Applications are now open for the 2023-2024 NSLI-Y summer and academic year programs!

The National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) is a merit-based scholarship funded by the U.S. Department of State. The NSLI-Y scholarship enables high school students to study a critical language abroad for a summer or an academic year. NSLI-Y offers programs for the following languages: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Korean, Persian (Tajiki), Russian, Turkish, and Indonesian. Program participants are immersed in the language and culture of their host country, giving them formal and informal language practice and sparking a lifetime interest in foreign languages and cultures. Participants receive intensive language instruction, may live with a host family for all or part of the program, and participate in a variety of cultural activities.

Find more information and the application on the NSLI-Y program website.

The 2023-2024 application deadline has been extended! Applicants now have until Monday, November 7, 2022 (4 PM Eastern Time) to submit their application. Details about the program timeline can be found on the How to Apply tab.

To learn more about the program from a participant perspective, you may read alumni-produced stories and view virtual event recordings on this website.