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Needs-Based Funding

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We’re proud to provide financial aid for many of our students. We offer several partial scholarships to students with demonstrated financial need as determined by a third-party assessor, FACTS. FACTS uses data from tax returns, recent W2s, assets, cost of living in your area, and more to determine financial aid eligibility and recommendations. Financial aid is available for Fall Semester, Fall Year, Spring Semester, Spring Year, Summer, and Trimester programs. To be eligible for financial aid, you must also be accepted to go on the YFU program.  Study Abroad scholarships are provided by our generous partners in hopes that the exchange experience is accessible to as many students as possible.

Thanks to our Partners

Eligible Countries

Argentina, Austria, Australia, Belgium-Flanders, Belgium-Wallonia, Brazil, Chile, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Paraguay, Poland, Romania, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Vietnam

Please refer to individual country pages for program duration and departure times.

Programs

Fall Semester, Fall Year, Spring Semester, Spring Year, Summer, Trimester

Several partial scholarships are available to students who demonstrate a financial need based on third-party assessment from FACTS Management Company. FACTS uses a complex algorithm to recommend financial aid based on the YFU tuition owed, including tax returns, recent W2s, liquid assets, local cost of living, etc. Download the FACTS Information Sheet for details on the application process. Each year YFU has many more students recommended for financial aid than we have funds available. To be eligible for a Financial Aid Fund award, the applicant must also be approved to go on the program through YFU’s standard application procedure.

Please note that YFU will select students who demonstrate high financial need as determined by FACTS for an award of up to $5,000, depending on the funds available and the number of qualified applicants.

Deadline

February 28, 2025 for Fall Departures

September 15, 2025 for Spring Departures

Application Fees

  • $10 (non-refundable)

  • $40 FACTS Application Fee to Assess Financial Need (paid directly to FACTS)

Scholarship Amount

The scholarship awards will vary. The average Financial Aid award ranges from $2000 to $3000. Awardees are responsible for the remaining tuition.

Tuition Covers

  • Round-trip international airline travel

  • Round-trip domestic airline travel

  • Placement with a carefully selected host family

  • Regional orientation for scholarship recipients and parents

  • Preparatory materials

  • Support services in your host country

  • Comprehensive Insurance

Age Requirements

Students must meet the age requirements listed on the individual country pages.

Notes

  • All applicants will be notified of their status (via email) in April

  • Scholarship programs are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice

  • The FACTS application fee for financial aid assessment is an additional $40, paid to FACTS directly. The applicant can pay $40 and apply for as many financial-need-based scholarships as they qualify and YFU offers. Students must be approved to go on a YFU program before YFU can consider them for financial aid scholarships. For this reason, students may want to wait to submit their FACTS application until after they are accepted into the YFU program

If applying for multiple scholarships, please indicate each scholarship’s name and code on your application. All scholarship recipients are required to travel on the YFU group travel dates, and to complete the entire program. For more information regarding YFU and the scholarship selection process, call 1.800.TEENAGE or refer to the Scholarships Overview section of this website.

Scholarship Recipients are Responsible for

  • Passport

  • Visa fees (if necessary)

  • Any excess luggage tariffs

  • Personal spending money

  • If a scholarship winner cancels their program less than 30 days before departure, they are responsible for paying for their airfare and cancellation fee.

  • Within one month of returning home, the student must provide a report and photos detailing their exchange experience to YFU.

Complete Application Includes

  • Complete Online Application

  • 3 Short Answer Essay Questions

  • $10 Application Fee (non-refundable)

  • Candid and Headshot photos

Additional required information post-application submission includes:

  • Teacher Recommendation

  • Health Certificate

  • School Certificate

  • Parent-Student Agreement

  • Interview by YFU Volunteer

  • FACTS Application for Financial Aid (due Feb-28 for Summer/Fall programs or Sept- 15 for all Spring/Winter programs)

Set up your FACTS account here. The FACTS application due date is when all required tax forms and financial documentation must be submitted.

Study Abroad Participants
What to Expect
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Frequently Asked Questions

To be eligible for Financial Aid Scholarships, students must be in their sophomore or junior year at the time of application. They must enroll in a semester or year-long study abroad program (summer and short-term programs are not eligible) and demonstrate financial need, as assessed through the FACTS application. The FACTS application is an independent, third-party assessment of student eligibility for tuition assistance.

Yes, applicants must meet the age requirements specified on the individual country pages.

A complete application for the scholarship includes an online YFU application, a host family letter, a health certificate, a parent-student agreement, a school certificate, one teacher recommendation, responses to three short answer essay questions, five candid photos, one profile picture (headshot), and a completed FACTS application.

There is a $10 nonrefundable YFU Application Fee (paid directly to YFU) and a $40 FACTS Application Fee to Assess Financial Need (paid directly to FACTS).

The scholarship covers round-trip airline travel (both domestic and international), placement with a carefully selected host family, school placement, local pre-departure orientation for recipients and parents, national pre-departure orientation for recipients, preparatory materials, 24-hour student support services in the host country, and comprehensive insurance.

Scholarship recipients are responsible for obtaining a passport, paying visa fees if necessary, covering any excess luggage tariffs, having personal spending money, and providing a final program report and photos within one month of return detailing the exchange experience to be shared with the donors of your scholarship.