Host Family to High School Exchange Student

Be a Host Family to a High School Exchange Student

Education Travel & Culture (ETC) offers inbound and outbound programs for high school students around the world. As a host family, you will share the American high school experience with a student aged 14‑18 on a J-1 visa.

• Ensure a safe and nurturing home environment for the student
• Provide a private room and a bed (room may be shared with a similarly aged host sibling)
• Serve three meals per day
• Provide transportation to and from school and for extracurricular activities
• Offer love, support, and guidance to the student
• Explore cultural differences and similarities together
• Accept families with or without children

• Brings their own spending money and health insurance
• Has good English skills
• Is highly screened by the program
• Is excited to meet their American family
• Enjoys learning about new cultures, trying new foods, listening to music, and speaking new languages
• Values sharing their own culture with the host family
• Desires to experience an American education and a once‑in‑a‑lifetime adventure

Learn a new culture, add another member to your family, and help a student gain an American education.

Hear from a former host family: “Our exchange student has been such a blessing in our lives. We had no idea we were missing anything until she came into our lives…she has become not just a daughter to me, but my friend.”

Watch our video to learn more: