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High School Exchange

There are two ways to complete a short-term high school exchange programme in the US: arranging your own placement directly with a school, or participating in an established exchange programme.

Arranging Your Own Placement

Students with an immediate family member living in the US who is US citizen or permanent resident and acts as his/her legal guardian may directly enrol in a public (state-funded) or private school. These students would follow the procedures described on the families moving to the US page; however, you may need to pay tuition. All other students would need to arrange a placement with a private boarding school.

Exchange Programme

Short-term exchange programmes last for a summer, semester or academic year and may include a "homestay" where the student lives with a host family for the duration of the programme. Most students find it easier logistically to complete a short-term exchange to the US after they have completed GCSEs or as a year after A-levels.  On an exchange programme, you pay a programme fee to a sponsor organisation to arrange your school placement, visa (likely a J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa), and possibly homestay. 

Here is a list of organisations that sponsor exchange programmes:

• American Institute for Foreign Study Foundation (AIFS)
• AYUSA International
• EF Foundation for Foreign Study
• The Center for Cultural Interchange (CCI)

Visas

UK students travelling with their families should enter the US under the visa status of their parents. 

Students planning to live with a legal guardian residing in the US (who is a US citizen or permanent resident) should apply to the nearest US consular office for a family-based immigration visa.

Students planning to travel to the US without their parents should apply to the nearest US consular office for an F-1 Student Visa. Please note this visa may be issued for a period of study lasting up to 12 months for public school or high school exchange. Please note an I-20 Certificate of Eligibility for Nonimmigrant Student Status form is necessary to begin applying for the student visa. Therefore, when selecting schools or exchange programmes, it is important to ensure the school/programme is authorised by the US government to issue this form. If the school is not authorised, a school representative may contact the nearest US Citizenship and Immigration Services office for details on how to gain authorisation. The school will have to submit an I-17 Petition for Approval form at the local office. This process takes time, so plan accordingly.

Our staff are not trained to handle specific enquiries related to visas in the US. For such enquiries, information is available on the US Embassy in London website. Alternatively, you may call the US Embassy at 09042 450100 (Operator Assisted £1.23/minute) between the hours of 8 am - 8 pm Monday - Friday, and 10 am - 4 pm on Saturday.