FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Farangis Hotam
Tajikistan FLEX Coordinator
Tel: +992 44-6004590
Email: flex.tj@americancouncils.org
High School Students Will Again Have the Opportunity to Live in the U.S. Free of Charge
Dushanbe, September 28, 2020 – The application process for the Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) scholarship exchange program has begun! The scholarship offers competitively selected high school students the opportunity to study in the United States for free. This year the FLEX recruitment process will be online. All applicants will need to submit their full application through the Applicant Information System portal ais.americancouncils.org/flextj
This year, in part, due to the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, applicants to the Future Leaders Exchange Program will be able to submit their applications from the comfort of their own homes!
Over 35 finalists will be chosen from Tajikistan to take part in the program for the 2021-2022 academic year. Finalists will be placed with a screened U.S. host family, enrolled in a U.S. high school, and attend orientation sessions. The program also includes round-trip travel to and from their home to the United States, a monthly allowance for living expenses, and medical insurance (excluding any pre-existing conditions).
The FLEX program was created by the United States Congress to help people in the United States and Tajikistan learn more about one other. Now in its 29th year, the program is fully funded by the U.S. Government and administered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. In addition to Tajikistan, program participants are selected from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Georgia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
Testing for the FLEX program is open to all high school students who:
- are citizens of Tajikistan;
- are enrolled in 11th grade;
- were born on or after February 15, 2003 and before December 31, 2004;
- have not lived in the United States for more than three months in the last five years;
- are eligible to receive a U.S. visa; and
- speak English well.
We also welcome all high school students with disabilities; over 400 students with disabilities have already studied in the U.S. as part of this program.
Those who meet the eligibility criteria are invited to submit an application, which consists of 3 English essays. Applicants must submit scans of their Identification document (Passport or government-issued ID), one recent photograph (3x4cm), and a scan of a verification from their school indicating that they’re enrolled in the 11th grade. There are three rounds all together. An invitation to complete Round 2 (the English test) will be sent up to 48 hours after submission of the Round 1 application form. Applicants will be chosen for Round 3 (interview) in late November-December.
