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International Student Exchange

36 Park Ave
Bay Shore, NY 11706

Phone: 631-893-4540 or (toll-free) 800-766-4656
Fax: 631-893-4550
E-mail: Tal@iseusa.org
Website: https://iseusa.org
Contact: Tal Stanecky, General Manager

2023-2024 CSIET Certification Status: Full
Countries Served: Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, China, Colombia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Estonia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Korea, South, Kyrgyzstan, Liechtenstein, Mexico, Montenegro, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Venezuela, Vietnam
Number of 2022-2023 Participants: 2612 semester or year inbound
Not-for-Profit Organization: Established 1982

International Student Exchange, Inc. (ISE) fulfills its mission of “Educating Tomorrow’s Leaders” by bringing together foreign teens, volunteer host families, and local American high schools.  The ISE exchange program allows students to become familiar with the American way of life by experiencing American schools, families, and communities.  American families learn about foreign cultures and make lasting friendships with the students hosted in their homes.

ISE works with an independent network of International Partner Organizations in 43 countries.  These international partners recruit and screen participants for suitability into the ISE program; conduct in-person interviews; secure, review, and send all ISE student documents; provide pre-departure orientations; and assist the student in making travel arrangements to the appropriate American airport.  ISE International Partners act as a communication link between ISE and the natural family.

A network of independent contractor area representatives under the supervision of regional directors and managers recruit and screen host families, match students to families on the basis of compatibility, secure permission for students to attend the local public high schools, and counsel and support program participants during the students’ stay.  The ISE field provides a support and communication network for host families, schools, and program participants.  A sincere desire among all family members to embrace learning about different cultures, an enjoyment of helping young people develop a global perspective, and the ability to provide a stable, warm, and nurturing home for a student from another culture are the prerequisites for being an ISE host family.  Host families are personally visited in the home prior to selecting a student and are allowed a choice in the selection of the students who will live with them.

Academic Year Twelve Month, Ten Month, or Academic Semester Program—International Student Exchange provides a twelve-month, ten-month, first-semester, or second-semester program for high school students.  After students have been carefully screened for language, grades, and overall suitability for the program, ISE provides placement in public, or upon written request, private high schools. Participants live with volunteer host families while they attend high school.  Participants in the twelve-month program have the option of returning to their home countries for the summer.  Counseling by local area representatives is provided for the length of the students’ stay. Program fees range from $5,000 to $5,900, including insurance, but excluding transportation and SEVIS fees.