International high school student exchange programs
Personal, educational, social and cultural development that simply cannot be achieved through any other means!
Explore the world with confidence with our international high student exchange programs, tailored to support Australian high school students.
For over 20 years, our students have travelled the globe, learned new languages, attended local high schools, and participated in unique cultural and social events. These enriching experiences inspire growth and independence and foster a deeper understanding and appreciation for different cultures and world travel.
From your initial inquiry until you return home, our helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable team provides individual advice and support, ensuring your experience is rich and rewarding. While abroad, our international partners provide students with the same high standard of support and care for which we are renowned.
What is a student exchange program?
Student exchange programs open doors for you to explore the world beyond your home country.
The opportunity to go to school in foreign countries exposes students to different cultures, languages, and educational systems, an experience that simply can’t be achieved through any other means!
Whether it’s experiencing the historic streets of Europe, or the vibrant cultures of South America, these programs provide a global perspective that extends far beyond the confines of a classroom.
Develop cross-cultural communication skills, cultural sensitivity, and a global mindset – essential attributes in an increasingly globalised world. Build international connections and friendships that last a lifetime, plus get experience that sets you apart in a competitive job market, opening doors to international career opportunities.
Program types
High school exchange programs with flexibility.
Students of the World offers a wide range of programs, from short-term cultural programs to school-year exchange programs and everything in between.
Discuss your wants and needs with our helpful team to find a program that’s right for you.
Important regulatory notice – short-term programs
Please note that programs of less than three (3) months’ duration available to students residing in South Australia, New South Wales, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory are not classified as secondary student exchange programs under the National Guidelines for the Operation of the International Secondary Student Exchange Program in Australia and are not quality-assured by the relevant state or territory registration authority.
Participants in these programs will be enrolled in a short-term cultural immersion program rather than a registered student exchange program.
Students of the World applies the same child safety standards, screening processes, duty-of-care practices and welfare monitoring to these short-term cultural immersion programs as it does to its registered student exchange programs. However, parents and participants should be aware that these programs do not fall within the state or territory legislative framework for registered student exchange programs.
*Prices are correct at the time of publication but are subject to change without notice.
Canada
Denmark
England
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ireland
Italy
Mexico
Scotland
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
USA
Our exchange program destinations
Choose from our many international destinations for your next exchange program.
We provide student exchanges in the Americas and Europe – swipe through the carousel to check out some destinations!
As an exchange student in our international destinations, you’ll experience the heartfelt hospitality of a local host family and a world-renowned education system.
Benefits of a student exchange program?
Global exposure
Cultural adaptability
Language proficiency
Cross-cultural connections
Global citizenship
Career advantages
So where can you go?
Students of the World have established high school student exchange programs around the globe, so you can embark with confidence that your safety will be met.
View DestinationsWhy choose Students of the World for your student exchange program?
Personal attention
Experience driven
Students of the World coordinates logistics like like flights, insurance, host family placement, school enrolment, and more - so you can concentrate on preparing for your adventure.
International partners
Our staff and partners will provide friendly and helpful advice at every stage of your journey.
Our safety commitment
You can learn more about our safety policies and procedures.
How do I apply for a student exchange program?
- Click on the button below and fill out the online enquiry form.
- After receiving your Expression of Interest form, we’ll schedule a phone call or in-person meeting with you and your parent/guardian. One of our friendly and experienced team members will conduct the meeting, so there’s no need to be nervous!
- Following the interview, we will ask you to complete an online application form. We will then review it and may contact you for additional information if necessary.
- When you have been accepted, we will notify you and our overseas partner will start looking for a suitable host family and school for you. We will set up a payment plan for you, and full payment must be made 60 days before departure.
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Prior to departure one of our team members will conduct a pre departure briefing with you and your parent/guardian and give you the opportunity to ask any last-minute questions.
Then the countdown begins!
What does a student exchange program cost?
The cost of student exchange programs varies depending on the location, duration of stay, and time of year.
You will find detailed information under each destination, including prices, inclusions and exclusions.
We believe that every student should have the opportunity to go on exchange, and to help make this possible, we offer payment plans that spread the payments into manageable instalments.
Questions about student exchange programs?
That’s great, you should have a lot of questions! It can be an exciting (but scary) time.
Lucky for you, we have a comprehensive FAQs section with tips from former students and a team of incredible people ready to answer all your questions—so get in touch today!
We also run student exchange information sessions online, a great way to hear direct from past students and our team. Register your interest here.
Student exchange testimonials
Don't take our word for it - hear from students, parents and hosts about their exchange experiences with Students of the World.
Tess
For host parents, Students of the World are a very supportive organisation.
They are very experienced in organising host families and exchange students and provide amazing support to host families once the students in place in families. They are responsive to any queries and are in contact with the home country of the host student when the need arises. I recommend them highly.
Myf
The experience of hosting a student was great for our family. We had so much fun showing him around and he is now part of our family.
D’Jango
I have this whole other family and support system in another country now, which I think is just amazing.
Elyse
Working with Students of the World has been an absolute pleasure right from the initial point of contact and all the way through the application process.
The service provided by Sandeep is second to none. He knows his stuff and communicates in a clear, helpful and friendly way. Sandeep is able to use his deep understanding of the student exchange process to answer the many questions I and my daughter had, and it was always done with a smile.
Students of the World puts the student first at all times and works hard to make sure their experience is well supported, positive and also a lot of fun. The partnership that Students of the World has established with the exchange company in France is clearly longstanding and of a high quality. The host family that my daughter has been matched to was carefully selected and accommodated not only her personal interests, but also that she is vegetarian.
I cannot recommend Students of the World and Sandeep highly enough to anyone that is thinking about a student exchange. Students of the world are professional, thoughtful and kind with an excellent level of personalised service all the way through!
Pietro
Surely my experience in Australia has been one of the best of my life.
Living in another country so far from home not only teaches you to greatly improve your language level, but to face all the difficulties you will have to face on your own, to grow, understand yourself, establish friendships and a beautiful relationship with your family.
You will get to know fantastic people who will want to let you know me as much as possible so that you can live this unique adventure. I was lucky with my host family to visit the breathtaking scenery of Cape Jarvis, the wonderful Kangaroo Island, and lots of other places.
Thanks to my experience I’ve learnt to know myself, to live with another family that is not mine, to face difficulties alone and definitely to grow up.
If I had to answer the question “what will you miss the most of Australia?” I would answer the question speaking about the sympathy of many people. Most of them always care about you and they’re always kind.
Abby
I enjoyed every minute of my exchange. I was immersed in the Spanish culture. I was given amazing opportunities to learn something new every day.
My Host Family was absolutely amazing. They treated me like their own daughter and were very loving. There is a lot of banter in the household – it shocks me how well we got along sometimes. They treated me like an adult and gave me lots of freedom but at the same time kept me in line. I made an amazing amount of friends and got along with most of the town.
One of the biggest difficulties was the language, that being speaking English to my parents back home! I never thought the day would come where I would struggle to speak my own language, but I suppose that’s one of the many benefits of exchange!
Andrew
It was a lovely experience for our family hosting a French young man for 2 months. We are a split family in two houses and we shared him between the houses with our children.
It was good to discuss his impressions of our country and learn some differences. We enjoyed doing lots of things together – things we wouldn’t usually do like touring and visiting museums and beaches etc. It was a good experience for us and I hope a great experience for our student as well.
We may have struck it lucky with a student that fitted well with our family – but probably this was good matching by Students of the world.
He was easy to get on with. He enjoyed doing some outdoorsy things with us. We enjoyed learning about some cultural and language differences between Australia and France. We cooked together, went on bush walks together, visited places, watched a few movies as a family etc. He was happy at the school.
Anna
This experience was beyond life-changing. I couldn’t recommend it any more.
Kirsten
Children on exchange become stronger, more independent people and hopefully come home with a new perspective on life.
It takes some courage and motivation to want to go on exchange for teenagers and I believe this can only be beneficial to them in life.
My daughter has been placed with a wonderful host family and they have been very good to her since she arrived. The three-day orientation in Paris was a highlight and I would also recommend the three-day language camp that Students of the World offers students.
I would thoroughly recommend Students of the World. They are a very reputable company.
Kenneth
Operational excellence and outstanding services.
It is my belief that the exchange program is not only designed to improve one’s language skills but also provide character development and multiple skills in organisation, social and time-management. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience to learn to be independent whilst building friendships and experiencing different parts of the world. We were very much delighted when a partial scholarship opportunity was offered by SOTW.
It has been an exceptional experience to deal with Students of The World when preparing and processing the application for my daughter’s student exchange program. For anyone with desires in positive personal development through exchange programs, SOTW is highly recommended for their well organised plans and professional services, which surely will make this part of the life journey become so exciting, valuable and memorable.
The trip from Sydney to Paris is a long flight with transfers in between. Unfortunately, our daughter had never taken any flight alone previously; However, Students of the World simplified this process and ensured all our questions were answered before the flight. We had a final consultation call two weeks before the flight where we had detailed discussions on the flights boarding, security, transfer, arrival, dealing with host family, etc. This call made us feel safe and comfortable.
We are very satisfied with our daughter’s progress in the exchange program and the supports received by SOTW and PIE (an organisation connected to SOTW). We like to express our gratitude to everyone involved in making our daughter’s exchange happen. I have no doubt you will be sharing the same quality of experience when SOTW is assisting to achieve your goals!
Nadia
Students of the World were very professional and caring.
They followed up several times to ensure the student was happy. Very quick to answer emails. Just fantastic service.
Jane
My daughter’s exchange is a wonderful opportunity to see how other people live and to test out her language skills, her ingenuity and adaptability, as well as see something of the world.
It’s a great experience for the whole family too because we have met an amazingly generous and hospitable family on the other side of the world. We hope it is a lasting connection.
Students of the World provided us with very timely information about the travel process and we felt reassured that there were very clear directions and processes for the journey. A team member met our daughter in transit in Melbourne and connected her with other students going on exchange to France. This turned what might have been a time of apprehension into a fun experience.
Student Exchange FAQs
Can I choose which country I go to for my high school student exchange program?
Yes, you can choose your preferred destination country for your high school student exchange program, and we work with our trusted partners to organise your placement, school and host family.
Just choose the destination you are most interested in and we will take care of all the details and make your dream come true.
Do you provide chaperones for international flights as part of the High School Student Exchange program?
Yes. For selected destinations, we offer chaperoned flights where a team member travels with the group from Australia. This extra support helps students feel calm and confident during check-in, boarding, stopovers and transfers. It is an important part of ensuring a smooth and well-supported start to their High School Student Exchange journey. When a student travels alone, we prepare them with a clear plan so they know exactly what to expect.
How will I be supported while I’m overseas on my high school student exchange?
You’ll receive 24/7 support from a trained local coordinator as well as ongoing assistance from our Australian team.
The local coordinator is available to help with any questions or challenges during your high school student exchange, and they stay in regular contact with both you and your host family to ensure everything is going well. If you experience cultural or personal difficulties, your coordinator can guide you through them and communicate with our partner organisations when needed. If an issue cannot be resolved, we will work with you to find an appropriate solution.
Who are host families and how are they selected for a high school student exchange program?
Host families come in many forms but undergo interviews, background checks and home visits to meet Australian child-safety standards.
They might be similar or very different to your family. Host families can be parents with teenage children, single parents, families without children, an older couple whose children have already grown up or same-sex couples. Whatever size or shape, the host families are open to receiving a student from overseas and sharing the student’s learning experience.
Learn more about our safety commitment and approach on our About page
Do I need to speak the local language to go on a high school student exchange program?
You don’t need to be fluent in the local language to go on a high school student exchange program, but knowing the basics helps you settle in more quickly.
There are no formal language requirements for our destination countries. However, as you will be attending a school and living with a local family, we strongly recommend that you know the basics of the language.
Possessing some language skills will enable you to interact with people more easily and generally make your visit more comfortable and enjoyable. More importantly, your level of motivation and enthusiasm as well as your willingness to learn and embrace a different culture will all contribute to your experience.
Will I need a visa for my high school student exchange program, and who organises it?
Visa requirements depend on your destination and the length of your high school exchange program, and if a visa is required, we guide you to start the application process.
In many European Union countries, a visa is not required for short programs under 90 days. For programs longer than three months, a visa may be necessary. If you do need a visa, we will help you begin the application process and ensure you understand the steps involved. Visa costs are not included in the program fee.
For general visa and entry information, visit Smartraveller’s visa guidance page.