Alliance member organizations, often in conjunction with the Department of State, facilitate both inbound (foreign participants coming the United States) and outbound (American participants going abroad) high school exchange programs.
The Student, Secondary (High School) Exchange Program, a category of the U.S. Department of State’s BridgeUSA, brings foreign high school students to the United States for up to one year of academic study at an accredited public or private secondary school. During their stay, participants live with American host families or reside at accredited U.S. boarding schools. The High School Exchange Program, like all exchanges, is intended to provide participants with broad exposure to U.S. culture and society, and to foster greater appreciation among Americans of the participants’ home countries. Specifically, the high school program is designed to allow students to become directly involved in the daily life of the people of the United States through study and host family living, and has a consistent record of success in fostering attitudinal change, building lifelong relationships, and encouraging leadership aspirations.
See more information on the High School Exchange Program on the Department of State website.
Many Alliance members also facilitate outbound high school exchange programs of varying lengths to allow American students in-depth exposure to a foreign education, culture, and society.
The following Alliance member organizations sponsor high school programs:
- Academic Year in America
- AFS Intercultural Programs – USA
- AIFS Foundation
- American Councils for International Education: ACTR/ACCELS
- American Secondary Schools for International Students and Teachers (ASSIST)
- AMIDEAST
- ASSE-International Student Exchange Programs
- AYUSA Global Youth Exchange
- Cultural Homestay International (CHI)
- EF Foundation for Foreign Study
- Greenheart International
- High School in the USA
- International Cultural Exchange Services (ICES)
- International Student Exchange (ISE)
- Pan Atlantic
- PAX Laurasian Exchange
- STS Foundation
- STS Global Studies Inc.
- World Heritage
- World Learning
A list of all inbound high school exchange sponsors designated by the Department of State can be found on the Department’s website.