High School in England

Studying abroad in England is an adventure that will take you out of the everyday classroom experience and into a global learning environment. Explore the historical and beautiful landscapes of Great Britain, make lifelong international friends, and have unforgettable experiences. With only around 1% of high school students studying abroad each year, this is your chance to embark on a unique academic travel adventure that will set you apart from most high school students in your class. How’s that for standing out on college applications?!

Program at a Glance:

• Host family accommodation provides full cultural immersion
• No foreign language experience required — they speak English!
• Program fee includes accommodation and much more
• You can choose between trimester, semester, or academic year lengths
• Straightforward online application process

Fall 2024 Dates

Application Deadline: March 15, 2024
Missed the deadline? We are still accepting applications for Fall 2024 on a case-by-case basis. Email travelapplications@greenheart.org for more details!

• Term: September – December 2024
• Semester: September 2024 – February 2025
• Academic Year: September 2024 – May 2025

Spring 2025 Dates

Application Deadline: September 15, 2024
Apply early and save! Apply by June 15, 2024 and save $300 off a trimester or semester program and $500 off an academic year program. 

• Term: January – April 2025
• Semester: January – May 2025

The exact dates for England depend on the school in which students are placed. Most schools (or “colleges” as they’re referred to!) begin the first week of September in the fall and the first week of January in the spring. You’ll know your exact arrival and departure dates after being placed in a host family and in a school!

Please note: We offer a UK “Term” as the shortest length for exchange students instead of a trimester. The “Term” is generally around three months and a couple of weeks (over 90 days).

Arrival and Departure 

All students are required to book flights on their own. An airport transfer upon arrival is included in the cost of the program. We will provide your exact arrival and departure dates after acceptance, as well as the exact timeframes you should arrive/depart, so that you can start to search for possible flights. We require prior approval of a proposed itinerary before you purchase any flights.

Nervous about flying on your own? We recommend students and parents sitting down together to review the following resources:

• How to navigate an international airport blog
• Flying internationally video
• Webinar with tips on flying internationally

For many Greenheart Travel students their first time flying is across the world to start their exchange program! You can read our alumni experiences on our blog, such as Emily’s or Madison’s blogs on their experiences flying to Japan or Rachel’s tips on what you actually need to know about flying.

Fall 2024 and Spring 2025

• Academic UK Term: $13,815
• Academic Semester: $15,440
• Academic Year: $25,775

Packaged into the Price:

• Airport pickup upon arrival
• Host family accommodation and 2 meals per day Monday-Friday, 3 meals per day on weekends
• Tuition in a semi-private Sixth Form College
• Comprehensive medical/accident insurance
• 4-day Welcome Weekend in London in September for Fall students
• Arrival Orientation in England host placement region
• Excursion to London or Dublin depending on the season
• Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of the program for use on college applications.
• Access to Greenheart Travel Facebook groups to connect with alumni and others on your start date ahead of your program.
• Greenheart Atlas Program 
• Greenheart Travel T-shirt & other Greenheart swag

Our Support and Services: 

• Visa Assistance in applying for the visa ahead of arrival, including visa paperwork and extensive directions and support.
• Extensive pre-departure advice and support from your US-based program manager! They will be with you from your first inquiry, all the way through preparing to leave and your arrival in England.
• Support from in-country staff upon arrival to England.
• Online pre-departure cultural and logistical orientation before you leave.
• 24-hour in-country and emergency support for the duration of the program, including 24-hour emergency phone numbers to reach a program manager at any time.
• Opportunity to apply for a Greenheart Grant to give back to your community at home or abroad

What’s NOT included

• International airfare to/from England
• Personal expenses for entertainment and personal items such as toiletries
• Public transportation costs
• Optional trips/excursions through the program and/or your host school

Payment Details

• $1,500 Application Fee due by the program deadline to formally apply
• $5,000 Commitment Payment due 14 days after acceptance
• Remaining balance is due 16 weeks prior to your start date. If your program starts within 16 weeks of acceptance, the remaining program balance payment will be due at the same time as the commitment payment. 

Worried about the program fee?

Our goal is to help make travel accessible to everyone and we are here to help when you are deciding if this experience is financially do-able. Each year we offer scholarships for high school study abroad students! We also have a guide to fundraising your program fee, and many high school students fundraise in their hometowns ahead of their program.

We also offer discounts for applying early (plus there are many other benefits to applying early!) for each start date and for US families that have hosted an exchange student with Greenheart Exchange.

In researching a study abroad program in England, you have already shown you are open-minded in your academic pursuits, motivated to immerse yourself in another culture and flexible enough to live outside your comfort zone.

You should also:

• Be between 16 and 17 years of age (at the time of travel)
  • Between the ages of 14 and 15? Reach out to us for more information about other options in England
• Be from the United States or Canada
• Possess a high school cumulative GPA of at least 2.75/4.0
• Be in great mental* and physical health
• Be extremely mature, independent and self-motivated
• Have a genuine interest in becoming a part of your host family and community

*What does it mean to be in good mental health?

Moving to a new culture and staying in unfamiliar surroundings without your normal support structure can be very stressful, even to a well-adjusted student. Sending a student with pre-existing conditions on a long-term exchange program could exacerbate whatever challenges the student was previously facing. In order to ensure the safety of our participants, we must be rigorous in our pre-screening of all high school abroad applicants.

Therefore, we may not be able to accept students who have struggled with any kind of mental illness, specifically within the last 2 years and/or are reliant on medication to address their existing mental health condition. Each student will be addressed on a case by case basis and ultimately it is Greenheart Travel’s in-country partner who holds the right to accept or decline a student based on their individual policy.

These include, but are not limited to:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Eating disorders
• Chronic debilitating migraines
• Bipolar Disorder

All students who currently experience one or more of these conditions will be required to submit an addendum to the terms and conditions as well as a letter of support from their current mental health specialist. If the student’s mental health issue has been managed (post-medication) for over 2 years, we will still require a note from his/her relevant practitioner (psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, etc) as part of the application process.  We encourage you to discuss your specific situation with us directly, before securing these documents.

Please note that students who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD will not be guaranteed any academic accommodations plans by the host school abroad.

So, what about credits?

Neither Greenheart Travel nor the host school abroad provides high school credit. All credit must be granted through your home school in the U.S. or Canada. All U.S./Canadian schools have different policies. It is strongly recommended prior to departure each student confirms with the home school whether courses will be transferable or accepted. To read how previous alum have transferred credits, click here.

In England, we cannot guarantee your host school will provide you an official transcript, but students are provided performance reports. It is the student’s responsibility to request and receive any additional documentation or letters from the host school verifying completion of course work. Students must have good attendance, standing, and behavior in their host school for such requests to be fulfilled.

It is then the student’s responsibility to provide their home school with such documentation as proof of completion. The student’s home school will determine whether credit shall be awarded or not.

Before You Go Abroad

You should meet with your US high school before you leave and share the general curriculum guidelines for the UK with your guidance counselor and/or teachers.

Each host school has varying curricula and students are not guaranteed specific classes, but Greenheart can pass along students’ course requests to host schools (you’ll let us know during the interview!). Still, students are encouraged to arrange specific classes within their home school schedules required for graduation, such as U.S. History, pre- or post time abroad.

Greenheart Travel will be able to provide information about the general curriculum for your age level in England, and once you are placed in a school you will be assigned courses (ideally the ones  you’ve requested!).

Access your High School Curriculum Guidelines for England here!

Once You’re Abroad

Please keep in mind that the grading system in other countries is different from the US. Many host schools will not put grades on documentation, and rather provide a pass/fail grade or written assessment of students’ performance. If your host school is able to evaluate using a grading scale, these grades may not be an exact match to grades provided at students’ home schools.

As a High School in England student, we will support you and welcome you to the program in a variety of orientation activities.

These include:

• Online pre-departure cultural and logistical orientation before you leave with the Greenheart Travel staff.
• Greenheart Travel Atlas Program will provide pre-departure activities to complete ahead of arrival, on program, and for reflection after returning home.
• In-Country Orientation Camp conducted by English staff  upon your arrival in England
• Local coordinators will meet you personally after arrival in your host family placement

In-Country Orientation Camp

There’s no place like London! London truly is one of the world’s most iconic capitals. You will experience the best that this city has to offer along with our leaders and other students from around the world. As we tour London we will share insights and experiences to help you get the very best out of your program.

Dates: Late August/Early September

Inclusions:

• 3 nights / 4 days
• Full board accommodation
• Transfers to and from the Orientation Camp
• Workshops to help guide you through everyday life in the UK
• Sightseeing excursions and time to explore
• Team-building games and social activities to help you build bonds with your fellow exchange students

Welcome Weekend fun at Buckingham Palace

Want a unique experience before heading to university? A gap year studying at a sixth form college in England is the perfect opportunity to challenge yourself academically, make new international friendships, and have a blast before heading to university!

Here’s a bit about why England is a great destination for gap year students:

• Specialize: Students in England choose 3-4 subjects. You can put preferences for specialty classes like tourism, photography, and more. Get a rigorous academic experience in something you’re considering studying at university!
• Independence: guess what? You might still be in high school, but in England  you’ll be treated like an adult. You’ll be expected to take initiative, plan your schedule outside of classes, and be a go-getter. that also means you get a lot of freedom to do things like….
• Travel: as an exchange student in England, so long as you receive prior approval from your host family, school, and in-country staff,  you are able to travel independently throughout England and Europe.

Those are just a few examples! As long as you are no older than 18 and 6 months when your program starts, you can participate.

Can’t decide on just England,  you say? You can also combine any length of time offered in England with another gap year program. Read more here!

The best way to learn about a new culture and language is to be fully immersed in it which is why all Greenheart Travel high school abroad students live with local host families. All of our host families will treat you as a member of their family. By being a part of your family’s daily life, you will learn to live (and speak British English!) like a local. In England, it is common for students to be placed with another exchange student, usually from a different country. If you apply with a friend, it is possible to place you together.

Prospective host families undergo a rigorous screening process. Participants can rest assured that only suitable host families will be selected. In fact, many of our current host families have hosted students in the past, showing what an impactful experience it was.

In order to qualify as a host family, the prospective hosts must:

• Successfully pass a criminal background check
• Undergo and pass an in-person interview with program staff
• Agree to and pass a home inspection

Some of the requirements of the home include:

• The student must have their own room
• Students’ rooms must include a bed, wardrobe and study space
• The home must have WiFi

We will connect you with your host family prior to your arrival in your host country. By e-mailing and speaking with them before arriving, it will help break the ice when you finally meet in person. It will also show that you are as excited to live with them as they are to host you!

Host families have many reasons why they want to welcome you! Our host families only receive minimal compensation for housing and feeding students during their program. Many host families love the experience of cultural exchange – they learn just as much about your country as you do theirs. Many are also former exchange students and want to return the favor, or they have children who have gone or will go to study in the U.S. Having an exchange student exposes their children to new languages and cultures.

Students are placed in small to medium-sized towns around England. We do not place students in London.

Common placement areas include Exeter, Brighton, Southend-on-sea, Worthing, Bexhill, Southhampton.

If you wish to request a specific town or area, you can do so for an additional fee. Inquire here to discuss options.

Greenheart Travel has been working with high schoolers for many years, and there are advantages of applying for this program through us:

• 33 years of experience with cultural exchange programs.
• Friendly, responsive, and professional support from your program manager.
• Connect with alumni and others on the program via our Greenheart Travel only Facebook forums, before you even leave!
• We try and make our program fees as inclusive as we can. We include things like medical insurance so you don’t run into any hidden fees down the line.
• Greenheart Atlas Program. The Greenheart Travel Atlas is a cultural training interactive guidebook alongside five videos where you will find three main topics covered: Personal/Professional Development, Cultural Understanding, & Environmental Awareness.
• Our alumni recommend us! GoOverseas.com Reviews // GoAbroad.com Reviews
• Hands-on support and personal attention every step of the way
• 24/7 emergency phone number to reach a staff member at any time
• Pre-departure “Culture Shock and Adjustment” Webinar before you leave
• Discounts for future Greenheart Travel programs
• We are a non-profit, mission-based organization
• Continued support throughout your time abroad

We also have some unique offerings to our Greenheart Travel students and alumni!

Greenheart Global Impact Grants (GIGs)

Greenheart GIG Grants are funds awarded to Greenheart Travel participants to use for community development projects in their host or home country. A GIG is the opportunity to create, improve, or maintain an impactful, community-focused project abroad or at home. Grant funds could be applied to supporting women’s cooperatives, schools, community centers, or health clinics, for example. Grant winners will be featured on our website, social media, and blog. You can see our past winners on our blog here.

Greenheart Alumni Program

We created the Greenheart Travel Alumni Program to provide resources and a community to support alumni in their advancement as global leaders, and a way to celebrate and reward our participants for being ambitious, inspiring catalysts of cultural exchange!

Junior Greenheart Global Leaders Conference

Each May Greenheart offers full-ride scholarships to around 10 teen alumni to attend our annual conference in Chicago. You can see more about what Jr. GGLC is and what you could do at the conference here.

Committing to studying abroad can feel daunting, but we are here every step of the way to make the application process as simple as possible! Below are the various steps you’ll need to take to be accepted on a high school abroad program.

Have questions or want to talk to one of the program coordinators? Set up a time to have a phone call below.