Host countries: •  South Korea[1] •  Taiwan •  China[2] •  Jordan •  Morocco •  Kyrgyzstan •  Estonia •  Latvia •  Kazakhstan •  Indonesia •  Turkey •  Tajikistan

Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Arabic, Hindi, Bahasa Indonesian, Tajiki, and Turkish are all taught in summer and academic year programs abroad.

Language teachers are highly experienced in their fields and provide supplemental lectures as well as are available for office hours throughout the full duration of the exchange.

[citation needed] All programs require students to navigate public transportation from their host family's residence to school daily.

Cultural excursions include traveling to the DMZ, a templestay at Bulguk-sa, overnight stays in Kangwha-do or Busan, k-pop dance lessons, and trips to Seoul.

Lecturers and guest speakers present to the Incheon cohort on many topics including democratization and economic development, linguistics, traditional arts and pottery and a meeting with North Korean defectors.

Students from the Seoul cohort often complain that because of the many English speakers in the city, it was harder to utilize their Korean skills in their everyday lives.

[7][8] Yongin Cohort Yongin-si summer NSLI-Y program is implemented by the American Cultural Exchange Service (ACES) with classes being held at Dankook University and consists of 15 students.

Cultural programming includes pottery, Korean war and economic development lectures, a templestay at Beopju-sa, a baseball game, k-pop dance lessons, and trips to Seoul both as a cohort and with host families.

Jeonju is most known for being a traditional Korean city with minimal western influence, and most students are placed with host families who live in Hanok villages.

During this period, some classes are dedicated to making kimbap, learning Korean history, and guest lecturers teaching Minhwa art, and traditional Korean music.NSLI-Y student blogs and cohort student-run Instagram pages are great resources for further information.Chinese: (China and Taiwan) - Virtual, Summer, and Academic Year Arabic: Virtual, Summer (Morocco and Jordan), and Academic Year (Morocco) (Egypt is being considered as a possible location for 2025-2026 programs.)

Semifinalist status is then announced in December, with those advancing being required to provide an interview with a State Department employee and medical forms.

Offered in the fall and winter, programming consists of two online 2.5 hour long classes per week in Korean, Chinese, Arabic, Russian, Hindi, and Turkish.

Virtual NSLI-Y is similarly competitive and has the same application timeline and requirements as the summer and academic year programs, but essay prompts are different.

"[15][failed verification] NSLI-Y programs are highly acclaimed by alumni, many of which attend or have graduated from prestigious universities across the United States and abroad.

In addition, many alumni go on to successful careers in the foreign service as diplomats or in prestigious positions in a variety of other fields from academia to the natural sciences and business.

NSLI-Y alumni also heavily incentivized and given special status when applying to other US government scholarships, exchanges, and fellowships, particularly in the field of diplomacy and national intelligence.

[19][20][failed verification] NSLI was launched on January 5, 2006, by United States President George W. Bush as a means to strengthen national security and expand intercultural dialogue.

[14][failed verification] The White House noted in 2011 that ECA alumni number over one million globally, including over 50 Nobel laureates and over 300 current or former heads of state.

[15][failed verification][19][dead link‍] When the program was first launched in 2006, several academics expressed concern over the large role the Pentagon played in the initiative.

Bush's intentions were initially viewed as an offensive strategy for combating terrorism, rather than as an attempt to promote international diplomacy through intercultural dialogue.

[4][failed verification] As the program grew to encompass more languages, its initial focus on combatting terrorism through cultural diplomacy has waned.