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 in US dollars, represent starting points, and may vary depending on school choice, program length, and additional services. The difference between F1 and J1 matters: only in the Florida program (F1) are we on the ground ourselves — in the J1 program, the partner organization provides the supervision, and the location is not selectable. The initial consultation is free — 30 minutes, no obligation, personal. 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.
Our core program is the Florida program with an F1 visa — a model that's rare in the European market and should be standard in the US: our own team on the ground, accredited schools, host families we know personally, personal preparation back home. No outsourcing to US partner agencies that you'll never meet. That's the main reason the F1 program sits in the upper price range — and the main reason parents choose us.
Because we know this program is too expensive for some families, we additionally arrange the classic J1 exchange program from $19,000 — through a partner organization whose team we know personally. Important, and said honestly: placement is anywhere in the USA, not selectable, and the supervision on the ground is provided by the partner organization, not by us. We stay at our students' side via video call at any time — but the Vero Beach location advantage applies only to the F1 program.
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, and the available support depends heavily on where the family lives, which programs you're eligible for, and how flexible you are with timing. Rather than promising figures that may not apply to you, we'd rather walk through the real options for your specific situation in a free, no-obligation consultation. Below is the general landscape — but the conversation is where it gets useful.
Most European countries offer some form of public support for students going abroad — national education grants (such as Auslands-BAföG in Germany or Programma ITACA in Italy), tax relief on schooling, or continuing family benefits during the stay. Eligibility, amounts, and procedures differ significantly: what works for a family in Munich is not what works for a family in Milan or Lyon. We outline the realistic options for your country, point to the responsible authorities, and help prepare the documentation. Final approval always rests with the issuing body.
Local foundations, municipal scholarships, and service clubs (Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis) frequently support individual students from their territory with contributions typically between 500 and 3,000 €. These rarely appear in catalogues — they're awarded on application, often after a personal pitch. We provide a candidacy template and a program brief that families can attach to their applications. The decision rests with each organization; we cannot guarantee an award, but the channels are real and often underused.
We support families preparing funding applications — documents, deadlines, and application templates for foundations and service clubs are part of the program. To be clear about our role: we support, we don't advise — and decisions on any external funding always rest with the issuing body.
That depends on the program. In the Florida program (F1), the school year starts at $34,000, the semester at $17,500 — plus, realistically, around €2,500 to €4,000 for flight, visa, international health insurance, and moderate pocket money. In the J1 program through our partner organization, the school year starts at $19,000, the semester at $12,500 — health insurance is already included there. That's the honest math — 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.
In the Florida program (F1), 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.
And because honesty is the foundation here: our J1 program from $19,000 works the same way as with every other provider — through a partner organization, anywhere in the USA. The one difference: we know the people there personally and stay at our students' side via video call.
The honest answer: it depends entirely on where the family lives. Germany has Auslands-BAföG (up to roughly €7,500 per school year, income-dependent), Italy has Programma ITACA INPS (restricted to families of public-sector employees, but covers the full program), France has a smaller tax reduction and continued family benefits but no large national grant for high schoolers. Other European countries each have their own systems. International programs such as Erasmus+ do not apply to the USA (the US is not an Erasmus+ partner country), and Fulbright scholarships are reserved for graduate-level study.
In our free consultation we go through what is realistically available in your country and your situation, point to the right authorities and timelines, and help prepare the application materials. We cannot guarantee any external award — that decision always rests with the issuing body — but we can make sure you don't miss what is actually within reach.
It's a different kind of program, and an honest comparison is worth having. Rotary Youth Exchange is organized worldwide by local Rotary Clubs and is significantly less expensive than commercial programs — typically a few thousand euros total — because host families and tuition are arranged through the club network. The trade-off: the student does not choose the destination, the school, or the host family, and the program runs on Rotary's own structure rather than on a dedicated provider's accountability.
SIDO is built differently: own team in Vero Beach, accredited school choice, vetted host families we have personally visited, structured preparation and 24/7 support. The right choice depends on what matters more to the family — cost or scope of choice and accountability. For families on a very tight budget, we will say so openly when Rotary YE is the better fit.
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.
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.