Fully Funded YSEALI US Professional Exchange
- Organization: American Councils for International Education (U.S. Department of State)
- Type: Fellowship
- Location: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam
- Deadline: December 10, 2026
- Funding: Fully Funded
The U.S. Department of State, with American Councils for International Education, brings emerging leaders aged 25 to 35 from eleven Southeast Asian countries to the United States for six weeks, built around a four-week placement at a U.S. nonprofit, government office or company matched to their work. Flights, visa costs, housing and a living stipend are covered, with online leadership training and mentoring before you travel. You choose a Fall 2027 or Spring 2028 cohort and bring a project of your own to drive back home. **What you get:** - Six weeks in the United States, including a four-week professional placement tailored to your field at a U.S. nonprofit, government office or company - International travel, J-1 visa fees and the cost of travelling to your visa interview, paid by the U.S. Department of State - Housing with a U.S. host family, in university housing or in an extended stay hotel, plus a home hospitality experience with an American family - A living stipend, including money for lunches on working days and a public transport allowance (the amount is not published) - No required costs to take part - An online leadership course, a personal alumni mentor, and one-on-one calls with American experts before you travel - An arrival orientation, a professional study tour in a U.S. city, and a closing forum with participants from all four themes, host organisations and guest speakers - YSEALI PE alumni status, with a chance at funding for your follow-on Action Plan, a Reciprocal Exchange Project that brings your U.S. host to your home community, and Regional Alumni Accelerator Workshops **What you'll do:** - Rank four themes (Economic Prosperity, Strategic Energy and Minerals, Liberty and Freedom, Peace and Security) and pick the Fall 2027 or Spring 2028 cohort; finalists can be moved to a different theme or cohort - Join about one live online session a week from the programme launch, with some self-paced work alongside - Work about 32 to 40 hours a week at your host organisation for four weeks: shadowing meetings, researching, presenting and joining projects - Take part in life in your U.S. host community, including a home hospitality experience - Design a follow-on Action Plan and carry it out in your home community after the exchange **Key dates:** - Applications close 10 December 2026 at 10:00 am US Eastern Time (15:00 UTC; 22:00 in Jakarta, Bangkok and Hanoi; 23:00 in Manila, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur) - Review can take up to six weeks; every applicant hears by email in the weeks after the deadline - Fall 2027 cohort: online sessions from August 2027, then six weeks in the U.S. in October and November 2027 (tentative) - Spring 2028 cohort: online sessions from January 2028, then six weeks in the U.S. in April and May 2028 (tentative) **More information:** - Apply in American Councils' AIS Forms portal, where you can save and come back before the deadline; the application only counts once you press Submit on the last page - You need your education and work history, an English CV, three written essays, a video essay on leadership, one professional reference requested through the portal, and signed participant terms and consent forms - Selection is merit based: the written and video application, then an in-person interview, with finalists chosen together with the U.S. Department of State - Exact cohort dates are given inside the application form - Questions go to ysealipe@americancouncils.org; send them early, since replies slow down close to the deadline - The programme's website still carries its earlier name, YSEALI Professional Fellows Program
