Foreign Exchange Students: Application Procedures

Bulloch County Schools has prepared the following guidelines and procedures for students participating in a Foreign Exchange Student program.

Criteria for Participation

Enrollment applications are processed on a first-come, first-serve basis, with a limit of two exchange students per high school.
Participation in dual enrollment is not allowed.
Foreign Exchange Students who have completed their secondary education in their home school/country are not eligible for participation.
Foreign Exchange Students are not eligible for high school graduation and/or diploma certification.
Accepted students must be between the ages of 15 and 18 years of age by September 1.
Accepted students will be placed in 11th grade or below, based on their transcript information.

Application Link: Use this Exchange Student Application
The Foreign Exchange Student application must be submitted by the annual deadline of June 1 for the upcoming school year.
The Foreign Exchange Student application must be submitted to the school in the attendance zone where the host family resides no later than June 1 for the upcoming school year.

The Foreign Exchange Student must be fluent in English (verbal and written).
The Foreign Exchange Student is expected to pay all normal expenses, including standard course and extracurricular activity fees.
The Foreign Exchange Student interested in participating in interscholastic athletic teams must be eligible according to requirements and regulations.
The Foreign Exchange Student’s enrollment eligibility will be for one year only.
The Foreign Exchange Student and host families are expected to know and must follow all school policies and rules.

The school will make every effort to integrate the Foreign Exchange Student into the environment of the school.
The school shall encourage the Foreign Exchange Student to fully participate in school activities, make friends, and make a personal contribution to the school.
Once a submitted application has been vetted, the district point of contact will forward the application to the school principal.
The principal must approve final placement based upon classroom size and availability of service capacity.
Upon approval, the principal will sign the approval form and advise the School Counselor to contact the student via the host family for the onboarding process.
No student should be scheduled until the application is approved by the district point of contact and the principal.
The school counselor will place the student in classes that are appropriate based on the transcript.
Upon final approval, the Counselor will provide the exchange organization with a copy of the signed approval form and a confirmation letter.

Be listed in the most current Council on Standards for International Educational Travel Advisory List, (www.csiet.org).
Assign a local representative (living in or near the community) to coordinate, supervise and monitor placement and progress of the foreign exchange students.
Provide the district point of contact with an information packet. This packet must include:
- Personal letter from the student
- Detailed information on student and natural family
- Sample documents demonstrating that the student has fluent verbal and written English language skills to function in an American classroom
- Original transcript of student’s high school grades, with English translation which must meet school requirements, for placement
- Necessary medical history, including proof of immunization as required by the school district, any medical/physical restrictions and a recent physical exam with proof of required immunizations
- Copy of J1-Visa
- Ongoing contact with host family, student, and school to communicate and respond to any issues or problems as they develop