Program of Academic Exchange (PAX) and Laurasian Institution

2026-2027 CSIET Certification Status: Full

Countries Served: Albania, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Columbia, Czech Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, South Korea, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Liberia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mali, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Vietnam

Number of 2025-2026 Participants: 480 J1

Grant Programs: FLEX program, YES program

Not-for-Profit Organization: Established 1990

PAX provides global education and exchange opportunities for students, host families, schools, and communities to open doors, embrace cultures, and become family. Each year,  hundreds of teenagers, age 15-18, come to the U.S. through PAX. They attend high schools for a semester or academic year, live with volunteer host families, and change lives.

Whether they hail from Europe, Asia, Africa, or Latin America, these young people have a common goal: a sincere desire to experience and better understand America by sharing in real-life activities as a student and family member. 

PAX is proud to place and support YES and FLEX students on behalf of the  U.S. Department of State. The selection process for these scholarship students is especially rigorous and being chosen is a prestigious honor. Equally honored are PAX Means Peace Scholars. Through this initiative, PAX annually awards full, need-based scholarships to outstanding students from our partner school in Somaliland. In addition, PAX is host to scholarship students from Japan, Spain, Italy, and Germany on various internationally funded programs.

With the help of PAX community coordinators, PAX PLUS (Peace through Learning, Understanding, and Sharing) creates opportunities for students to give back to their host schools by sharing their knowledge and culture and to their host communities through volunteer activities and civic engagement. In fact, every PAX student volunteers in some way throughout the year. Many PAX students  go a step further—logging 100 hours or more of volunteer service and making cultural presentations. 

PAX host families are as diverse as the U.S. itself. Most importantly, they are ready to accept their students as sons and daughters, integrating them fully into everyday family life. To effectively support students, families, and schools, PAX Community Coordinators remain engaged throughout the year, providing orientations, ensuring all school policies are followed, and maintaining regular contact with students and host families. Extra activities are arranged throughout the year as well—from local volunteer and leadership opportunities to field  trips to the state capital and beyond.

For more information on PAX, the impact of our work, and how to get involved, please visit www.pax.org.