Host family USA Sports

USA High School Exchange Prices

Your guide to our programs, schools and prices

Your USA high school exchange fees will depend on the type of program you choose, how much you customise your experience, and the duration of your exchange. Every exchange program is built on our decades of high school exchange experience, knowledge of American school systems and vast network of educators and host families. Every student is supported by our team – whenever you need us, in your home country or abroad.

Explore our programs and prices. Then contact the high school exchange experts and we will answer your questions and prepare a program to match your budget and goals.

Programs available in the USA: Classic High School, Classic High School with Location Choice, Select High School.

Host family in the USA
USA Girl with a view

USA Classic High School

Our Classic High School program is a traditional cultural exchange on a J-1 visa. Share the culture and daily customs of your caring host family. Attend the local high school and live the life of an American teenager. You cannot choose a school with this program, but you can request an area for an additional fee, which is charged only after your request is granted.  These programs depart, usually in January or August – subject to your exchange location.  

PLEASE NOTE: AREAS REQUESTS HAVE EARLIER DEADLINES, PLEASE SEE BELOW.

USA Classic High School

LengthDeparturePrice NZDApplication deadline
Classic Academic Year  Aug 2024$16,450Mar 31, 2024
Classic Academic Semester Aug 2024$15,450Mar 31, 2024
Classic Academic Year  Jan 2025 $16,450Jul 31, 2024
Classic Academic Semester Jan 2025 $15,450Jul 31, 2024
Applications deadlines are subject to change due to capacity limitations.
Please apply early to secure a place on your preferred program.
Each destination has a budget for flights included in the fee. If flight costs are above this budgeted amount, a Flight Surcharge may apply. Please see Flight Surcharges for more information.
Program start dates serve as approximate arrival times at the destination. We will notify you of your confirmed program dates ahead of time to prevent any confusion or inconvenience.

The USA Classic High School program includes:

  • Return economy airfares from your nearest capital city with a reputable carrier. Please note that a flight surcharge may be applied to all applications. We reserve the right to increase the flight surcharge if, at the time of making flight bookings, airlines are charging a higher amount for flight prices. If there is no increase made to flight prices, then we will not charge a flight surcharge. 
  • Travel to and from your host community at the beginning and the end of the program – this may be a domestic flight, bus or rail transfer.  **
  • Full comprehensive medical, hospital, health, accident, baggage, cancellation, personal liability & travel insurance. Please be aware that full medical insurance is provided for all COVID pandemic related medical costs whilst on program but any other COVID specific related expenses including but not limited to early return or quarantine fees are not covered by this insurance policy. The policy can be viewed in full on the insurance page on our website. 
  • Your own Southern Cross Cultural Exchange Program Coordinator to support you throughout your time away as necessary and required.  
  • Application Support.  
  • Pre-Departure Orientation Meeting online. 
  • Arrival Orientation meeting in your host country (may be in your host community).  Overnight Soft Landing Camps may be available at an additional cost (subject to your program length).
  • Full board in a carefully selected host family. 
  • Enrolment at your host school.  In most destinations, students are not required to wear a school uniform. Additional costs will apply where required for uniforms, school cafeteria/canteen meals/books/materials/transport and excursions etc.
  • Southern Cross Cultural Exchange admin costs. 
  • 24/7 emergency phone. 
  • Organisation & Local Coordinator in your host country. 
  • Certificate of completion. 

** Southern Cross Cultural Exchange is required to book flights for students to arrive and depart at set times, as stipulated by the overseas partner. A further fee of $300 is required to make any additional changes to the flights for a requested earlier departure or for personal travel at the end of the program. This will be in addition to the airline cost to make any change to the flights.

Not included in USA Classic high school program price:

Personal spending money NZ$400-500 per month 
Vaccinations & Visa ApplicationsPersonal expense.
Please note: USA immigration fees including Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) fee of USD$220 as well as Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee of USD$185 is charged in addition to the program fee.  These fees form part of the visa application process and are required by the USA immigration authority. 
Soft Landing Camp – available for Semester & Year arrivals in August/SeptemberNZ$2,150
School expenses Books, school materials, transport to/from school/school trips 
Flight surcharge Budgeted flight cost is NZ$3,200 and the surcharge is the amount beyond this at the time of booking flights.
Additional luggage fees As charged by the airlines 
Optional excursions and toursMay be arranged by your host school or Local Coordinator once on program at an additional cost.

Upgrade your USA Classic High School

Want to live and study near the beach or in a city? Upgrade your USA Classic High School Exchange Program by requesting an extra feature. Area requests will be charged only after your request is granted.   

Southern Cross Cultural Exchange students participating in an August Year or Semester Classic Program to the USA can pay an additional fee to guarantee a city, metro, state, regional or top school location. These guarantees are subject to availability and will be confirmed upon receipt of payment. This is not available for January arrivals.

Applications must be submitted by December 15 prior to the departure year.

Please note, eligibility criteria applies for Area Requests:

  • B average or higher
  • No allergies (dogs, cats, nuts etc.)
  • No dietary restrictions
  • No pre-existing medical conditions

There are many ways you can upgrade your USA Classic High School Exchange Program:

State guarantees Add to Classic Price (NZD)
Arizona$2,000 
California $3,900 
Colorado $2,000 
Florida $3,900 
Georgia$2,000 
Illinois $2,000 
Indiana $2,000 
Michigan $2,000 
Minnesota$2,000 
North Carolina $2,000 
Ohio$2,000 
Oklahoma$2,000 
Oregon$3,900 
South Carolina $2,000 
Tennessee $2,000 
Texas$2,000 
Virginia $2,000 
Washington $3,900 
Wisconsin$2,000 
Metro guarantees Add to Classic Price (NZD)
Any city above 50,000 people$2,000 
Regional guarantees Add to Classic Price (NZD)
Central$1,500 
Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Iowa, Colorado, Kansas, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana  
Eastern $1,100 
Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Iowa, Montana, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Washington DC, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, Maine, Massachusettes, New Hampshire 
Great Lakes $1,500 
Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio 
Mountain $1,500 
Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Alasks
North East $1,500 
Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire 
Pacific$2,100 
Washington, Oregon, California
South East $1,500 
Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, Washington DC, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida 
South West $1,500 
Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico 
Western $1,100 
Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, Alaska, Hawaii
City guarantees Add to Classic Price (NZD)
Atlanta, Georgia $3,100 
Chicago, Illinois $2,200 
College Station, Texas $2,200 
Columbia, South Carolina $2,200 
Columbus, Ohio $2,200 
Corpus Christi, Texas  $2,200 
Dallas, Texas $2,200 
Fort Collins, Colorado $2,200 
Grand Rapids, Michigan $2,200 
Hillsboro, Oregon $2,200 
Houston, Texas $2,200 
Milwaukee, Wisconsin $2,200 
Minneapolis, Minnesota $2,200 
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma $2,200 
Portland, Oregon  $4,800 
San Antonio, Texas $2,200 
Seattle, Washington $4,800 
Spokane, Washington $2,200 
Traverse City, Michigan $2,200 
Tri-Cities, Washington$2,200 
High school spirit

USA Select High School

With our USA Select High School program, you can customise your exchange based on your academic and personal goals. It starts with what you want to gain from the experience – a favourite subject, sport or artistic activity, or the city you want to live in!  You can choose the Select school that is the perfect match, or we can help you decide which high school is right for you.  

The price of your USA Select program will depend on the school you choose as well as currency exchange rates between Australia and the USA. You’ll study on an F-1 visa, giving you similar rights and privileges as American students including the possibility of earning a US high school diploma if you study in Grade 12. 

Not sure about next steps? Start with our most popular schools 

To help you start planning for your exchange, we’ve listed great schools, but there are many more to choose from – just ask! We’ll answer all your questions and provide a personalized quote for your USA Select High School Exchange.
The fees listed below are not inclusive of the school and accommodation fees. 

Please contact us for a detailed quote.  

The USA Select High School program price includes:

  • Return economy airfares from your nearest capital city with a reputable carrier. Please note that a flight surcharge may be applied to all applications. We reserve the right to increase the flight surcharge if, at the time of making flight bookings, airlines are charging a higher amount for flight prices. If there is no increase made to flight prices, then we will not charge a flight surcharge. 
  • Travel to and from your host community at the beginning and the end of the program – this may be a domestic flight, bus or rail transfer.  **
  • Full comprehensive medical, hospital, health, accident, baggage, cancellation, personal liability & travel insurance. Please be aware that full medical insurance is provided for all COVID pandemic related medical costs whilst on program but any other COVID specific related expenses including but not limited to early return or quarantine fees are not covered by this insurance policy. The policy can be viewed in full on the insurance page on our website. 
  • Your own Southern Cross Cultural Exchange Program Coordinator to support you throughout your time away as necessary and required.  
  • Application Support.  
  • Pre-Departure Orientation Meeting online. 
  • Arrival Orientation meeting in your host country (may be in your host community).  Overnight Soft Landing Camps may be available at an additional cost (subject to your program length).
  • Full board in a carefully selected host family. 
  • Enrolment at your host school.  In most destinations, students are not required to wear a school uniform. Additional costs will apply where required for uniforms, school cafeteria/canteen meals/books/materials/transport and excursions etc.
  • Southern Cross Cultural Exchange admin costs. 
  • 24/7 emergency phone. 
  • Organisation & Local Coordinator in your host country. 
  • Certificate of completion. 

** Southern Cross Cultural Exchange is required to book flights for students to arrive and depart at set times, as stipulated by the overseas partner. A further fee of $300 is required to make any additional changes to the flights for a requested earlier departure or for personal travel at the end of the program. This will be in addition to the airline cost to make any change to the flights.

Not included in USA Select High School program price:

School & Accommodation feeFind price here
Please note, school and accommodation prices are listed in USD.
Program management feeNZ$5,995
Insurance feeYear: US$995
Semester: US$495 
Personal spending money NZ$400-500 per month 
Application feeUS$250 – US$600 (Subject to the choice of school)
VaccinationsPersonal expense 
School expenses Books, school materials, transport to/from school/school trips 
Flight surcharge Budgeted flight cost is NZ$3,500 and the surcharge is the amount beyond this at the time of booking flights.
Additional luggage fees As charged by the airlines 
Optional excursions and toursMay be arranged by your host school or Local Coordinator once on program at an additional cost.
Boys soccer

THE EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME

Traveling on a student exchange is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that shapes your future. Check out this short guide to planning your exchange program. Join our free Information Session Webinar online and then contact us to make that plan a reality.

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