AFS Global Citizen Scholarships & Aid
AFS Global Citizen Scholarships & Aid, through the help of generous donors, offers students $1 million dollars in merit and need-based scholarships that range from partial to full program fees for summer, semester, and yearlong AFS-USA study abroad programs.
We believe in the power of intercultural experiences and the potential of our students! That’s why we’re dedicated to meeting the demonstrated financial need of accepted applicants. To be considered for scholarships for semester and year-long programs starting in early 2026, complete the initial stage of your AFS-USA study abroad application and the scholarship application by July 15th. You can find all scholarship deadlines here.
U.S. Department of State Scholarships
AFS-USA also sends participants on U.S. Department of State funded scholarships. Programs include Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES), National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y), Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX), and the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX). All four are programs of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
Fundraising Resources
AFS-USA offers a variety of fundraising resources to our study abroad participants. Once accepted in your program, AFS provides a comprehensive Fundraising Guide and a fundraising tool that is unique to AFS-USA called Sponsor an AFSer, which allows you to create and share a webpage so your connections can donate directly to your program fee. 100% of all donations go toward your fee, and should you not go abroad for any reason, 100% of donations would be refunded to all donors. These resources offer extra support to applicants, so that they can make their dreams of studying abroad a reality!