Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study (YES)

Recruitment for the YES Program for academic year 2026-2027 has been paused. Check here (www.yesprograms.org or https://yes-abroad.org/) for updates on future programming.

The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program seeks to provide high school students from other countries with a better understanding of American society and its people, institutions, values, and culture.

Funded by the United States Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, this program helps students to foster lasting personal ties, engage in activities that promote mutual understanding across cultures, establish leadership skills, and understand civil society. At the same time, YES students help their American classmates enhance their understanding of foreign countries and cultures.

The Kennedy-Lugar YES program was established by Congress in October 2002 in response to the events of September 11, 2001. Since then, YES has impacted more than 13,000 students from 45 countries. The reciprocal Kennedy-Lugar YES Abroad program opened for American students in 2009.

The YES program is administered in partnership with the United States Department of State by a consortium of nonprofit organizations, which is led by American Councils for International Education and includes numerous placement and recruitment organizations.