Education Partners Program

Unique opportunity to partner with a leadership program for students operating within the UN system

Partner with GYEL to Elevate Your Students' Success

The Global Youth Excellence & Leadership Program (GYEL) is actively seeking partnerships with college consulting firms, educational advisors, and institutions that share our commitment to student excellence. Our benefactors, Ambassadors, and Permanent Observers to the United Nations have tasked us with expanding GYEL to identify and develop the next generation of global leaders.

About GYEL

GYEL is the only global youth program designed by college admissions officers, educators, diplomats, and industry leaders operating within the United Nations system. We empower students from all backgrounds—especially underrepresented and high-achieving communities—to gain admission to the world’s top universities and create lasting global impact.

Our Unique Position

  • UN Framework Operation: GYEL comprises a coalition of intergovernmental organizations, permanent observers, NGOs, and organizations with official special consultative status in the UN Economic and Social Council
  • Formal Institutional Agreements: Each UN Coalition Partner has signed a formal Institutional Agreement under the United Nations framework
  • Industry Recognition: Recently invited by CollegeAdvisor (owned by U.S. News) to present alongside former admissions officers from UPenn, UChicago, and Dartmouth
  • Distinguished Speakers: We regularly host global leaders, including recent guest speaker Kevin O’Leary (“Mr. Wonderful” from Shark Tank)

Benefits for Education Partners

Provide your clients who are accepted with access to a program that significantly elevates their admissions profiles and global perspective.

Deliver exceptional added value to families considering your services, demonstrating your commitment to comprehensive student development.

Stand out from competitors by offering unique credibility and leadership experience through our UN-affiliated program.

In a recent survey, over 93% of parents reported that GYEL helped their child stand out in both college and scholarship applications. Students consistently receive positive feedback from counselors and consultants for the depth of their experience.

Our flexible unenrollment policy ensures that if circumstances require, clients can unenroll at any time and receive a full refund of all administrative costs paid.

  • Direct contact with our team to discuss application status or receive feedback
  • Regular updates on new programs and deadline notifications
  • Rolling admissions process with early application benefits
  • Current average acceptance rate: ~20%

Many consultants choose to receive referral fees for each student who enrolls, while others prefer to offer the program as a value-added service to their clients.

What Students Gain Through GYEL

100% Virtual Program: Students worldwide can participate from anywhere, ensuring accessibility regardless of geographic location.

Capstone Projects: Students complete comprehensive research papers or Social Enterprise Prospectuses, showcasing initiative and intellectual rigor that strengthens university applications.

College Essays & Extracurriculars: Students can reference GYEL in personal statements to highlight global awareness, advanced research skills, and academic maturity. GYEL serves as a distinguished extracurricular activity demonstrating initiative and leadership development.

High-Impact Letters: Select participants secure recommendation letters from influential diplomats, ambassadors, business leaders, scientists, doctors, and researchers, significantly strengthening their applications.

  • Presidential Service Award: Students can earn certified volunteer hours and qualify for the U.S. President’s Volunteer Service Award through GYEL activities
  • Global Certification: Formal verification certificates recognized by universities, organizations, and scholarship committees worldwide

Getting Started

  1. Learn More: Visit gyel.org/college-admissions-and-gyel to review our comprehensive program details
  2. Schedule Partnership Consultation: Book a 20-minute partnership discussion with our team to explore collaboration opportunities
  3. Student Application Process: Guide your qualified students through our Application Portal for program consideration

Frequently Asked Questions

The Global Youth Excellence & Leadership Program (GYEL) is actively seeking partnerships with college consulting firms, educational advisors, and institutions that share our commitment to student excellence. Our benefactors, Ambassadors, and Permanent Observers to the United Nations have tasked us with expanding GYEL to identify and develop the next generation of global leaders.

Unlike other UN affiliated programs, what makes our program unique is that we are not a third party program with support or endorsement by various UN members. We are an organization that operates directly within the UN system. We have been deputy convenors of official meetings at the UN headquarters and are available to watch on UN TV. Our organization has had official signatories within the UN system, and was founded as such. We are a UN system organization first, and program second. We are not a program that seeks to be part of or is trying to become closer to the UN.

Contrary to popular belief, almost no UN programs are funded exclusively by mandatory contributions from member states. Out of 6,400+ UN-affiliated entities, only 7 organizations (about 0.11%) receive mandatory assessed contributions—including the UN Secretariat, Peacekeeping Operations, and a few core agencies like UNESCO and WHO.

The remaining 99.89% of UN organizations—including major programs like UNICEF, World Food Programme, UNHCR, and UNDP—must secure their own funding through:

  • Voluntary Contributions: Fundraising drives, public donations, private foundation grants, and corporate partnerships
    Service-Based
  • Revenue: Charging fees for specialized services (like WIPO’s patent services or UNOPS’s project management)
  • Hybrid Models: Combining multiple revenue streams for operational flexibility

This means most UN services are not automatically “free”—they require external support to operate. Even well-known agencies like UNICEF operate entirely on voluntary contributions, which is why you see UN organizations actively conducting fundraising campaigns and seeking private partnerships.

As a UN system organization, GYEL operates under the same funding model as 99.89% of UN entities—through service-based revenue and strategic partnerships rather than mandatory assessed contributions from member states.

Our funding comes primarily through:

  • Program Fees: Students pay administrative costs for participation in our programs, with our flexible unenrollment policy ensuring full refunds when needed
  • Education Partnerships: Collaborations with college consulting firms and educational institutions that recognize the value we provide to their students
  • UN System Support: Operational support through our formal Institutional Agreements within the United Nations framework
  • Strategic Alliances: Partnerships with organizations that share our mission of developing global youth leaders

This funding model allows us to maintain our independence while operating directly within the UN system, ensuring we can provide high-quality programming without relying on uncertain government allocations. Like other successful UN system organizations such as WIPO and UNOPS, our service-based approach ensures sustainable operations and continuous program improvement.

Given that we are part of the UN system, we have very liberal policies regarding refunds. Students can unenroll at any time during the session, even after completing the program within 7 days with 100% of their administrative fee contributions returned to them, this may be done immediately without issue or prejudice. If a participant wishes to join the same program or another in the future, a new application would be required. Please note that no verification of GYEL completion will be issued if requested by other institutions.

If GYEL aligns with your mission and you see the potential benefits for your clients, we invite you to join our network of distinguished education partners. Together, we can provide students with unparalleled opportunities for growth, leadership development, and academic success.

Contact Us Today to schedule your partnership consultation and discover how GYEL can enhance your educational services.

GYEL operates under the United Nations Economic and Social Council framework, with leadership including CS Credentialed Members committed to advancing global youth excellence and leadership development.