such as agriculture, carpentry, and culinary arts.

CBYX depends largely on the generosity and hospitality of hundreds of communities that have opened their doors to young Germans throughout the program’s 40-plus year history as host families, host colleges, and host companies. In turn, these communities have been enriched by their involvement in a variety of ways. For more information, please contact cbyx@culturalvistas.org


Alumni Network

The CBYX for Young Professionals program boasts an alumni network of thousands of both American and German participants. With an extensive history, the CBYX Alumni Network includes individuals with expertise in a wide range of career fields who represent all 50 U.S. states, all 16 German Bundesländer, and now live all over the world.

U.S. Department of State’s International Exchange Alumni

All alumni of the CBYX for Young Professionals program receive exclusive membership to the U.S. Department of State’s global  International Exchange Alumni community, a dynamic and interactive networking website for past and current participants of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs.

CBYX for Young Professionals Alumni Network

Alumni of the program are encouraged to stay connected with one another via the official CBYX / PPP LinkedIn and Facebook groups. Additional event and networking opportunities are available via the Cultural Vistas Alumni Network.

#Exchange Alumni

Frequently Asked Questions

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