Program Deadlines
March 31 – Academic Year,
Fall Semester and
Summer 2008 Programs

Japan Deadlines
October 7 – Spring Semester
February 1 – Fall Semester

Scholarship Deadlines
March 1 – Youth Leader Scholarship

Intrax Study Abroad, formerly known as AYUSA Study Abroad, is a premier organization dedicated to international education and cultural exchange. Intrax Study Abroad is a division of Intrax Cultural Exchange, a family of organizations devoted to cultivating international understanding through cultural exchange and educational travel, with operations in over 60 countries worldwide. Since 1980, Intrax Cultural Exchange has provided dynamic study abroad experiences for more than 40,000 high school and college students, enabling them to live and study all over the world for summer, semester and academic year programs. Intrax offers a diverse set of programs including work travel programs, au pair placement, and English language instruction through a network of English schools.

Intrax Study Abroad has programs in 16 countries. You can choose from programs ranging in length from four week summer programs to an academic year. On our website you can search for programs by country, program options (Academic Year/Semester, Summer Cultural Exploration, Summer Immersion), or language options.

We offer summer, semester and academic year high school programs. Our high school summer programs are generally one month, semesters are 3 to 6 months, and the academic year is between 9 and 11 months depending on the country.

Start the application process by calling 1-800-579-1709 to speak to a High School Study Abroad Program Advisor who will help determine the programs that best suit your needs and interests. The next step is to discuss your program with your parents and guidance counselor. Once you have decided on a program, send in a full application based on the country and program of your choice, along with a $600 deposit.

The application deadline for most of our summer, academic year, and fall semester programs is March 31st and the deadline for most of our spring semester programs is October 1st. However, program deadlines vary so please visit our program fees page for up-to-date deadline information. Our programs often fill up before the deadline, so we encourage you to apply as early as possible.

Successful applicants will be:

• • 15 - 18 years old (France programs require students to be 16 years old)
  • Motivated high school students with a 2.5 GPA or higher on a 4.0 point scale
  • Flexible, mature, open-minded, and able to adapt to living with a host family
  • Eager for the academic challenge of studying in a foreign school
  • Able to meet any language requirements that apply (requirements vary by country)
  • In sound physical and mental health
  • U.S. Citizen or permanent resident, living in the United States

Intrax Study Abroad requires that signatures from both parents be provided on program applications even if the applicant is 18 years old. In cases where the applicant's legal guardian is someone other than their parents, Intrax requires a copy of official court documentation demonstrating the status of the guardian who has signed the program application. If the applicant is not able to provide signatures from both parents, Intrax requires a copy of official court documentation demonstrating that one parent has sole custody and therefore has the sole right to consent to participate in the program.

Whatever your language ability is currently, we are confident that if you meet the minimum language requirements and make an effort to study and speak while abroad, you will succeed in your host country. While there is an adjustment period, you will be amazed at how quickly your language skills will improve when immersed in another language.

You do not need to be fluent in your host country's language to study abroad; however, some programs require previous language study. The countries that require previous language study for academic year, fall and spring semester programs are: Ecuador (1 yr Spanish), France (2 yrs French), Germany (1 yr German), Japan (6 months Japanese), and Spain (2 yrs Spanish). The following countries have no language requirement: Australia, Brazil, Ireland, Holland, South Africa, and Sweden. No previous language study is required for our Summer Immersion programs in France, Spain, or Brazil or any of our Summer Cultural Exploration programs. Six months of Japanese is required for the Summer Immersion program in Japan.

Students who have already graduated are still eligible to participate in our programs as long as they meet the age requirements. In order to participate, you must be between the ages of 15 and 18 during your program. Keep in mind that Intrax students attend local public high schools and, most likely, will not receive college credit for courses taken abroad.

If you meet the age, academic, and language requirements, and submit a carefully completed application, it is likely that you will be accepted.

• • You can only obtain a visa from the embassy or consulate of your destination country, and must do so before entering that country. Note that visa requirements differ according to one's own citizenship
  • Check with the embassy or consulate of your destination country for up-to-date visa and other entry requirements. Passport and visa information is available at http://travel.state.gov
  • Intrax will provide you with the necessary documentation that is required by the Consulate/Embassy of the country you will visit, so that you are able to apply for your visa.
  • Visa fees are the applicant's responsibility and must be paid directly to the Consulate/Embassy.
  • Please keep in mind that you will need a valid passport to participate in all our programs, and should apply for your passport early to avoid complications.

The prices of our programs vary depending on the length of the program and which country you choose. Prices range from $4,000 to $19,000, but most of our year and semester programs fall between $7,000 and $11,000 and our summer programs range from $4,000 to $7,000. Please visit the program fees page for information regarding each program. The program fee includes:

• • Round-trip airfare from a major international airport near to your home, including all domestic and international flights
  • Placement in a carefully selected host family or in a residence hall, including food and lodging expenses
  • Enrollment in a local high school for all academic year and semester students and students in the Japan Summer Immersion Program
  • Student health and accident insurance
  • 24-hour emergency assistance
  • Pre-departure and in-country orientations
  • Student Handbook
  • Supervision, guidance, and support during the application process and throughout the program

The only things you may have to pay for beyond the tuition are:

• • Personal expenses (e.g., toiletries, clothing, activities)
  • School expenses (e.g., uniform/lunches, if required, supplies, bus pass)
  • Passport
  • Visa application fees, as determined by destination country

If you are not accepted into the Study Abroad program for any reason your $600 enrollment deposit will be refunded. If you withdraw before Intrax Preliminary Acceptance, Intrax will keep a $75 processing fee and refund $525. Once you receive Intrax Preliminary Acceptance, your $600 enrollment fee becomes non-refundable.

Intrax Study Abroad's payment policy is outlined below.

INTRAX Study Abroad encourages full payment of program fees once you receive Preliminary Acceptance. If you opt to pay the entire remaining balance in one lump sum, you will receive a $50 discount.

If you prefer to follow a payment schedule you must adhere to the dates and amounts listed below:

INTRAX Study Abroad Payment Schedule*

$600 Enrollment Deposit due with application

$1500 Payment due within 15 days of Intrax Preliminary Acceptance

50% of Remaining Balance Due:

• • April 15 (Summer, Fall Semester, Academic Year)
  • October 15 (Spring Semester except Japan)
  • December 15 (Spring Semester Japan)

Final Balance Due:

• • June 1 (Summer, Fall Semester, Academic Year)
  • December 1 (Spring Semester except Japan)
  • February 1 (Spring Semester Japan)

*Accelerated Payment Schedule for Late Applications
(applications received one month or less before the application deadline)

Summer, Fall Semester, Academic Year Programs:

• Applications received after March 1 must include payment of $2100. The full balance will still be due on June 1
• In the rare case of deadline extension: Applications received after April 15 must include payment of the $600 enrollment deposit, plus 50% of the remaining program fees. Please note that the full balance will still be due on June 1

Spring Semester Programs, except Japan:

• Applications received after September 1 must include payment of $2100. The full balance will still be due on December 1
• In the rare case of deadline extension: Applications received after October 15 must include payment of the $600 enrollment deposit, plus 50% of the remaining program fees. Please note that the full balance will still be due on December 1

Spring Semester Japan Program:

• Applications received after September 24 must include payment of $2100. The full balance will still be due on December 1
• In the rare case of deadline extension: Applications received after December 15 must include payment of the $600 enrollment deposit, plus 50% of the remaining program fees. Please note that the full balance will still be due on February 1

Please Note:

• LATE PAYMENTS:
  • If a payment is received 7 business days or more after the payment due date, a penalty of $50 will be incurred
  • If a payment is received 30 business days or more after the payment due date, your application will be considered withdrawn and you will be responsible for any cancellation penalties (see cancellation policies below)
• If for any reason your payment cannot be processed, or is declined by your financial institution, a service fee of $50 will be incurred
• Under no circumstances will a student be allowed to depart on program unless the program fees are paid in full
• INTRAX is not responsible for delays caused by late passport applications, late visa applications that are the fault of the student, or visa denials. Any additional costs incurred for such reasons will be the responsibility of the student

INTRAX Study Abroad Cancellation & Refund Policy

If your application is not accepted into the Study Abroad program you will receive a full refund.

Withdrawal from a program is effective on the date that written notification is received by INTRAX:

• • If you withdraw your application before receiving INTRAX Preliminary Acceptance, INTRAX will keep a $100 processing fee and refund the remaining balance of payments rendered.
  • Preliminary Acceptance: Once you receive INTRAX Preliminary Acceptance, your $600 enrollment fee becomes non-refundable. If you withdraw from your program within 15 calendar days of INTRAX Preliminary Acceptance your $600 deposit will be held as a cancellation penalty.
  • If you withdraw from your program more than 15 calendar days after you receive INTRAX Preliminary Acceptance, the cancellation penalty will be $1,000.
    Late Applications: if you withdraw from your program after INTRAX Preliminary Acceptance but prior to school or host family placement, the cancellation penalty will be $1,000.
  • If you withdraw from your program after school or host family placement, the cancellation penalty will be $2,500.
  • If you withdraw from your program within 6 weeks of your program departure date, regardless if you have been placed with a school or family, the cancellation penalty will be 50% of the total program fees or $2500, whichever is greater.
  • No refunds are granted after program departure.

Please Note:

• If you withdraw from the program after INTRAX has booked your flights, you will be responsible for any airline cancellation charges incurred.
• INTRAX will not alter its payment and/or cancellation policies for any reason. If you are concerned about being reimbursed for program fees in the event that you decide to withdraw from the program due to events such as illness, death of a family member, visa denials, natural disaster or international affairs, please investigate the possibility of obtaining independent trip insurance
• In the unlikely event that INTRAX is forced to cancel a program or you are not fully accepted by our partner, all payments will be refunded, including your initial $600 deposit.

Intrax offers scholarships which can be applied to all programs. For more information visit the scholarship section of the website. Many students have also helped to pay for their High School Study Abroad programs by fundraising a portion of their program fees.

We require that you submit a $600 deposit along with your full application and your scholarship application. If you do not receive an award, or the award is not enough, we will return your deposit to you minus a $75 processing fee. If you choose, we can guarantee to not cash your deposit check, or charge your credit card, until after scholarship notification. After scholarship notification, you can choose to proceed and we will cash your deposit, or you can withdraw your application. Please keep in mind that postponing payment of your deposit will delay your acceptance into the program.

Academics are a vital component to Intrax semester and academic year high school exchange programs; students are enrolled in a full course schedule at a local upper level high school and are expected to participate fully in their classes. With careful planning, almost all students are able to participate on any Intrax High School Study Abroad program and complete the credits needed to graduate from their American high school on time. Each U.S. high school has its own policy and requirements regarding transfer credits. The credits that will transfer will be based upon your overseas school and your American high school's specific policies and, therefore, Intrax cannot guarantee that you will receive credit for coursework completed abroad. We recommend that you plan ahead and take any specific courses that you need to meet graduation requirements before or after you go abroad. You should discuss these matters with a guidance counselor as soon as you decide to study abroad and get written documentation of what is required by your school. Our Intrax Program Advisors will be happy to provide you with assistance and advice on receiving academic credit abroad. You can also visit the receiving credit section for additional information.

Classes vary by school and we will not know what school you will attend until after you apply to our program and are matched with a specific host family and school. Your class schedule will be determined after your first day of school. A school administrator will help you to register for classes based upon your language ability and academic background.

Our programs are designed to be full cultural immersion programs. Part of this process involves adjusting to new surroundings and getting past homesickness. We have found that visits from parents or friends in the middle of the program are very disruptive to the acculturation process, and students often regress back to earlier stages of adjustment. For this reason we do not allow visits mid-program. You will have regular contact with your family and friends through email, letters and phone calls, and we encourage families to visit their son/daughter at the end of the program.

Every Intrax Study Abroad student has a local on-site coordinator who is their primary contact in their host country throughout the program. In addition to placing you with a host family and helping enroll you in school, the local representative is "on-call" for the duration of the program to answer your questions, offer guidance to you and your host family in matters of adjustment and language difficulties, and help with any emergencies. The Intrax staff in the United States will provide similar assistance to your parents while you are abroad.

We believe host families are an important component of a successful study abroad experience. Intrax ensures each student's safety through a comprehensive screening process. All host families are carefully screened and interviewed by Intrax's overseas partners. An Intrax representative visits each prospective family's home to meet all family members and ensure quality living arrangements. Typically, host families are volunteers whose decision to host an American student is based on a genuine desire to participate first-hand in the international exchange experience.

There is no average or 'perfect' host family composition. Host families vary across racial, religious, and socio-economic lines. Families may be large or small, they may have young children, grown children or no children at all; however, all Intrax host families are excited to be part of the cultural exchange experience. Our primary goal is to find you a safe and supportive host family. We place students with host families that match their personalities and interests, families in which we feel students will be successful and have a rich and comfortable experience.

In some instances it is possible to arrange a direct placement. Direct placements are contingent on three factors:

• • There must be a local representative within a certain distance of the host family's location
  • There must be a school within the area that accepts exchange students
  • Even if the family is familiar to the student, they must undergo the same application and screening process as other potential host families

There is no guarantee that the placement can be arranged by the organization. However, we will do everything we can to accommodate direct placement requests. Students cannot be placed with family members in their host country.

As an exchange student, it is your responsibility to be flexible and adapt to your host family's lifestyle and rules, even if they are different from what you are accustomed to in your American home. Your local representative will assist you with this adjustment process and will attempt to resolve any problems through discussion and mediation. However, if it is necessary, we will make the arrangements to move you to a more suitable host family.

Students are generally placed in small to mid size communities. Students are generally not placed in large or capital cities for three reasons:

• • Safety
  • Overall Experience - Students tend to have a richer study abroad experience when they are placed in small or medium-sized communities where they often receive more specialized attention in school, have a greater opportunity to get involved in their community, and have an easier time making friends and getting to know their host family
  • Space - We require that each host family provide a private bedroom (or one shared with a host sibling of the same sex and of a similar age ) and most families that live in urban areas do not have the space to host a student

Our primary goal is to find the right host family match for each student; therefore, it is not possible to guarantee any specific location. Some of our programs enable students to request placement within a particular region for an additional fee. Please check the country specific information for more details.

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