Spend a Whole Year Abroad
Houston Rotary Youth Exchange offers international abroad opportunities for students who meet our requirements. You can choose to participate in the program either during your high school years or in a gap year following high school. You will live with more than one family in the host country and are required to attend school there. Students will depart from Houston in August or early September and return to Houston by the end of July the following year.
Program Objectives
- To further international understanding and goodwill.
- Learn and adapt to another culture, while sharing your own.
Qualifications of Applicants
- At least 15 years of age and not over 19 years at the time of departure. (Most receiving countries require that students are no older than 18 years 6 months.) See Countries page for exact age requirements.
- Student must be a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior in high school at time of application.
- Student must demonstrate scholastic competence and be involved in extra-curricular activities.
Program Requirements
The selected student will:
- Attend high school in their host country. (Grade placement cannot be guaranteed)
- Act as a student ambassador, sharing customs and adapting to the host country’s culture.
- Demonstrate a willingness to be flexible throughout the exchange process.
- Follow the rules, regulations and counseling of the sponsoring and host Rotary clubs and Rotary districts. Rules will be discussed at orientation sessions prior to departure.
Parents of the selected student will:
- Pay the participation fee (which includes airfare, orientation materials, basic insurance, blazer, etc.).
- Pay costs of passport, visa or residency permit, inoculations, gifts, local travel, personal items.
- Abide by the rules and decisions as set forth by the Rotary International Youth Exchange Committee here and in the host country.
- Pay costs of host country language camp, if required.
Rotary Club in host country will:
- Correspond with student prior to arrival, giving pertinent data of the host city and family.
- Meet and transport the student from point of arrival to host family.
- Furnish one year’s education in a high school.
- Be responsible for the physical well-being of the student.
- Supervise the student’s activities, opportunities and experiences.
Costs and Deadlines
Scholarships Available to All Students
The Houston Area Rotary Clubs are proud to announce that it is offering the prestigious Houston Area Rotary Youth Exchange Scholarship. Valued as priceless opportunity, the Youth Exchange Scholarship is for high school students and covers room, board, tuition, and a monthly stipend for an academic year abroad.
Participation Costs
The cost of participation in the outbound Rotary Youth Exchange Program for students applying in 2020-2021 is $7,000.
This includes:
- Airfare – round trip, open ended ticket to host country
- Visa or residency permit
- Basic overseas accident/sickness/personal liability
- Orientation sessions (2 half-days and 1 weekend-long camp)
- Rotary blazer
- Rotary emblem
- Orientation materials
- Business/calling cards
- Pins for trading
- Name badge
Not included in the participation fee are costs of passport, host country language camp, inoculations, gifts, local travel, personal items.
Payment Schedule
Payments will be due in increments of $1000.00 beginning in January 2022.
