The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) is funded by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by American Councils for International Education. It sends US high school students abroad to study languages critical to US national security and economic competitiveness, currently Arabic, Chinese, Korean and Russian. The summer program runs 6–7 weeks with at least 120 hours of classroom instruction and a host family stay; there are also academic year and online beginner options.
NSLI-Y names about 750 semifinalists in its initial screening; application numbers and admission rates are not published. It is open to US citizens in grades 9–12 only, not to permanent residents. No prior language study is needed, but students at Advanced Mid or above cannot take part. The scholarship covers visas, airfare, tuition, room, board and insurance; passports and medical exams are paid by the family.
More than 8,400 high school students have joined summer abroad programs since 2006. For families with a Chinese-language background, EDUBUS recommends first checking whether the student’s Chinese exceeds the program’s limit; if it does, Arabic, Korean or Russian are options.
