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Study abroad in
the USA
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live the life of an American teenager, attending a local high school and living with an American host family.
Going with WEP is best
Since 1988, a wide choice of destinations and comprehensive assistance before, during and after your overseas program. WEP is the ideal partner for your adventure.
We also get to choose who we travel with: our schools, host families and overseas partner organisations are carefully selected.
We offer a custom-made insurance policy, specifically designed for our participants, and we have a solid network behind us.
Emergency assistance, overseas and from Australia, is available 7 days out of 7, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Allowing all our participants to live their desired overseas experience is a mission, a challenge we're thrilled to accept.
Why study in the USA?
Yellow school bus, decorated lockers, prom night and wild cheering at school sport events: studying in the USA means living the American dream, just like in the movies.
American high schools are designed around students and their needs: sport fields, specialty classrooms, equipment and laboratories. You'll have access to everything you need to focus on your studies in the best possible conditions, but also to make many new friends while you play a sport or participate in a school club or activity.
And what about the vast, incredibly varied American scenery? From sunny California with its Grand Canyon, to the prairies and grasslands of Montana, to the Great Lakes of North America, passing through glaciers, forests and deserts... these landscapes will no longe be just an image, but a tangible reality in front of you.
You will immerse yourself in the American culture, made of unique traditions and festivies, and you'll finally find out what it meants to live in the Sates. You may even come back with an American accent!
Study in the USA with WEP
WEP offers you the chance to step into the shoes of an American teenager, while participating in an academic program in the USA.
Through a high school student exchange program to the US, you will gain a deep understanding of the American culture. This 360-degree immersion experience will see you living with an American host family, who will take you in as one of their own, and attending a local high school - a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the famous American school spirit! Discover a fascinating culture and make the USA your home away from home by living and studying there for a semester or a whole year.
The American education system
In the USA, school is compulsory for 12 years, called grades. Around the age of 6, students begin their journey with elementary school, which lasts 5 years. Secondary school is divided into two parts: junior high school (grades 6, 7 and 8) and high school (grades 9, 10, 11 and 12). At the end of high school, most American students either graduate and obtain a high school diploma, or alternatively, they sit a General Educational Development (GED) test and obtain a high school equivalency diploma.
Higher Education in the US is made up of three cycles: bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and PhD. Depending on one's aspirations and marks obtained in high school, students can enrol in university, technical schools, art schools or community colleges. Universities select students based on application, and the most prestigious institutions, such as Harvard, MIT and Stanford, have extremely strcit selection criteria.
FAQ
To participante in a high school exchange program to the USA, you need to be between 15 and 18 years old on departure, have a C grade average (with no failing grades), be a non-smoker, and have positive personal traits, such as being motivated, curious, tolerant, open and adaptable. You also need to be physically and emotionally healthy - please discuss any specific conditions or requirements with WEP in advance.
Our high school exchange programs in the USA are either an academic semester or an academic year in duration. The exact length depends on the departure period and on your placement state and school - please contact WEP for more information.
To decide which program duration is best for you, you should reflect on what you would like to achieve through the program, and discuss your preferences both with your family, to make sure they are on board, and with your school, to ensure that you understand their policy regarding re-integrating into Australian schooling and any requirements to repeat school back home.
It's always best to check our website and/on obtain an online quote to see updated program prices.
We know a high school exchange program oversaes is a significant financial investment. We do our best to offer the best possible prices, which vary depending on the destination and chosen program, and provide discounts and special promotions to help towards the cost. As a not-for-profit organisation working with international partners to provide exchange programs in a variety of countries, our program fees are based solely on the cost of program components, both in Australia and overseas. The program fee is allocated between the overseas organisation, WEP Australia, travel and independent contractors for flights and insurance.
You will live with an American volunteer host family, who may be located anywhere in the country.