Price is the most important question that parents don't ask first. We get it. Here are the numbers, before the consultation, no fine print. So you know what you're planning — and what's in the price.
All prices are starting points and may vary depending on school choice, program length, and additional services. Individual calculation in the consultation.
If you ask three providers what a high school exchange in Florida costs, you'll get three very different answers. That's not because of inflated prices — it's because the programs aren't really comparable. What is a thin placement package for one provider is genuine end-to-end support from application to return flight for another.
We chose a model that's rare in the German-speaking market and should be standard in the US: our own team on the ground, accredited schools, vetted host families, personal preparation back home. No outsourcing to US partner agencies that you'll never meet. That's the main reason SIDO sits in the upper price range — and the main reason parents choose us.
On this page we show you three things: what's included in the price, which items come extra, and which forms of financial support you can use.
Transparency is the foundation. Read these two lists carefully — they are the most important comparison point between providers, and at the same time the most common place for surprises in the fine print elsewhere.
A high school exchange is not a consumer product — it's a bundle of school placement, accommodation, supervision, and safety, ten months long. This is roughly how the price breaks down, in real shares:
Shares are guidelines — actual distribution varies by school type and program length.
A high school exchange in Florida is a significant investment. There are three paths to reduce it — all three less well-known than they should be. We help with each of them in the consultation.
Up to €4,600 grant for a school year in non-EU countries — available for German residents. The trick: even if your family wouldn't qualify for domestic BAföG, the foreign component can often be approved because income thresholds are higher. We help with the application.
Programs like the Parlamentarisches Patenschafts-Programm (PPP) of the German Bundestag, or foundations like Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, award full or partial scholarships. The application is demanding but worthwhile — we know the requirements and coach the application.
The KfW education loan (up to €7,200, low interest) plus our internal installment plans (two to three tranches) significantly reduce the cash flow burden. This advice is part of the program — not a separate appointment with a banker.
Realistically, parents should budget around €21,500 to €24,000 total for a full school year, combining program, flight, visa, insurance, and moderate pocket money. For a semester, the range is around €14,000 to €16,000. That's the honest number — every item visible, no marketing trick.
Most German providers book your child into a US partner agency program. That's cheaper because responsibility is delegated — and more expensive when things go wrong and no one on the ground knows the child.
SIDO has its own team in Vero Beach. If your daughter is homesick, someone is in her living room within 20 minutes. If the host family doesn't fit, we move the child within 48 hours to a family we know. That's the premium — and for most parents we speak to, the actual reason to work with us.
Yes, surprisingly often. For the stay abroad, higher income thresholds apply than for domestic BAföG, because the need is set higher. It's almost always worth applying — the assessment is free. We give a first estimate in the consultation and support the application with the responsible local authority.
If a drop-out happens within the first four weeks — rare, but it occurs — we have a staggered refund policy that we clarify in writing before signing. After this phase, school fees are usually spent and non-refundable, because the school can't reassign the place.
More important than the contract clause: we try every alternative before a drop-out — family change, school change within Florida, intensified support. In most cases the situation resolves. That's exactly why we're on the ground.
Yes. Standard is two to three tranches: first installment on contract signing (approx. 30%), second before departure (approx. 50%), third at the start of the school year (approx. 20%). For special situations — scholarships, BAföG, education loan — we adapt the plan individually. Talk to us.
For an August start, we recommend registering by March of the same year at the latest. For a January start, by October of the previous year. The reason isn't rush, but visa appointment availability at US embassies and school place allocation — both limited and filled in registration order.
Early registration significantly expands school choice. Those who inquire in May for August get available spots; those who inquire in November can choose a specific school.
30 minutes, free, no obligation. We listen first — what you're planning, which school, which support might apply — and then send you an individual written calculation. No sales pitch, no pressure.