How Long Can I Host a High School Exchange Student?

Hosting an exchange student is an experience like no other. It’s a win-win-win situation: you gain a new “son” or “daughter” and can expand your global perspective, the exchange student can come and live in America and learn about our culture, and your community becomes all the richer for this new cultural connection. If you’re interested in hosting, you may be wondering, “How long can I host a high school exchange student?”

Whether you’re thinking of a short-term or longer-term hosting experience, Academic Year in America (AYA) has an option for you. Below, we’ll go over the various AYA hosting opportunities and the length of time you can host a high school exchange student.

Exchange Student Hosting Duration

Foreign exchange student program length depends on your preference. AYA offers four high school exchange student hosting options, each with a different length of time: 

• Bridge Family: This is the shortest option and allows you to host an exchange student for 30 days. As a Bridge Family, you’ll temporarily host a high school exchange student while AYA finalizes a permanent placement.  
• Welcome Family: Similar to a Bridge Family, a Welcome Family is a short-term exchange student hosting option that allows families to host for 4, 6, or 8 weeks before a student is placed with another host family. This is a great option if you’re interested in hosting but aren’t able to commit to a whole semester or year. 
• Semester: Many exchange students sign up for the program for just one semester, whether fall or spring. If you’re interested in hosting, but you’re unsure or unable to host for a full academic year, this is the perfect option! 
• Academic Year: This is our most common and longest option for host families and exchange students. It’s an opportunity to host an AYA exchange student for a full academic year! For those who want the full hosting experience and want to maximize their impact on a young exchange student’s life, we recommend hosting for an entire school year. 

Can I Host an Exchange Student More Than Once? 

While a full academic year is the longest period of time you can host an individual exchange student, there’s technically no limit to how long you can be a host family in general, because you can host multiple years in a row. So, if you want to host a new high school exchange student after you’ve already hosted, you’re more than welcome to. If that’s not enough, there’s even the option to host two exchange students at once! 

Who can host a high school exchange student? 

As long as you are interested and able to meet the eligibility requirements, just about anyone can be a host parent to an exchange student. It’s important to keep in mind that there is no “typical” host family. Host parents may include the following: 

• Couples with children 
• Single individuals and couples without children 
• Single parents 
• Retirees 
• Dual income, no kids 
• One stay-at-home parent, one working parent 

Host family responsibilities 

To host a high school exchange student, you must meet the following criteria: 

• Age 25 or older 
• Live within a Local Coordinator’s cluster (service area) 
• Can provide three meals a day, plus room and board (high school exchange students require their own bed but may share a bedroom with a child of the same gender and a similar age). 
• If no school buses are available, host parents need to provide transportation to and from school. 

In addition, host parents need to make their high school exchange student feel welcome and cared for. Whether you’re hosting short-term or long-term, you should have a loving household that embraces the foreign exchange student as a new member of the family. 

Host an exchange student with AYA 

Academic Year in America (AYA) is a non-profit organization that connects enthusiastic international high school students with host parents who are ready to welcome them into their homes. In addition to connecting host parents with exchange students, we offer valuable 24/7 support from professionals at our national office and on-the-ground Local Coordinators, who are ready to assist you throughout your hosting experience. 

Whether you’re interested in hosting an exchange student as a Bridge Family, Welcome Family, for a semester, or for a full school year, AYA is here to help!