Live with a new family in another country. Enjoy different traditions. Take time to appreciate, value and deepen your insights about other perspectives, cultures, religions and important world issues.
Choose Programs:
Open up your world to new possibilities
AFS intercultural adventures transform your life forever! We call it the #AFSeffect
Become global
Become change
Open your mind to a new way to view the world and help others see the world the way you experience it. Build bridges across cultures by creating friendships that will last a lifetime.
Become fluent
Go to a new school, learn a new language and find ways to connect with people from other cultures and backgrounds–skills that you’ll take back home and use for a lifetime.
Become yourself
Discover new things about yourself and your place in the world. Learn how to turn challenging situations into valuable opportunities to grow and become more mature.
Program Category
Choose an AFS Program that interest you:
Year Program
Offers you a great opportunity to live and study in another country for a period of up to 11 months. This program will suit you if you really want to learn a new language and feel a part of a local community.
Open for 17 years old only
Semester Program
Offers an opportunity to live and study in another country for a 6-month period. Also allows the participant to learn a new language, embrace the local lifestyle and be exposed to intercultural learning.
Open for 17 years old only
Trimester Program
The AFS Trimester Program is a fantastic opportunity to
live and study in another country for up to 3 months with
minimum interruption to your education.
Open for 15 -18 years old only
Intensive Program
A fantastic opportunity to live and study in another country with a minimum interruption to your education. It is the perfect way to improve your language skills before the final years of study in high school.
Open for 15 -17 years old only
It's not a year in your life, it's a life in a year.
“The biggest impact my exchange had on me was exposing me to a world of volunteering. I first started volunteering in America, and now I am still volunteering long after my exchange had ended.”
—Violacea Low, SMysSH13 to USA
Where do you want to go?
How can I become an AFSer?
You’ve explored AFS programs online or met us in person. Now you are ready to apply! Here's what to expect on your intercultural journey with AFS:
Find a program and start applying
Our application is thorough. But knowing some key things about you will help make your AFS experience amazing. If you’re stuck just give us a call.
You’ve been selected!
Not everyone becomes an AFS student. Your application, interviews and recommendations tell us how ready you are for an international student exchange. Now the fun begins!
Attend your AFS Orientation Session
AFS orientation sessions (before, during and after your program) help you navigate personal and cultural growth opportunities while you’re abroad.
Jump on plane and meet the world
Dedicated AFS volunteers, host families, and staff are prepared to make your AFS experience an intercultural learning adventure you’ll never forget.
What's Included in the AFS Program Fee?
It is important to know what is and isn’t included in the total AFS program fee. Costs for each exchange vary depending on program length and country visited.
Our pricing is based around making the exchange process as simple as possible for our participants. We try to bundle as much value into the one fee to make it easy for you.
The AFS Pricing Guarantee: AFS guarantees that the price you are quoted at the time your exchange is confirmed will not change. Other student exchange providers will increase your participation fee in response to exchange rate fluctuations but with AFS “what we say is what you pay”.
Your AFS Program Fee Includes:
- Round-trip international travel between Malaysia and your host country.
- Travel to and from your host family’s city or town at the beginning and end of your program.
- Comprehensive medical insurance. AFS also offers participants and their families an optional travel benefits package, administered through a third party.
- Two iconic yellow AFS luggage tags.
- Local language assistance where required.
- Professional assistance with the application process.
- Placement with a carefully selected volunteer host family who will provide you room, board, and guidance. Your host family will also arrange a way for you to get to and from your school or community service project each day.
- Placement with a host school or community service organization. For programs that don’t include school, refer to the program description for other covered activities.
- Orientations prior to departure and after arrival, including room and board during multi-day orientations that occur throughout the program. This may be anywhere between a few nights to a few weeks stay, depending on the program.
- Orientation materials available prior to departure and during your exchange.
- Arrival orientation materials in your host country.
- Visa application information and assistance.
- Access to a support network of AFS professional staff and trained volunteers, at home and in your host country.
- Emergency assistance when you need it 24-hour – 7 days a week – 365 days a year.
- Access to the international AFS Alumni network
What you are responsible for:
Scholarships & Discounts
AFS is committed to helping young people to go abroad regardless of their financial situation. That’s why AFS works with corporate and community sponsors and individual donors to help finance AFS programs through full and partial scholarships.
how to get your parents to say yes!
Information for parents
AFS is a leading study abroad program for secondary school students, supported and facilitated by trained staff and volunteers. Since 1947, AFS has prepared young people with practical skills and knowledge valued by universities and employers—and needed to succeed in a global world. AFS programs help young people learn about a world beyond their own communities—and become comfortable interacting with people from other countries and cultures.
Get to know people in other parts of the country and in different settings
Domestic Exchange (DOMEX)
In conjunction with the 60th Anniversary of AFS Malaysia last year, we launched a new program called The Domestic Exchange (DOMEX) Program which is a 5-day exchange program for Malaysian participants in Malaysia.
Learn while exploring a whole new world
AFS helps you turn every experience into a true learning moment. Our volunteers and staff will guide you through the AFS Student Learning Journey—with a curriculum developed by knowledgeable AFS educators and other intercultural experts from around the world. Orientation sessions and monthly meetings with trained support volunteers will help you make the most out of your exchange—and prepare you for a lifetime of cultural encounters.
Check out what students say
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Making Friends A Real Challenge By Sharon Thien
I was hosted in Hamburg, New York for my YES exchange and the biggest challenge for me was making friends… -
The Path to a Lifelong Connection By Nurin Syahmina
I am a young enthusiastic girl that has travelled to Ohio, United States of America for six months in 2018… -
Learning About Gratitude Through AFS – By Kezia Loh
As an exchange student to the United States under the Kennedy Lugar Youth and Exchange Program, I was hosted in…
Educating global citizens to make a real difference
A world-class intercultural education organization, AFS helps the world learn to live together.
Connect with AFSers from around the world!