PARENTS FAQ

No, your family does not have to accept an exchange student in return. The term “exchange” is more about the cultural expe­ri­ences that your child has, but also the exchange family.

The German school is in demand here. It is best to speak to the school principal early on about the possi­bi­lity of a student exchange. On average, most exchange students go to the USA in 10th grade or 11th grade. It also depends on whether your child’s school offers the Abitur after 12 or 13 years. Since the school year often has to be repeated in Germany for a year-round exchange, another time is also possible.

This decision is made by the school in your home country. We recom­mend that you clarify with the contact persons at the school before your stay abroad whether and under what circum­s­tances a repe­ti­tion year can be avoided.

After signing the contract, your child’s personal super­visor will contact you and explain the next steps in detail. Following the compi­la­tion of the appli­ca­tion docu­ments, we will look for suitable schools, fami­lies and sports teams in coope­ra­tion with our part­ners in the USA. As soon as you and your child have made a decision on one of the options presented, we start applying for the visa and check off all further steps on the way to the plane toge­ther.

It is of course possible for you to visit your child in the USA. However, we tend not to drop your children off with the host family or visit them during the year, as other­wise the path to inde­pen­dence can be disturbed. You are welcome to pick up your child in the USA at the end of the program and explore the country toge­ther.