For the ninth consecutive year, Romanian high school students who want to study in the USA for a year, free of charge, have the opportunity to do so through the FLEX Program. Find here the conditions and the registration form.
High school students can apply online for a scholarship in the USA. Photo by Shutterstock
The American Councils for International Education (ACE) announced the opening of the application session for the Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) 2025-2026 scholarships. High school students from Romania can study at an American high school and will live with an American family during the 2025-2026 school year. Participation in the FLEX Program is free, according to an ACE press release.
Applications are submitted online, between August 1 and September 26, 2024 (11:59 p.m.), in the standard form that you can find here.
“The FLEX educational program is funded by the State Department of the United States of America and aims to offer Romanian high school students the opportunity to study at an American high school and live with an American family during the 2024-2025 school year.
Participation in the FLEX Program, now in its 9th year of existence in Romania, is FREE.
In the previous years of implementation, FLEX Romania offered the scholarship to hundreds of Romanian high school students from several counties of the country, who were assigned to high schools in states such as Washington, Texas, Colorado, California, Hawaii, Iowa and Florida. The program is equally addressed to high school students with disabilities”,
informs the American Councils for International Education.
Conditions to apply
High school students who cumulatively meet several conditions will be considered eligible for a scholarship during the 2025-2026 school year:
– Be born between July 15, 2007 and July 15, 2010;
– To be a student in the 9th, 10th or 11th grade, in the 2024-2025 school year in a high school in Romania;
– To know the English language;
– To be a citizen of Romania;
– To meet the requirements of the J-1 visa;
– Have not been in the US for three (3) months or more in the past five (5) years.
Testing and selection
Applicants can participate in the recruitment process online using either a mobile device or a computer. FLEX recruitment includes three rigorous rounds of testing.
“Round 1: Open from August 2024 to September 2024. This round includes a preliminary online application and 3 essay questions to be submitted within 10 days of opening the online application on the AIS platform.
Round 2: Students will be invited to take an online English test.
Round 3: This round will start in October 2024 and will include a group and an individual interview, 3 more essay questions, and an online application. Later, the students selected after this assessment will be invited to take a complex English language test. inform ACE.
Post-recruitment
After the closing of the registration session, which this year will be on September 26 (11:59 p.m.), the documents will be sent to Washington, where a specialized commission will make the selection. The results will be announced in April-May 2025, after which the finalists and those on the reserve list will prepare the necessary documents for departure, such as the US visa and school registration.
All finalists must attend an orientation session prior to departure to the US. Finalists selected in the spring of 2025 leave for the United States in August 2025 and return to Romania in May and June 2026.
What expenses does the scholarship cover?
The FLEX program is free for everyone and covers the following expenses:
– Travel from the city of origin in Romania to the host city in the USA and return;
– Participation in a pre-departure orientation session that includes pre-program preparation;
– Accommodation of the participant with an American host family for one school year;
– Admission to an American high school;
– Medical insurance that covers the treatment of diseases that occur during the program, with the exception of pre-existing conditions and dental care;
– The monthly scholarship which is 200 USD and allows the student to participate in social life;
– An additional allowance amounting to USD 300 for the purchase of basic items needed at school, for example school textbooks, sports equipment;
– Program support throughout the year for the participant.
Costs borne by the high school student
– Any costs associated with receiving an international passport;
– Personal expenses not covered by the monthly scholarship;
– Costs for excess baggage, telephone bills or internet usage;
– Telephone calls in Romania and internet expenses.
