AYA students allow intercultural learning to come alive. Classroom discussions are richer and more engaging when shaped by different cultural perspectives. Language classes benefit when native speakers contribute linguistic and cultural knowledge. World events take on new significance when personal relationships influence opinions.
Private/Independent Day Schools
Boarding Schools
Public Schools
Private/Independent Day Schools
Global Recruiting Made Easy
Whether you are looking to develop a long-term recruitment strategy or simply seeking to diversify your population of international students, Academic Year in America (AYA) has the solution. A program of the American Institute For Foreign Study Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit charity, AYA has brought the opportunity to study in the United States to 30,000 students through our homestay program for more than thirty years.
We are now pleased to bring this opportunity to international students who wish to attend a private or independent school in the U.S. Students recruited through the AYA network are the best young “ambassadors” of their countries and are accepted into the AYA program after careful review of their applications, which must demonstrate the requisite maturity and desire for this unique experience.
AYA Students:
- • Are ages 15-18
- • Arrive with their own spending money and medical insurance
- • Are in some cases fully tuition-funded, in other cases may require discounted tuition
- • Have studied English for at least three years
- • Have solid academic records
- • Are sponsored through AYA on a J-1 visa
- • Hail from a wide range of countries, including Brazil, Germany, China
These students will reside with an American host family during the academic year, and AYA will work in cooperation with your institution to identify families that are part of your community who may wish to host a student. Our own host family network spans all fifty states, so we may already have a qualified family in your area.
If your institution is interested in recruiting international students of this caliber, simply join the AYA network.
Contact information:
Stacey Einhorn
Deputy Director, Academic Year in America
The AIFS Foundation
Email: seinhorn@aifs.org
Phone: 203.399.5097
Boarding Schools
Global Recruiting Made Easy
Whether you are looking to develop a long-term recruitment strategy or simply seeking to diversify your population of international students, Boarding Schools in America (BSIA) has a cost-effective solution. A program of the American Institute For Foreign Study Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit charity, BSIA benefits from the excellent reputation and important connections the Foundation has established with 30,000 students over its thirty years of involvement in international educational exchange.
We are now pleased to bring this opportunity to international students who wish to attend a boarding school in the U.S. Students recruited through the AYA network are the best young “ambassadors” of their countries and are accepted into the BSIA program after careful review of their applications, which must demonstrate the requisite maturity and desire for this unique experience.
AYA Students:
- • Are ages 15-18
- • Arrive with their own spending money and medical insurance
- • Are in some cases fully tuition-funded, in other cases may require discounted tuition
- • Have studied English for at least three years
- • Have solid academic records
- • Are sponsored through AYA on a J-1 visa
- • Hail from a wide range of countries, including Brazil, Germany, China
Member Benefits
In the recruitment phase, BSIA will
- • Promote your institution abroad to prospective students
- • Advise students on which schools would be the best matches
- • Interview all applicants
In the application phase, BSIA will
- • Assist students with the application process, ensuring that each applicant provides
all required documents, test scores and transcripts, officially translated; meets all
required deadlines; submits financial documentation.
In the enrollment phase, BSIA will
- • Facilitate the visa application process
- • Assist students with travel arrangements and pre-enrollment documentation
- • Provide emergency support through our national office.
- • Provide a pre-departure orientation and optional international student weekend in San Francisco for all students placed throughout the U.S.
Boarding Schools in America
- • Is free to join
- • Is non-profit
- • Is a member of The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) and the Secondary School Admissions Test Board (SSATB)
- • Offers a cost-effective service fee payable upon the matriculation of BSIA students
If your institution is interested in economically-responsible recruitment of international students of this caliber, simply join the BSIA network.
Contact information:
Stacey Einhorn
Deputy Director, Academic Year in America and Boarding Schools in America
The AIFS Foundation
Email: seinhorn@aifs.org
Phone: 203.399.5097
Public Schools
Whether you are looking to develop a long-term recruitment strategy or simply seeking to diversify your population of international students, Academic Year in America (AYA) has the solution. A program of the American Institute For Foreign Study Foundation, an independent, not-for-profit charity, AYA has brought the opportunity to study in the United States to 30,000 students through our homestay program for more than thirty years.
We are now pleased to bring this opportunity to international students who wish to attend a public school in the U.S. Students recruited through the AYA network are the best young “ambassadors” of their countries and are accepted into the AYA program after careful review of their applications, which must demonstrate the requisite maturity and desire for this unique experience.
AYA students:
- • Are ages 15-18
- • Arrive with their own spending money and medical insurance
- • Have studied English for at least three years
- • Have solid academic records
- • Are sponsored through AYA on a J-1 visa
- • Hail from a wide range of countries, including Brazil, Germany, China
These students will reside with an American host family during the academic year, and AYA will work in cooperation with your institution to identify families that are part of your community who may wish to host a student. Our own host family network spans all fifty states, so we may already have a qualified family in your area.
If your institution is interested in recruiting international students of this caliber, simply join the AYA network.
Contact information:
Stacey Einhorn
Deputy Director, Academic Year in America
The AIFS Foundation
Email: seinhorn@aifs.org
Phone: 203.399.5097
Bringing the AYA exchange students into our school system has helped our students to fulfill our Mission Statement which is: To empower our students to succeed in the 21st century. 
