CBYX program logo. text "Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange, Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm"

The Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals is a fellowship funded by the German Bundestag and U.S. Department of State, that annually provides 75 American and 75 German young professionals, between the ages of 18½–24, the opportunity to spend one year in each other’s countries, studying, interning, and living with hosts on a cultural immersion program.

The program consists of three phases:

  • Two months of intensive German language training
  • One semester of classes in one’s academic or career field at a university, technical or professional school
  • 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.

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Eligibility

Eligibility Requirements:

  • U.S. citizenship
  • Age 18½–24 on August 1st of program start year
  • High school diploma
  • Must exhibit clear career goals and relevant experience in their career field
    • Experience can be in the form of work, internships, or volunteering

Applicants should also have a strong interest in Germany and world affairs. Prior German language knowledge is not required, but is preferred.

Participants are expected to act as “young ambassadors” of the United States in Germany, and to represent the diversity of the U.S. in factors including, but not limited to, career field, educational background, geographic location, disabilities, ethnicity, gender, race, religion and socio-economic status.

Previous or Current State Department Exchange Participation or Employment

Previous scholarship recipients of U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA)-funded programs with a duration greater than eight weeks, including CBYX high school fellowships, are not eligible for this program.

Current or recent employees (paid or unpaid), as well as their immediate family members,  at the U.S. Department of State/U.S. Agency for International Development are not eligible.

Please see this Eligibility Rules document for more information about previous program participation and employment rules. 

If you have questions about eligibility, please contact cbyx@culturalvistas.org.

What's Included

This funded fellowship opportunity annually covers basic living costs for all participants including:

  • Round-trip international airfare from Washington, D.C. to Germany
  • Language school costs for two months of intensive German language study
  • Tuition costs for one semester of study
  • Housing costs for host family, apartment, or dormitory during the pre-internship phases
    • Note: program funding during the internship depends on earnings
  • Monthly stipend to cover basic costs of living
  • Program-related travel within Germany
  • Health insurance in Germany

How to Apply

Request an Application

The application period for the 2024-25 program year is now open. Please request an application using the blue box above.

All applicants must complete an online application and submit all supplemental materials by November 1 for the program year beginning the following July.  A complete application consists of:

  • Online application form; requiring copies of the following documents to be uploaded with your submission
    • Resume
    • Copy of transcript showing at least the last four semesters of study
    • Proof of U.S. citizenship: passport or birth certificate
    • High school diploma or proof of graduation
    • One letter of recommendation to be submitted by recommender

Alumni

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
The CBYX for Young Professionals program boasts an alumni network of over 1,600-plus American participants and over 2,100 German participants. With a 35 year history, the CBYX Alumni Network includes individuals with expertise in a wide range of career fields, representing all 50 U.S. states, all 16 German Bundesländer, and now living all over the world.

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.

About CBYX

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 almost 40 years.

Flag of the United States and Seal of the United States Department of State

Program Year

11 young CBYX participants sit on grass while smiling at the camera

Intensive Language Training (August-September)

CBYX participants spend eight weeks studying German at the Carl Duisberg Centrum language school in one of three locations: Cologne, Radolfzell, or Saarbrücken. Participants are placed at the appropriate level, based on their German language abilities coming into the program and on their previous level of instruction, and they undergo intensive language training with other international students from around the world.

This phase of the program is designed to improve participants’ spoken and written communication skills as rapidly as possible, to prepare them for the study phase and for being completely immersed in German for the remainder of the program.

Study Phase (October-January)

CBYX fellows in GermanyFollowing completion of the language school phase, participants relocate to their permanent placement location for the remainder of the program.  There, they will immerse themselves in German daily life and culture through studying and (later) interning in their career field. Between October and February, most participants study at a German university or Hochschule, gaining an understanding of the higher education system with regard to their career field.

Participants are expected to take a majority of courses taught in German, to further develop their vocabulary and practical knowledge related to their career field, while applying to internships in the area of their placement. Depending on their field and how it is traditionally taught in Germany, some participants may attend a Berufsschule (vocational school), or be placed in a hands-on work environment during the study phase.

In addition to attending courses during this phase, participants seek out and complete community service projects in the area of their placement.  This volunteer work helps them gain a deeper insight into and make contributions to German society, while establishing personal and professional connections.

Internship Phase (February-June)

With the support of their regional program representative during the study phase, participants seek and apply to internship positions in the area of their permanent placement, and secure an internship that is ideally directly related to their career fields. Beginning in February or March, they complete an internship in a German-speaking work environment, ideally at a company or organization directly related to their career field.

Internships and the companies in which participants complete them are as varied as the career fields represented by the group of 75 participants.

CBYX for Young Professionals is especially suited to participants in business, engineering, technical, vocational, and agricultural fields, though applicants from all career fields who have some relevant experience in their field are encouraged to apply.

Housing During the Program

CBYX Host FamilyCBYX was created by the U.S. Congress and German Bundestag as a public diplomacy program, to promote understanding between the people of the United States and Germany.  As such, participants are expected to immerse themselves in German daily life, and to cultivate a deep understanding of Germany from an educational, professional, linguistic, and cultural standpoint.

To this end, participants are placed with a German host, in a German shared-apartment, or in a student dormitory, and are expected to take part in the daily life of the people with whom they live.

All placements (language school, permanent placement city, institution of study, and housing arrangements) are determined by the administering organizations.  Placement decisions involve a number of factors, including fit with potential living arrangements, participants’ career fields, and the goal of this public diplomacy program to give a diverse group of Americans exposure to all regions throughout Germany.

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

CBYX Participant Profiles

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.  This list is by no means exhaustive, but represents fields of CBYX participants in recent years.  All applicants should have some relevant internship, work, or volunteer experience in their career field.

  • Accounting
  • Aerospace Engineering
  • Agriculture
  • Agronomy
  • Architecture/Design
  • Arts Administration
  • Automotive Design and Production
  • Automotive Engineering
  • Baking and Pastry Arts
  • Banking and Finance
  • Bioengineering
  • Biotechnology
  • Brewing / Fermentation Science
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Civil Engineering
  • Communications
  • Consulting
  • Culinary Arts
  • Economics
  • Electromechanical Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Fashion Design
  • Film Production
  • Finance
  • Food Science
  • Forestry
  • Graphic Design
  • Hospitality
  • Industrial Engineering
  • Information Technology
  • International Business
  • International Education
  • Manufacturing
  • Marketing
  • Masonry
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Neurological Research
  • NGO / Non-profit
  • Public Health
  • Public Policy
  • Publishing
  • Renewable Energy Technology
  • Software Engineering
  • Sustainable Agriculture
  • Technical Theater
  • Trade & Logistics
  • Urban Planning
  • Viticulture/Enology

Inside the CBYX Experience


Our Team

Max Flescher, Assistant Director

Max F CBYXMax serves as the Assistant Director for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals at Cultural Vistas. Max began working at Cultural Vistas in 2013 as CBYX Program Assistant. As Assistant Director, he is responsible for overseeing both the inbound and outbound sides of the program. Together with the Assistant Program Officer, Max is responsible for placing all 75 German CBYX participants at colleges and with host families around the U.S. every year. Max also helps to plan and run CBYX orientation and evaluation seminars in Washington D.C., and in Germany each year.

Max is an Alternate Responsible Officer (ARO) for the Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) in charge of maintaining the CBYX participants’ profiles. He is also in charge of running the Congressional Internship Program each year, which places five CBYX participants with congressional internships on Capitol Hill.

Max graduated from Wesleyan University in Middletown, CT in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and German Studies. During his junior year, Max studied abroad for eight months in Regensburg, Germany. Max is originally from Raleigh, North Carolina.

Max's Linkedin Profile

Colin Ackerman, Senior Program Officer

Colin Ackerman serves as Senior Program Officer for CBYX and Transatlantic Exchanges. In this role, he assists with various aspects of both inbound and outbound CBYX cohorts as well as recruiting efforts. He also co-manages the Beyond Washington (BWASH), Building a Diverse and Inclusive Culture of Remembrance (DAICOR), and Strong Cities Countering Violent Extremism (SCCVET) programs.

He previously worked at World Learning for nine years, managing U.S. Department of State-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Programs (IVLP) in various capacities.

Colin holds an M.A. in International Relations from Syracuse University and a B.A. in Political Science and German from the University of Michigan. He studied abroad in Tübingen, Germany and subsequently held internships in Berlin and Freiburg.

Courtney Cox, Assistant Program Officer

Courtney serves as Assistant Program Officer for the CBYX for Young Professionals program. In this role, she provides administrative support and event planning leadership to both inbound and outbound operations, with a general focus on inbound support. Courtney also assists the Congressional Internship Program (CIP) and the Congress-Bundestag/Bundesrat Staff Exchange (CBBSX).

Courtney began at Cultural Vistas in 2022 and has previously worked in student support program offices at the University of Virginia, Clemson University, and The George Washington University. Her work experience includes a heavy emphasis on student advising, success coaching, and career preparation assistance.

Courtney holds a M.A.Ed.H.D. in International Education from The George Washington University and a B.A. in Government and German Studies from the University of Virginia. Her international exchange experiences include a brief study abroad program in Graz, Vienna, and Budapest to complete her undergraduate thesis research, participation in the High School Diplomats U.S. student exchange program, and participation in a sister city high school exchange between her hometown of Lynchburg, Virginia and Glauchau, Germany. Courtney also spent several years of her childhood living with her family in Cheltenham, England and Erlangen, Germany.

Kirsten Koehler, Assistant Program Officer

Kirsten serves as Assistant Program Officer for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for Young Professionals program. In this role, she assists with both the outbound and inbound CBYX programs, generally concentrating on outbound support.

Kirsten began at Cultural Vistas in 2023 and has previous experience as a classroom teacher at Twin Cities German Immersion School. She has also worked promoting study abroad programming as a Student Marketing Coordinator at International Academic Programs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as well as a camp counselor at Waldsee, a German language immersion summer camp offered by Concordia Language Villages.

Kirsten holds a B.Ed. in German Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She studied abroad for a year in Freiburg, Germany and participated in the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) as a high school student, which she credits as igniting her interest in German.


Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals (CBYX)?

CBYX for Young Professionals is a yearlong fellowship for Americans and Germans, ages 18½–24, that is funded by the German Bundestag and the U.S. Congress through the U.S. Department of State, under the authority of the Fulbright-Hays Act of 1961, as amended.

The program annually gives 75 American and German young professionals, ages 18½–24, the opportunity to study, work, and live with a host in Germany. The CBYX program consists of three phases: two months of German language school; one semester of classes in one’s career field at a university, technical school, or professional school; and a three-month internship in your career field. Participants are placed throughout Germany.

Cultural Vistas has administered CBYX for Young Professionals for over 35 years. The German side of the program is administered by Cultural Vistas Europe.

Do I need to speak German?

No. The program includes two months of intensive language training upon your arrival in Germany. We strongly recommend that applicants and participants have some German language skills prior to departure, but there are a number of participants every year who speak little or no German at the beginning of the program. All participants complete language training, and are placed in a class level appropriate to their proficiency in German.

Who administers the CBYX for Young Professionals fellowship?

CBYX for Young Professionals is administered by Cultural Vistas  in the United States, and Cultural Vistas Europe in Germany. These organizations are awarded grants to administer the program by the U.S. Department of State and the German Bundestag Administration (WI4), respectively.

Can I still receive financial aid while participating in the program?

Most organizations will not continue to provide financial aid as they require the name of the academic institution the participant will be attending. This information is generally not available until September of the program year; however, Cultural Vistas can assist in obtaining a loan deferral due to financial hardship. We will provide a letter confirming participation in the exchange and detailing the financial aspects of the program. While Cultural Vistas is not authorized to grant these deferrals itself, participants have been successful in the past in obtaining a deferral on the basis of financial hardship, as well as through an Education Related Deferment Request.

What kind of assistance will I receive while in Germany?

Although this is a funded fellowship program, participants must pay for their transportation to the orientation seminar in Washington, D.C. and for all of their transportation from the evaluation seminar in Washington, D.C. at the end of the year. Participants also need to bring spending money for the year—we suggest 400 – 500 EUR per month for the duration of the program. This money covers personal items, entertainment, and some food. It does not include large purchases or travel. It is possible that the participant will be required to use some of this money to cover basic living expenses during the internship phase, in the case that the salary or the stipend provided does not cover them.

Where would I live in Germany? Can I choose where I want to go?

In accordance with the public diplomacy goals of the CBYX program, participants are placed in communities throughout Germany. Placements are made by our partner organization, and take into account such factors as comparable educational and internship opportunities relevant to a participant’s field, availability of suitable housing arrangements, and geographic diversity. If a participant is able to set up an internship in Germany prior to the start of the program by a given deadline, it will be taken into consideration in the placement process. Otherwise, placement preferences cannot be accommodated.

Can I get college credit for the schooling part of the program?

Cultural Vistas does not issue credits, nor can we guarantee transfer of credits for participants. Because the details of the study phase are in most cases not finalized until September of each year, and because German course offerings often change at the last minute, no information can be provided to your college before your departure regarding your program of study in Germany. It is also often the case that you will not finish the semester before the internship phase of the program begins. Some participants do, however, negotiate with their registrar or professors at their home institution to be able to receive credit. This applies to both the language school and study phases.

Is there a standard list of internships that participants choose from?

No. Participants must actively look for and apply to their own internships in their city and its immediate surroundings. Participants receive guidance from their regional representative in Germany, but are expected to take the initiative in the internship search.

What are the internships usually like?

Internships vary depending on field, previous experience, skills, and German language proficiency. German employers typically see internships as more of a learning opportunity than a short-term job, so don’t be surprised if you observe more than you perform. It is up to each participant to be realistic about his or her capabilities while making the most of the opportunities that present themselves.

How much do internships usually pay?

Compensation ranges from unpaid to generous salaries plus housing allowances. If the internship pays less than a certain amount (determined each year by the administering organizations) participants will continue to receive program stipends to cover basic living costs. If the internship pays very generously, living costs during the internship phase are usually covered by the salary. In some cases, however, participants will be required to supplement their salaries with personal funds in order to cover living expenses (see above).

What would my housing be like in Germany?

The program is designed to house participants with German hosts, to provide a cultural immersion experience. In some cases, participants live in student dormitories or in shared apartments. Participants are expected to integrate into family life, including taking part in family activities and household life.

Do I need to purchase medical insurance?

The program insurance will cover you for sickness and accidents while you are in Germany. It is important to note that the insurance does not cover pre-existing medical conditions, and only covers participants while they are in EU countries. The program insurance therefore will not cover you in the United States, and you will need to make sure you have insurance coverage prior to departing and upon your return to the United States. If a participant has a pre-existing medical condition that will require care while in Germany they will likely need to purchase a supplemental insurance policy to cover the condition.

Can I stay in Germany upon completion of the program?

All participants are required to return to the United States for the evaluation seminar in Washington, D.C. This is a U.S. Department of State grant-supported cultural exchange that is funded for the purpose of promoting German-American relations, and assumes that participants will return to their native country to share their experiences upon completion of the program.

What will I need to pay for?

Although this is a funded fellowship program, participants must pay for their transportation to the orientation seminar in Washington, D.C. and for all of their transportation from the evaluation seminar in Washington, D.C. at the end of the year. Participants also need to bring spending money for the year—we suggest 400 – 500 EUR per month for the duration of the program. This money covers personal items, entertainment, and some food. It does not include large purchases or travel.

It is possible that the participant will be required to use some of this money to cover basic living expenses during the internship phase, in the case that the salary or the stipend provided does not cover them.

Does my family or college have to host a German as part of the “exchange”?

While CBYX is not a direct exchange between families or colleges, many participants are able to involve their family or college in the reciprocal side of the program. For more information, visit CBYX for Germans in the U.S.

Am I eligible for other Cultural Vistas programs after I return?

While it is the desire of the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) that all participants will return to the United States to share what they have learned in Germany, there is no official policy against CBYX alumni taking part in other Cultural Vistas programs.

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