Moldovan high school students studying in the 9th, 10th and 11th grades, born from January 1, 1992 to July 15, 1994, may study for free in the United States of America 1 year. The scholarships are offered in the program for cultural exchange for students – FLEX-- promoted by the US Government, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the coordinator of the FLEX program in Moldova, Irina Nicorici, the high school students willing to study in the USA should speak English and have an average mark not less than 8. The people not staying in the USA for a term longer than 3 months in the last five years and being allowed to receive a US visa and a Moldovan passport are eligible. The selection will be done in 3 stages. The first stage implies a test of 16 questions in English to be answered in a written form. In the second stage, the students will have to take a test similar to TOEFL and to write three essays. The third stage will test the candidates' communication skills and their viability to adapt to a new environment. According to Irina Nicorici, the recipients of FLEX scholarships will be selected by an independent panel of experienced educators in the United States. They will study at an American high school and will live in an American host family during 11 months. All expenses are covered by the US Government. On their return to Moldova, the graduating participants will repeat the grade, the Education Ministry of Moldova decided. The students need to go to a testing center with their original birth certificate, a 4 X 5 recent photograph, a pencil and pen. The tests will take place on 17 September in Soroca, on 22 September in Ungheni, on 24 September in Cahul, on 29 September in Balti, on 16 October in Anenii Noi and on 11 October in Chisinau. The FLEX program was instituted by the US Congress in 1992 to establish friendly links with countries from Eurasia and eastern Europe: Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan, Moldova, Russian, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan. It is financed by the US Congress and managed by the Department of State. 30 Moldovan students became recipients of the FLEX scholarships in 2007, as this program has unfolded in Moldova for 16 years.