Funding

Fully Funded

Cultural Exchange•USA · South Hadley · Hybrid

Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP)

World Learning

Application Deadline

Closed · January 30, 2026

Reopens ~Jan 2027

Official Page

The Iraqi Young Leaders Exchange Program (IYLEP) brings young Iraqis to the United States for leadership and civic-engagement training. Funded since 2007 by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, it is implemented by World Learning and counts more than 3,000 alumni.

Iraqi students join one of three tracks: English Proficient or Emerging English for high school students, or Undergraduate; adult mentors travel with the groups. A small number of U.S. high school students join the English Proficient track.

Each exchange spends three to four weeks in the U.S., opening in South Hadley, Massachusetts, moving to homestays and volunteering in host cities, and closing in Washington, D.C. Participants then run a community project at home.

Benefits & funding

  • Fully funded: round-trip international travel to the U.S., visa and program fees, orientations, lodging and meals, site visits and seminars, cultural activities, educational materials, and accident and sickness insurance.
  • The Emerging English track adds reasonable pocket money; the Undergraduate track adds a modest stipend.
  • Emerging English participants stay with Arabic-speaking host families and in student housing, and all their sessions run in Arabic.
  • Online preparation before travel: the 2026 English Proficient cohort met virtually from May 11 to June 21, and undergraduates take a 3–4 week online BRIDGE course.
  • Mentor support for the community project after return.
  • Participants pay for their passport, any application costs, and personal spending.

Eligibility

  • Iraqi high school tracks: Iraqi citizenship and current residence in Iraq; age 15–17 on July 1 of the exchange year; at least one year of high school completed and at least one year left after the program (sixth-year students cannot apply).
  • The English Proficient track requires English speaking, writing, and listening skills; the Emerging English track is for students without English proficiency.
  • Iraqi Undergraduate track: age 18–24 on July 1 of the exchange year; first-, second-, or third-year students with at least one semester left after return.
  • Iraqi adult mentors: age 24 or older on July 1 of the exchange year.
  • Iraqi applicants must hold a valid Iraqi passport by the stated date (last intake: held by January 10, 2025 and valid through March 2026).
  • Iraqi applicants are ineligible if they or a parent have applied for permanent residency or refugee status outside Iraq, or if they or a parent or sibling have applied for U.S. immigration.
  • Iraqi applicants are also ineligible after any U.S. government-funded exchange (such as IYLEP, MEPI, YES, Fulbright, or SUSI), with an immediate family member employed by the U.S. Embassy or a U.S. government agency, or with dual U.S. citizenship.
  • U.S. high school route (English Proficient track only): U.S. citizenship and residency; age 15–17 on July 1, 2026; at least one year of high school completed, one year remaining, and graduation in 2027 or later; a state ID or driver’s license valid through March 2027.
  • U.S. applicants are ineligible after an ECA-funded program within the past academic year, or if related to ECA Youth Programs Division staff or employees of the implementing organization.
  • Applicants under 16 need parent or guardian consent to complete the portal application.

Can you apply?

Here's who can apply

Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.

  • Eligible nationalities

    Iraq · USA

  • Residence required

    Iraq · USA

  • Education required

    High School · Bachelor Enrolled

  • Age requirement

    ≥ 15 yrs

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Application process

  1. 1
    Check iylep.org/apply for your track and its current status. No new Iraqi applications were taken for 2026, since Iraqi participants selected for 2025 joined the 2026 cohort; 2027 recruitment is expected to open in November 2026.
  2. 2
    Iraqi applicants: get an Iraqi passport early, since the last intake required one by January 10.
  3. 3
    Register on the World Learning application portal, select IYLEP and your track, and complete the online application.
  4. 4
    Upload a high school transcript and a recommendation letter from a current or former teacher or colleague (never a relative); U.S. applicants also submit a state ID or driver’s license.
  5. 5
    U.S. applicants can join a January virtual information session before the deadline.

Program timeline

  1. Virtual information sessions for U.S. applicants (6:00 PM ET)

    Jan 9, 2026 and Jan 23, 2026

  2. Application deadline (U.S. high school route, 2026 cohort)

    Jan 30, 2026

  3. Virtual pre-travel program (English Proficient track)

    May 11, 2026 to Jun 21, 2026

  4. In-person exchange in the United States

    Jul 3, 2026 to Jul 23, 2026

  5. After return

    Community project at home, with follow-up about six months later on the Emerging English and Undergraduate tracks

  6. November 2026

    IYLEP 2027 recruitment expected to open

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