Self-Organized Exchange

If you have relatives, friends, pen pals in the United States, you may prefer to organize your exchange privately. The main difference to an exchange with an organization lies in the formalities:

• the host school must have requested permission from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to issue the I-20 document. The student will need this document to apply for the F-1 visa in Ireland
• public schools are legally required to charge unsubsidized tuition (between $ 3,500 to $ 10,000 per year). Proof of payment has to be presented to the consular officer before the visa can be issued.

Some exchange organizations will accept self-selected host families. In this case the formalities can be handled by the organization. Instead of paying tuition the student pays the program price to the organization. But it is entirely up to the individual organizations to agree to such an arrangement.

Links

• GreatSchoolsNet - A nonprofit organization that provides information about public and private schools in all 50 states
• National Center for Education Statistics - Search for public and private high schools, narrowed down by city, zip code and distance from zip code
• eschoolsearch.com - directory of U.S. private schools
• Peterson's Private Schools Database Private schools, including boarding schools