Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX)

Applications for the 2026–2027 academic year are now open!

What is the FLEX Program?

The Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) is a scholarship program that operates in numerous countries in Europe, Eurasia and Central Asia. Through this program, students have the opportunity to study for an academic year in a high school in the United States and live with an American host family.

The duration of the exchange is approximately 10 calendar months, during which the exchange students study in an American high school and live with a host family. FLEX aims to provide opportunities for personal development for young high school students, but also to improve understanding and cooperation between Romania and the U.S. by promoting the cultures of the two countries.

In short, globally, the FLEX Program means:

+30,000 Alumni

1,500,000 Volunteer Hours in the U.S. Community

22 countries in Europe and Eurasia

+380 Graduates with disabilities

History of the program

The Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) was created in 1992 out of former Senator Bill Bradley's belief that the best way to ensure long-lasting peace and mutual understanding between the U.S. and Eurasian countries is to allow young people to learn directly about the U.S. and to teach Americans about their countries.

The FLEX program is returning to Romania for the 2026–2027 academic year as a result of a co-funding agreement between the U.S. Department of State, through the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and the Ministry of Education and Research of Romania.

To strengthen cooperation and mutual understanding between Romania and the United States, and to support the development of educational relations between schools and communities in both countries, the Ministry of Education and Research and the American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), based on previously signed protocols regarding the implementation of the FLEX and FLEX Abroad programs in Romania.

The memorandum provides for the continued support of scholarships for these educational exchange programs, through which high school students from Romania can study in the United States, and students from the United States can study in Romania during the 2026–2027 school year.

What does the scholarship provide?

The FLEX scholarship covers the following costs:

Round-trip travel between the home city in Romania and the host city in the United States;
Placement, for 1 academic year, with a carefully selected and monitored host family in the USA, who will provide them with the 3 meals per day
Medical insurance that covers the treatment of conditions that occurred during the program, except for pre-existing conditions and dental treatment;
Enrolling in an American high school;
A monthly scholarship worth $200, which allows participation in social activities;
An additional allowance of $300, intended for the purchase of essential items, such as textbooks, sports equipment, or other materials necessary to ensure successful participation in the Program.
Participation in guidance and counselling activities, including training before the start of the programme and after its end;
Participation in activities organized in local communities in the United States;
Ongoing assistance and support throughout the exchange year provided by American Councils and Placement Organizations;
Fee for obtaining a travel visa to the United States of America.

The FLEX scholarship does NOT cover the following costs:

Costs associated with obtaining an international passport;
Personal expenses not covered by the monthly scholarship;
Costs associated with extra kilograms of baggage
Costs associated with phone calls, including international calls to Romania and not only, as well as internet usage.
Costs associated with the semi-final and final stages, such as costs related to the medical consultation during the semi-final, the T-test and other required immunizations, travel to the test center for the FLEX individual interview in Round 3, as well as travel to Bucharest for the finalists' and alternates’ notification meeting.

FLEX Menu

FLEX Program

Financing and Costs

Selection

Equivalence of studies

FLEX Program for Students with Disabilities

Frequently Asked Questions

Program Information