Model School Policy onInternational Student Exchange

The Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET), a nonprofit foundation dedicated to promoting quality international youth exchanges, has developed this set of suggested principles for U.S. high schools accepting exchange students sponsored by U.S.-based exchange programs.* This model policy can serve as a foundation for any school or district building its own local policy and seeking to ensure that its exchanges are successful and enriching for the entire school community.

The Model School Policy was created with valuable input from high school administrators, exchange program managers, and national advocates for youth exchange and has been endorsed by:

  • the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP),
  • the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), and
  • the American Association of School Administrators (AASA).

How Many Exchange Students Should a School Accept?

Current events show how interconnected the world is, giving schools ever more impressive reasons to accept international exchange students and use them as resources to broaden student and community perspectives on the world. The number of exchange students acceptedwill vary from school to school, but it is recommended that schools strive to accept exchange students each year,working toward a goal of exchange students comprising 1% of the total student population. Since conditions vary school by school, however, it is important that each school tailor its goal to best fitits community.

From Which Exchange Program(s) Should a School Accept Students?

A school should consider working with programs that:

  • demonstrate that they are operating in compliance with government regulations and industry standards by beingaccepted for listing in CSIET’s most current Advisory List (for the current list, visit
  • have proventhemselves their committment and responsiveness; and/or
  • in the case of new programs, have demonstrated a serious commitment to the school and community.

What Are the Exchange Program’s Responsibilitiesregarding Student Placement?

The school canexpect the exchange program to:

  • accept that the school reservesthe right of final approval on all student placements;
  • provide the school with advance notice of their intent to place exchange students and obtain school enrollment authorization prior to contacting potential host families;
  • personally interview and screen all potential host families, identify suitable host families, and match student and family interests and personalities, finalizing host family placements before exchange students’ departures from their home countries and before the first day of classes;
  • not knowingly place exchange students based on their athletic abilities;
  • notify the school as soon as student and host family match-ups are confirmed and provide the school with student and host family applications at least two weeks prior to the school's start date if at all possible (however, acknowledging the difficulty of obtainingstudent visas and securing host family commitments, the school will try to accept applications until August 31 as permitted by the U.S. State Department federal J-visa regulations); and
  • provide the school with an application for each student which includes:
  • apersonal letter from the student,
  • detailed information on the student and natural family,
  • proof that the student has sufficient language ability to function in an American classroom,
  • an original transcript of the student's high school grades, with English translation,that meetsthe U.S. school’s requirements, and
  • necessary medical history, including notification of any medical/physical restrictions and proof of a recent physical exam with immunizationsrequired by the school district.

What Are the Exchange Program’s Responsibilities regarding Monitoring and Support?

The school can expect the exchange program to:

  • maintain a network of qualified and trained local representatives living in or near the community;
  • prepare students and host families and provide them with an orientation;
  • communicate with the school and monitor exchange students’ progress during the school year, responding to issues, problems, or needs of the school as they develop;
  • make arrangements for tutoring or ESL help in the event that it is needed and ensure that the student accepts financial responsibility for it; and
  • maintain ongoing contact with and provide ongoing support for both students and host families.

What are the Exchange Student’s Responsibilities?

The schools can expect the exchange students to:

  • be aware that enrollment eligibility will be for oneyear only;
  • be aware that they must comply with district and state athletic eligibility regulations to participate in interscholastic athletic teams and that many teams require tryouts;
  • know and follow all school policies and rules;
  • possess an acceptable level of English language proficiency, a commitment to treat coursework as important, and the social skills to participate in social and extracurricular activities so as to be able to participate in regular classes and maintain a typical schedule;
  • attain passing grades by the end of their first semester;
  • have medical and accident insurance that meets or exceeds U.S. Department of State guidelines; and
  • be aware that they are not guaranteed the ability to graduate or be granted diplomas.

What are the School’s Responsibilities?

It is the responsibility of the school to:

  • understand that students on U.S. State Department-sponsored programs (J-1 visas) generally pay no tuition but are expected to pay all normal expenses, including standard course and extracurricular activity fees;
  • grant international exchange students all rights and privileges accorded to community students except the right to a diploma;
  • integrate international exchange students into the school's social fabric, encouraging international exchange students to participate enthusiastically in school activities, make friends, make a personal contribution to the school, and help spread the word about their countries and themselves, by interacting with people informally, by making presentations to classes and to community groups, and by talking to media when asked; and
  • appreciate the difficulty of a student's plunge into a different language, culture, and institution.

Created by high school and organization members of CSIET, Fall 2002. To review current CSIET Standards click here. To review J-Visa federal regulations visit:

*Note that the Model School Policy applies to exchange programs sponsoring students on J-1 visas and not to schools sponsoring students on F-1 visas, as federal regulations for F-1 visa exchanges differ. For more information on F-1 visa regulations, see ____.