CIEE High School USA Exchange Program

The CIEE High School USA Exchange Program enables international high school students to experience American education and culture firsthand. Operated under the BridgeUSA initiative led by the U.S. Department of State, the program places students at public high schools across 48 continental U.S. states and Alaska, where they live with carefully matched American host families for up to 10 months.

The program is open to students aged 15 to 18.5 years who maintain a minimum GPA of 2.6 on a 4.0 scale, have completed at least three years of English instruction, and achieve an ELTiS score of 216 or higher. Applicants must not be U.S. citizens and should not have previously held J-1 or F-1 visas for academic year programs.

Participants gain English fluency, cross-cultural communication skills, and global perspective through daily immersion in American school and family life. CIEE reports that 97 percent of participants improve their English skills, and 94 percent deepen their understanding of American culture. Students also complete community service hours and participate in extracurricular activities.

CIEE provides comprehensive support including an international representative in the home country, a local coordinator in the host community, a New York City kick-off orientation, travel health insurance, J-1 visa documentation support, and 24/7 multilingual emergency assistance.