aifs.com

AIFS Abroad study abroad and international internship programs are designed primarily for U.S. college students and recent graduates. According to AIFS, participants can choose from over 200 programs held year-round all over the world, with the opportunity to earn academic credit and gain work experience. If you are a currently enrolled U.S. college student or a recent graduate looking for a structured overseas study or internship experience, these programs are aimed at you.

Who the programs are for

The core eligibility described by AIFS is:

• U.S. college students — currently enrolled undergraduates (and in some cases graduate students) at U.S. institutions.
• Recent graduates — people who have completed a degree and want international work or study experience.

This means the AIFS Abroad track is generally not positioned for high school students or non-U.S. students. AIFS runs separate programs for those groups (see the comparison below).

What the programs include

AIFS Abroad covers several distinct program types under one umbrella:

Programs run year-round and across many global locations, so timing and destination are variables you can match to your own schedule and field.

How to tell if you qualify

Use these questions to check your fit before applying:

1. Are you a U.S. college student or recent graduate? If yes, the AIFS Abroad study and internship programs are built for you.
2. Do you need academic credit? Study Abroad and some internship options are structured around earning credit.
3. Do you want work experience instead of, or alongside, coursework? The internship and Professional Pathways options are the relevant tracks.
4. Are you a high school student or a teacher organizing a group? Look instead at AIFS's other programs: Academic Year in America (high school exchange), ACIS Educational Tours (teacher-led high school travel), or the Gap Year option for high school seniors.

Other AIFS programs, for comparison

AIFS is broader than just the Abroad study and internship track. Its other programs serve different audiences:

• Au Pair in America — for U.S. families hosting international au pairs, and for qualified young women coming to the U.S. on a J-1 visa.
• Academic Year in America (AYA) — high school students from over 60 countries coming to the U.S. for a year or semester.
• ACIS Educational Tours — educational group travel for teachers and high school students.
• Camp America — international staffing for U.S. summer camps, for young adults 18+ on a J-1 visa.
• Gap Year — for high school seniors seeking a first taste of college life on an international campus.

If you fall outside the "U.S. college student or recent graduate" group, one of these is likely the better match.

Practical next step

Because program availability, destinations, and credit arrangements vary by track, the most reliable way to confirm your eligibility is to go to the specific program page (Study Abroad, Internship, Professional Pathways, or Customized Faculty-Led) and check the stated requirements for the term and location you want. The AIFS site organizes these under its Programs section, with each program linking to its own site for details.

Academic Year in America (AYA) is a high school exchange program run by the American Institute For Foreign Study Foundation. It brings students from over 60 countries to the United States, where they live with an American host family and attend a U.S. high school for either an academic year or a single semester. It is designed for international high school students who want to experience American school and family life rather than simply tour the country.

Who the program is for

AYA is built around international secondary school students, not U.S. students going abroad. According to AIFS, participants come from more than 60 countries and enter the U.S. as exchange students. The core experience has two parts:

• Host family living — students stay with a U.S. family for the duration of their placement.
• U.S. high school enrollment — students attend an American high school as exchange students.

The program is organized by the American Institute For Foreign Study Foundation, which is the nonprofit side of the AIFS organization. That distinction matters if you are comparing it with AIFS's other offerings: AIFS Abroad serves U.S. college students and recent graduates, while AYA is the inbound high school exchange track.

How the exchange is structured

The two duration options are the main structural choice. A full academic year gives a longer, more immersive stay; a semester is a shorter commitment that still places the student in a host family and a U.S. school.

How it fits into the wider AIFS picture

AYA is one of several programs under the AIFS umbrella, and knowing where it sits helps you avoid mixing up eligibility rules:

• Academic Year in America (AYA) — high school students from other countries coming to the U.S.
• AIFS Abroad — U.S. college students and recent grads going abroad for study or internships.
• Au Pair in America — young women from other countries providing live-in child care for U.S. families on a J-1 visa.
• Camp America — international young adults age 18+ working at U.S. summer camps on a J-1 visa.
• ACIS — educational group travel for teachers and high school students.

If you are a U.S. high school student looking to study abroad, AYA is not the right fit — that would fall under programs like AIFS's gap year or study abroad options. AYA is specifically the inbound exchange route for international students.

What to check before applying

The AIFS materials describe the program's shape but do not list fees, application deadlines, or specific eligibility requirements such as age ranges or language scores. Those details are handled at the program level, so the practical next step is to go to the AYA program page directly rather than assume terms from the general AIFS description.

When you do, confirm:

• Exact eligibility rules — age, grade level, and any language or academic requirements.
• Duration and start dates — whether the semester or year option fits your school calendar at home.
• Host family and school placement process — how matching works and what you can expect.
• Costs and what is included — the AIFS overview does not state pricing, so treat any figure as something to verify on the program page.

The key takeaway: AYA is an inbound U.S. high school exchange program for international students, run by the AIFS Foundation, offering a year or a semester living with an American family and attending a U.S. high school. Confirm the specifics on the AYA page before committing.

Au Pair in America is the first international live-in child care program for U.S. families, operated by the American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS). It places qualified young women from around the world with American host families on an official J-1 Visa, so the au pair can learn about U.S. culture while providing intercultural child care. It is designed for two audiences at once: U.S. families who want live-in child care and cultural exchange, and young women abroad who want to live with an American family while experiencing U.S. life.

What the program actually is

AIFS describes Au Pair in America as "the first international live-in child care program for U.S. families." The core arrangement is a cultural exchange built around child care:

• The au pair comes to the United States on an official J-1 Visa.
• The host family is a U.S. family that receives live-in child care support.
• The exchange runs both ways — the au pair learns about U.S. culture, and the family gains day-to-day contact with another culture.

This dual purpose matters when you evaluate the program. It is not simply a hiring arrangement for a nanny; the J-1 Visa framing places it in the cultural exchange category, with child care as the shared daily activity.

Who it is for

For U.S. families

Families who want a live-in child care arrangement and are open to an intercultural household are the intended participants. According to AIFS, families receive "quality, intercultural child care." If you need coverage that fits a standard local nanny model with no exchange component, this program's structure — a young woman from another country living in your home — is a different proposition and worth weighing carefully.

For au pairs

The program is described as open to "qualified young women from all over the world." Two conditions are explicit in the source material:

1. You are a young woman.
2. You come to the U.S. on an official J-1 Visa.

The stated purpose of the stay is to learn about U.S. culture while providing child care. If your goal is purely employment rather than cultural exchange, the J-1 framing is the key constraint to understand before applying.

How it fits into AIFS overall

Au Pair in America is one of several programs under AIFS, which has provided educational and cultural exchange programs since 1964. Other programs in the same portfolio include:

Seeing Au Pair in America alongside these helps clarify its position: it is the AIFS program built around child care and family life, while the others center on study, internships, camp work, or group travel.

What to check before deciding

The source material confirms the program's purpose, its J-1 Visa basis, and its two-sided audience. It does not state current fees, stipend amounts, weekly hour limits, or specific eligibility requirements beyond "qualified young women." Those details change and are set by program and visa rules, so verify them directly with Au Pair in America or AIFS before committing.

For a U.S. family, the practical questions are whether a live-in cultural exchange arrangement suits your household and whether you can meet the program's host family requirements. For a prospective au pair, the questions are whether you meet the qualification criteria and whether the J-1 exchange structure matches what you want from a year in the United States.

AIFS (American Institute For Foreign Study) runs a portfolio of educational and cultural exchange programs that fall into four broad categories: study abroad and internships for U.S. college students, au pair and camp staffing placements in the U.S., high school exchange and educational travel, and supporting services such as student insurance. Which program fits you depends mainly on your age, your home country, and whether you want to study, work, or host someone in your home.

AIFS Abroad: Study Abroad and International Internships

This is the flagship program for U.S. college students and recent graduates. According to AIFS, participants can choose from over 200 programs, held year-round all over the world, with options to earn academic credit and work experience.

Sub-tracks listed under AIFS Abroad include:

• Study Abroad — traditional term or year programs at international campuses
• Internship — international internship placements
• Customized, Faculty-Led — formal arrangements between educational institutions and AIFS Abroad, where AIFS Abroad provides logistical support, student services, classrooms, and housing facilities
• AIFS Professional Pathways — a separate track listed in the program menu
• Gap Year — programs aimed at high school seniors, offered during the academic year and the summer on an international campus

If you are a U.S. undergraduate, a recent graduate, or a high school senior looking for a bridge year, this is the category to start with.

Au Pair in America

AIFS describes this as the first international live-in child care program for U.S. families. Qualified young women from around the world come to the U.S. on an official J-1 Visa to learn about U.S. culture while providing intercultural child care.

Two audiences use this program:

• U.S. families looking for live-in child care with a cultural exchange component
• Young women abroad seeking a J-1 visa placement with a U.S. host family

Academic Year in America (AYA)

This is a high school international exchange program organized by the American Institute For Foreign Study Foundation. High school students from over 60 countries come to the U.S. as exchange students and live with U.S. families for an academic year or a semester.

It suits families who want to host an exchange student, and international high school students who want a U.S. school year.

ACIS: Educational Travel for High School Students

ACIS organizes educational group travel programs across the globe for teachers and high school students. AIFS positions it as an educational journey rather than an ordinary tour, so the typical user is a teacher organizing a group trip or a student joining one.

Camp America

Camp America provides international staffing for U.S. summer camps. Young adults ages 18+ from around the world travel to the U.S. during the summer on an official U.S. J-1 Visa to work as camp counselors and in support functions. A related Camp America Trainee Program is also listed.

Other Programs and Services

The full program menu also includes:

How to Choose

• U.S. college student or recent grad → AIFS Abroad (study, internship, or faculty-led)
• High school senior wanting a gap year → AIFS Gap Year
• U.S. family needing live-in child care → Au Pair in America
• Family wanting to host a high school exchange student → Academic Year in America
• Teacher planning a group trip → ACIS
• Adult 18+ wanting a U.S. summer camp job → Camp America
• Need insurance for a program → CISI

AIFS has been providing educational and cultural exchange programs since 1964, and each program above links to its own site with application details, eligibility, and timelines.

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

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.