Kennedy-Lugar YES Program 2025-2026 Application
Kennedy-Lugar YES Program Application – Youth Exchange and Study Programs and Countries. YES program entry test sample.
The U.S. State Department’s Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program brings high school students from countries of strategic importance to the United States for an academic year.
What is a YES program?
Youth Exchange and Study Programs or YES Programs are full scholarship student exchange programs administered by the U.S. Department of State.
The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program was established in October, 2002. The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, along with the U.S. exchange community, recognized the importance of youth exchange as a key component to building bridges between citizens of the United States and countries around the world, particularly those with significant Muslim populations.
The YES program officially launched in Cameroon in 2009 in hopes to expand communication between the people of the United States and Cameroon in order to promote mutual understanding and respect. Since then, 78 Cameroonian students have completed the YES program and now participate as alumni.
The YES program is administered in partnership with the U.S. Department of State by a consortium of non-profit organizations led by American Councils for International Education. In Cameroon, iEARN-SchoolNet-Cameroon manages the YES program in partnership with the local U.S. Embassy, Public Affairs Office.
Eligibility For the YES Program 2025-2026
In keeping with the U.S. Government-sponsored initiatives, dedicated to democratic reform, the competition for the Youth Exchange and Study scholarship is merit-based and open at no cost to all applicants who meet the following requirements:
- Be between the ages of 15 and 18.5 by the start of program (August 1, 2024).
- Be enrolled in a secondary school (public or private) in grades 9 or 10 (3eme, 2nde, or Form 5) at the time of application. Kamerpower.com
- Should not have completed more than 11 years of primary education nor have received a high school diploma by the start of the application process.
- Have the equivalent of a B (12/20) average or better without failing grades during the past two academic years.
- Meet U.S. J-1 visa eligibility requirements (for instance, U.S. citizens are not eligible for J-1 visa).
- Should not have previously visited the United States.
- Be a citizen of Cameroon.
Application and Selection Kennedy-Lugar YES Program 2025-2026
There are multiple rounds to the YES application and selection process. All applicants are required to take an English proficiency exam, write a proctored essay, complete a YES program application, and participate in group and individual in-person interviews. All finalists are selected on the basis of merit.
See below for country specific application and selection guidelines.
- Applicant must provide a photocopy of their academic transcripts from the current year and the previous two years.
- A photocopy of their birth certificate.
What costs are covered for YES Program?
The YES scholarship covers costs related to:
- Round-trip airfare from your home country to the United States;
- The cost of a Pre-Departure Orientation;
- Placement with a U.S. host family for 10 to 11 months;
- A modest monthly stipend;
- Health insurance; and
- The cost of program activities and materials.
Who will support my child’s well being while abroad For the YES program?
YES participants are placed in volunteer host family homes and into host schools in the United States by established and reputable placement organizations that have competitively been awarded grants by the U.S. Department of State to implement the placement portion of the YES program.
While on the program, your child will have regular contact with a trained coordinator in his or her community who will provide support, assistance, and guidance, and who will be in regular contact with the placement organization’s national headquarters.
As the consortium lead on the grant for YES operations, also competitively awarded by the U.S. Department of State, American Councils has a national office in Washington, DC, which cooperates with all placement organizations nationwide and with all overseas recruiting offices.
Each country participating in the YES program has an in-country office with at least one permanent employee in each YES country. These staff, who are the main contacts for the parents of YES students, in turn communicate with all organizations placing YES students in host communities.
CONTACT INFO
iEARN Schoolnet Cameroon
Vallee Makepe-Logpom
Douala
Cameroon
Office Phone: + 237-699-88-58-11/+ 237-673-31-89-48
Email Addresses: donfackfr@yahoo.fr
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