What is the American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS)?

Updated

AIFS (American Institute For Foreign Study) is an organization that has provided educational and cultural exchange programs since 1964. Its website, aifs.com, serves as an umbrella entry point for a family of programs spanning study abroad, international internships, au pair placement, high school exchange, camp staffing, educational tours, and student insurance. It is relevant to you if you are a U.S. college student or recent graduate, a high school student, a teacher, a U.S. host family, or an international young adult seeking a J-1 visa exchange experience.

What AIFS actually is

AIFS describes itself as bringing the world together through educational and cultural exchange. Rather than operating as a single program, it functions as a parent organization whose site routes visitors to distinct programs, each with its own website. The tagline "We bring the world together ®" and the line "Providing Educational & Cultural Exchange Programs Since 1964" appear on the homepage.

Programs under the AIFS umbrella

Program Who it serves What it does
AIFS Abroad U.S. college students and recent grads Study abroad and international internship programs; over 200 programs, year-round, worldwide, with academic credit and work experience
Au Pair in America U.S. families; international young women Live-in child care; participants come to the U.S. on an official J-1 visa to learn about U.S. culture while providing intercultural child care
Academic Year in America (AYA) High school students from 60+ countries; U.S. host families Exchange students live with U.S. families for an academic year or semester; organized by the AIFS Foundation
AIFS Study Abroad – Gap Year High school seniors Study abroad options during the academic year and summer, on an international campus
ACIS Teachers and high school students Educational group travel programs worldwide
Camp America Young adults 18+ Summer camp counselor and support roles in the U.S. on an official J-1 visa
Customized, Faculty-Led Study Abroad Educational institutions AIFS Abroad provides logistical support, student services, classrooms, and housing facilities

The homepage also lists other entities: AIFS Professional Pathways, Camp America Trainee Program, Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI), International Education for Global Minds (IEC), Globerocker Adventure Trips, and Winter Work Japan.

How to use the site

aifs.com is organized as a directory rather than a single application portal. Each program card links out to its own website. To find the right starting point:

  1. Identify your role — U.S. college student, high school student, teacher, U.S. family, or international applicant.
  2. Match it to the program in the table above.
  3. Follow the "GO TO THE WEBSITE" link on that program's card to reach the program-specific site, where eligibility and application details live.

What the page does not tell you

The homepage evidence does not include pricing, application deadlines, or login requirements for any program. Those details sit on the individual program sites, so treat aifs.com as a routing page and confirm specifics at the destination site before relying on them.