Youth - Youth Exchange
All exchanges for summer 2023 and the 2023-24 academic year have been filled at this time. We will hold information meetings in the fall of 2023 to share more information with potential applicants for summer 2024 or the 2024-25 academic year. To be notified when these meetings are scheduled, or for other questions in the interim, please contact Aaron Lowe at [email protected] or 801-592-0913.
Long Term Exchanges
- For students 15-18 ½ years old
- Usually last 10-11 months. Student lives with more than one family in the host country and is required to attend school. May be extended to include part or all of the holiday/vacation periods immediately before and after the academic year.
- Applicants must complete the application process before December 15 to leave the following academic year. Interviews will be held in January, and orientation will take place in the spring.
- To learn more about Long Term exchanges click here.
To apply for a Long Term exchange please complete the application at http://yehub.net/SNX-obapp.
Short Term Exchanges
- For students 15-18 ½ years old
- These exchanges typically last several weeks; they often take place when school is not in session and usually do not include an academic program. Short-term exchanges generally involve a homestay experience with a family in the host country, then his/her host brother or sister will return with them to stay in their home for a period of time. This is called a family-to-family exchange.
- Applicants must complete the application process before December 15 to leave the following academic year. Interviews will be held in January, and orientation will take place in the spring.
- To learn more about Short Term exchanges click here.
To apply for a Short Term exchange please complete the application at http://yehub.net/SNX-stapp.
New Generations Exchanges
- For students 18-30 years old
- These specialized short-term exchanges last three to six weeks and focuses on offering young people a vocational/education experience for college or tech school attendees. Applicants will be placed in a foreign country to learn skills and/or provide service in that country.
- Applicants must complete the application process before December 15 to leave the following academic year. Interviews will be held in January, and orientation will take place in the spring.
- To learn more about New Generations exchanges click here.
To apply for a New Generations exchange please complete the application at http://yehub.net/SNX-stapp.
Rotary’s Youth Exchange program is the Least Expensive way to live & study abroad in the world
Rotarians are volunteers. They don’t get paid to coordinate exchanges. Also, our host families don’t receive payment to have students live with them. As such, our exchange students pay a fraction of what they’d pay if they went through other exchange programs.
The cost of Short-term and New Generations Exchanges is the cost of a passport, plane tickets, visas, travel insurance, additional immunizations, spending money, gifts, pins for exchanging and personal items. All these costs are the responsibility of the student and their family. Rotary itself does not charge any fees for these exchanges.
The cost of Long-term Exchanges for students in our Utah Rotary District is $5,500. The Long-term exchange flat fee covers the following:
- Housing & food (covered by host families)
- Round trip airfare
- Travel documents
- Health and accident insurance
- A Rotary Exchange jacket
- Business cards & name tag
Students or their parents are expected to pay the following:
- Spending money during the year
- Clothing and other necessities during the exchange year
- Emergency funds for unpredicted expenses
- Travel before the exchange to the embassy to receive a visa
- Needed immunizations for travel
- Ancillary travel and tours
- If a student is sent home early for breaking rules/guidelines, any additional costs in travel will be at their own expense
Sharing in the costs of the exchange are:
- Host families who pay for room and board
- Host community who cover school tuition and arrangements
- Host Rotary club who provide you each month of the exchange (long-term only) the equivalent of $100 U.S. dollars in cash.
Utah Rotary Youth Exchange has relationships with the following countries. There are limited slots for each country and we don’t exchange with all countries every year. Students will identify their top preferences, but cannot be guaranteed any particular country.