The Rotary Youth Exchange program is open to high school students, or those who have just graduated, between the ages of 15 and 18½ on departure. It does not matter whether your parents are members of a Rotary Club - the program is open to children of Rotarians and non-Rotarians alike.

Exchange student candidates must be outgoing, self-confident, friendly, adaptable, and adventurous, willing to learn a foreign language, with above average grades in school. The application form will require you to tell about yourself and your family, and provide references from school teachers and administrators.

Rotary offers two types of exchanges for high school students. For a truly amazing, life-changing experience, there is nothing like the long-term exchange. Students spend a year in another country, becoming fluent in the language and immersed in the culture, and developing friendships that will last a lifetime.

Participants attend high school, and may or may not get credit back home for courses taken (but colleges often recognize the value of exchange programs, with credit for language ability and greater acceptance rates!). Each student will have up to four (or more) host families through the year to broaden the experience and see the variations that exist in all cultures.

It takes a very special teen to consider him or herself capable of spending a year abroad, but the rewards and experiences are unlike anything they may ever know again. If you think you can do this, don't let the opportunity pass you by.

Interested in a taste of the world, and willing to share yours with others? Then the short-term program may be for you. Rotary's short-term exchange program usually takes place during the summer, and brings together paired families from different countries. Typically, you would spend 3-4 weeks overseas with a family that has a son or daughter of approximately the same age. And then, you and your new host sibling would come back to the US for a 3-4 week stay with your family (the order can be reversed, with the foreign student coming here first - whichever works best for the families is fine).

The short-term program does not generally include school attendance, and instead provides its educational experiences through exposure to a new language and culture. Naturally, the friendships that develop often last a long time, with repeat visits being a very common occurrence.

For younger students, or perhaps those wanting to sample the experience before committing to the long-term program, Rotary's short-term exchange program can be a good fit. Contact your local Rotary club or district to find out more, if you are interested in a short-term exchange.

A very popular question and the answer is ... yes and no. The countries we exchange with are those we know run top-quality programs, and we re-evaluate them each year. There are a limited number of exchanges available with each country, and we will not overload any country in either direction, inbound or outbound. Therefore, if you're going to spend a year overseas, we ask you to select three preferred countries, and we allow you to refuse any countries that you would not accept an assignment to. The majority of students will get one of their three choices. We also do not exchange with English speaking countries. But remember, flexibility is a vital characteristic for a successful exchange student, and that starts right at the beginning.

No, not at all. Naturally, it would help to have some familiarity with the language of the country you go to, but we don't limit the program to those who are already bi-lingual. In fact, one of the great benefits of the program is quickly gaining fluency in another language. Typically, our students become fluent in 3-4 months, even without any previous knowledge of the language! But we strongly recommend that all participants start learning their target language as soon as they are selected for the program. The more of the language you know up front, the better your experience will be.

This is always a tough question because it varies from school to school and country to country. You should sit down with your school counselors when you apply and when you know what country you are going to for your year. Pre-planning makes a big difference. If you have question, contact your Youth Exchange Officer or the District YE Chairman.

Yes! Past history has indicated that having the Rotary Exchange Year on your college application carries more weight in many cases than your GPA, class ranking, or even SAT or ACT score. Colleges are looking for students that are going to successfully complete their studies and graduate. By completing a full year exchange in another culture you are showing them that you have the "right stuff". Future employers will take similar views of your year's experience, not to mention the benefits of becoming bi-lingual or bi-cultural!

Want to know more about this? We are pleased to refer you to an excellent book entitled The New Global Student: Skip the SAT, Save Thousands on Tuition, and Get a Truly International Education. You can order it through online booksellers such as amazon.com, or learn more at www.mayafrost.com/new-global-student-book.htm.

The design of the Rotary Exchange program is such that if you have problems we have the resources to help you solve the problems, starting with a Rotary Club right in the community in which you are living. You will have multiple avenues of help available to you to resolve any problem that might come up.

Rotary International and Rotarians in South Carolina take very seriously our responsibility for the safety and security of all Rotary exchange students, both inbound and outbound. In November, 2002, the Board of Directors of Rotary International adopted the following Statement of Conduct for Working with Youth:

"Rotary International is committed to creating and maintaining the safest possible environment for all participants in Rotary activities. It is the duty of all Rotarians, Rotarians’ spouses, partners, and other volunteers to safeguard to the best of their ability the welfare of and to prevent the physical, sexual, or emotional abuse of children and young people with whom they come into contact."

Parents of long-term outbound students are not required to host. Many, of course, choose to do so, partly because they have an empty room, but also so they can experience some of what their son or daughter is going through. We encourage that, but we also recognize that not all families are able to host. We do ask outbound students and their families to help find host families in their own communities to accommodate the inbound student that will be hosted by their Rotary Club.

You must submit a non-refundable fee with your application in order to be considered for the program. That application fee is $350 for Short Term Students and $750 for Long Term Students.

Rotary Youth Exchange Students spending a year abroad are provided with a monthly allowance from their host Rotary club. This is usually the equivalent of between $50 and $100 US, but may vary by location. If you want or need spending money beyond that, it is up to you and your parents to provide it. Of course, you do not have to pay for room and board, school fees, etc.

Almost all students are also required to deposit an Emergency Fund with their host Rotary Club; usually $350. This money is there for unexpected expenses (medical, dental, telephone, etc.), and, if it is used during the year, it must be replenished by you or your parents. If it is not used, it is returned to you at the end of the year.

Long Term Exchange Student’s will pay for:

Application Fee: Student $750

Short Term Exchange Student’s will pay for:

Application Fee: Student $350

Both Short and Long Term Student’s will be responsible for the following costs:

Round-trip airfare

Health and accident insurance

Travel documents (passport)

Clothing and other necessities

Spending money

Emergency funds for unpredicted expenses ($350)

Ancillary travel and tours

To summarize, the program costs are the initial application fee, airfare, an Emergency Fund to be taken with you, whatever additional spending money you and your parents agree on, and, in some countries, the cost of a language camp.

Click the links on the bottom of the Home page that are labeled Long Term and Short Term Student Applications. These links will walk you through the application process step by step.