FLEX Testing for the 2021-22 Academic Year is Moving Online!

Due to safety concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic, the FLEX Program will be conducting testing for the 2021-22 program year ONLINE in the fall of 2020.

Applicants can participate in the recruitment process from any location that has Internet access, using either a mobile device or a computer. FLEX recruitment will still include three rigorous rounds of testing even though participants will not take part in in-person testing.

•       Round 1: FLEX online application is open to eligible applicants from September 1 - October 15, 2020. This round includes an online application and 3 essay questions that MUST be submitted within 10 DAYS of starting the application.

•       Round 2: After submitting the Round 1 online application, students will be invited to take part in an online English test.

•       Round 3: The third and final round of testing will begin in November. Round 3 will include an interview, more essays, an application, and another English test. Students who pass to this stage will be contacted by the American Councils office in their country with details.

FLEX is a program of the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government. The FLEX competition is open to all students who meet the basic eligibility requirements established for their home countries. To apply online, please go to https://ais.americancouncils.org/flex. The application will open on September 1, 2020.

Eligibility criteria: The FLEX scholarship competition is merit-based and open, at no cost, to applicants who meet the following requirements. Students with disabilities are invited to participate in the competition. FLEX finalists include approximately 20 students with disabilities each year. Selected students with disabilities meet the same criteria as other participants in the program. Students may only apply once to the program during a given recruitment cycle.

Eligible applicants must:

1)   Be born between January 1, 2004 – July 15, 2006

2)   Be enrolled in 9, 10, 11 of a secondary school or 1st/2nd year of lyceum or college at the time of application

3)   Have an academic standing of good or better

4)   Have previously studied English and demonstrate English language ability at the time of registration

5)   Meet U.S. visa eligibility requirements

6)   Be a citizen of Uzbekistan, and be able to receive an international passport

Discover FLEX, Discover the World!

The Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX) is a cultural exchange program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and administered in the Republic of Uzbekistan by American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS (American Councils) and supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The program provides students from across Uzbekistan with the opportunity to study in a U.S. high school and live in an American host family for one academic year.

The primary goal of the FLEX program is to improve mutual understanding and develop and strengthen long-term relationships between citizens of the United States and other peoples and countries. The U.S. Department of State supports exchanges for secondary school students from over 50 countries through FLEX and other academic year programs. Since the program’s inception in 1993, over 29,000 students have participated in the FLEX program.

For more information, please visit https://www.discoverflex.org/