P U B L I C A F F A I R S O F F I C E NEWS RELEASE
EMBASSY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
AMERICAN AVENUE 1
YEREVAN, ARMENIA
TELEPHONE (+374 10) 46 47 00; 46 47 01; 46 47 02
E-MAIL: USINFO@USA.AM

September 28, 2005
The U.S. Embassy Announces Recruitment for the FLEX, UGRAD, and Muskie
Exchange Programs
On September 23 the U.S. Embassy held a press conference announcing the
beginning of the recruitment season for the following educational exchange
programs for the 2005-2006 academic year: the Future Leaders’ Exchange
Program (FLEX), the Eurasian Undergraduate Exchange Program (UGRAD), and the
Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program (Muskie).
The FLEX program is funded by the U.S. Department of State and is
administered by the American Councils for International Education. This
program provides scholarships for Armenian high school students to study in
the United States. Each scholarship recipient lives with a U.S. host family
for one academic year. Fifty scholarships are awarded to Armenian students
every year, and to date, nearly 470 Armenian high school students have
participated in this program. Recruitment will be conducted September
through October, and a recruitment schedule can be accessed at

Established by the U.S. Congress in 1992 to encourage economic and
democratic growth in Eurasia, the UGRAD program is funded by the U.S.
Department of State and administered by the International Research &
Exchange Board (IREX). This program provides opportunities for first,
second, and third year undergraduate students from Armenia other countries
in Eurasia for non-degree study in the United States for one academic year.
All fellows attend classes full-time for one year and perform a minimum of
20 hours of volunteer service in their host community during their first
semester and complete a part-time internship during their second semester.
Applications for the UGRAD program can be obtained by contacting IREX
Yerevan’s office, or can be downloaded from or
Online applications will be available October 2005.
The Muskie program is a U.S. Department of State program that is
administered by IREX. This program provides opportunities for graduate
students and professionals from Armenia and other countries in Eurasia to
study in the United States. All fellows attend classes full-time for one to
two years and are required to create and implement a project related to
their professional interests and beneficial for the local community.
Applications for the Muskie program can be obtained by contacting IREX
Yerevan’s office, or can be downloaded from or
Online applications will be available October 2005.
Information on these programs can also be accessed at