TechGirls Exchange Program

Benefits & funding

• Visa fees for international participants and round-trip international airfare to the United States.
• Round-trip domestic airfare from the participant’s home city when applicable.
• Program housing, including shared dormitory accommodation at Virginia Tech and shared hotel accommodation in Washington, D.C.
• Breakfast, lunch, dinner, local transport for group activities, and all educational and cultural events.
• Emergency health insurance during the program.
• A 23-day U.S. exchange plus seven months of pre- and post-exchange mentoring.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be female students aged 15–17 when the exchange begins. For the 2026 cycle, eligible birth dates were July 12, 2008 through July 11, 2011.
• Applicants must be citizens of one of the participating countries or territories and be living in that same country or territory when the exchange begins: Cameroon, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Zambia; Cambodia, Fiji, Indonesia, Mongolia, Taiwan, Vietnam; Albania, Cyprus, Greece, Kosovo, Montenegro, Türkiye; Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Territories, Tunisia; Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panama, Peru, Suriname; or the United States.
• Applicants holding any other citizenship who live permanently in one of those countries or territories should contact the program before applying, because the program decides eligibility for them case by case.
• Applicants must demonstrate advanced STEM skills and serious academic interest, plan to pursue STEM higher education or a career, and have advanced-intermediate English.
• Applicants must show maturity, flexibility, and open-mindedness, return for at least one more semester of secondary school, and commit to a community-based project after the exchange.
• Applicants who joined another U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs exchange in the previous three years are not eligible. Certain family members of U.S. government, Legacy International, or partner-organization staff are also excluded. U.S. dual citizens living abroad cannot travel to the United States through this program.
• Limited or no prior experience in the United States is preferred but is not a hard eligibility requirement.

Application process

1. 1
   Review the official eligibility criteria before starting an application.
2. 2
   Create an account in the application portal and complete every answer in English.
3. 3
   Upload a clear portrait and the most recent school transcript; the transcript may remain in its original language.
4. 4
   Save progress as needed and submit before the deadline. For the 2026 cycle, only the first 125 complete applications from each participating country or territory were considered.
5. 5
   Independent regional and industry reviewers assess applications. U.S. embassy personnel interview international semifinalists, while Legacy International interviews U.S. semifinalists.
6. 6
   Submit only original work. The program prohibits AI, translation, and editing tools for application answers and essays.

Program timeline

1. December 11, 2025, 8:00 a.m. EST

   2026 application opened.

2. Application deadline.

   January 20, 2026, 12:00 p.m. EST

3. Applicants notified of their status.

   Mid-April 2026

4. Arrival and orientation in Washington, D.C.

   July 11, 2026

5. Technology camp at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg.

   July 13–25, 2026

6. Community immersion and job shadowing in one of six U.S. cities.

   July 25–29, 2026

7. Activities and meetings in Washington, D.C.

   July 29–August 1, 2026

8. Departure from Washington, D.C.

   August 2, 2026

9. Community Action Project and follow-on mentoring.

   August–December 2026