Future Leaders Exchange

Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX)

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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 program offers equal opportunities, without discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, ethnicity or any other criterion and is equally dedicated to high school students with disabilities.

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 promote respect for cultural diversity, 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.

In Romania, the FLEX Program was launched in 2015, when it benefited from 25 scholarships for Romanian high school students. The number of scholarships for 2024-2025 is 30. Since then, the Program has offered Romanian high school students the opportunity to discover the people, culture, and educational system of the United States through an international exchange of experience.

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

Legitimacy and equivalence of studies

FLEX Program for Students with Disabilities

Frequently Asked Questions

Program Information