Academic Year in America

News and Media

Academic year in America

Academic Year in America (AYA) is one of the largest and most respected high school/homestay programs in the United States. Founded in 1981, AYA is well recognized by high schools across the U.S. and endorsed by thousands of American host families. Each year, close to 1,000 young people come to the United States on the Academic Year in America program.

Press Releases

2/2013 - Press Release - AIFS Foundation and The Institute of International Education
New IIE Book Explores Changes in Latin American Higher Ed

11/2012 - Press Release - AIFS
Embrace the Spirit of Giving this Holiday Season With AYA

7/2011 - Press Release - AIFS
Families Can Get A “World View” from AYA

9/2010 - Press Release - AIFS
Leaders in International Education Host Diversity Workshop

7/2010 - Press Release - Academic Year in America
American Families Can Make a Difference, Learn German Culture

5/2009 - Press Release - AIFS College Study Abroad
Institute of International Education and AIFS Foundation Release “Higher Education on the Move: New Developments in Global Mobility”

3/2009 - Press Release - AIFS Foundation
Robert F. Kennedy Scholars Abroad Program Established

01/2009 - Press Release - Academic Year in America (AYA)
High School Exchange Program Open House on January 14

07/2008 - Press Release - Academic Year in America (AYA)
Families Can Make a Difference, Learn Chinese Culture

06/2008 - Press Release - Academic Year in America (AYA)
Families Can Make a Difference, Learn German Culture

06/2008 - Press Release - AIFS Foundation
Institute of International Education and AIFS Foundation to Launch New Research Report Series

5/2008 - Media Advisory - Academic Year in America (AYA)
Tony Cook Memorial Grant Ceremony

5/2008 - Press Release - Academic Year in America (AYA)
Three Stamford High Schools Receive Prestigious Exchange Grant

03/2007 - Press Release - Academic Year in America (AYA)
Parents Can Bring China to the Home

12/2006 - Press Release - AYA Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange
Full Scholarships for High School Students to Study in Germany

News Articles

01/2016 - News - Academic Year in America
Rossville Residents Gain Cultural Perspective Through Interactions With Foreign Exchange Students (from the Topeka Capital Journal, Topeka, KS)

07/2013 - News - Academic Year in America
Exchange Students in Need of Homes (from the Beloit Daily News, Beloit, WI)

01/2013 - News - Academic Year in America
Waunakee Tribune Profile: Anke Ackermann (AYA student)

11/2012 - News - Academic Year in America
Moline Area Families Can Make an Olympic-sized Difference (from The Dispatch, Illinois)

For additional information and/or images for editorial use, please contact Mike Liberty.

Media Contact:
Mike Liberty
1 High Ridge Park
Stamford, CT 06905
(203) 399-5187
mliberty@aifs.com

Program Contact:
Julia Mazzeo
(800) 322-4678 ext. 5164
julia@aifs.org

www.academicyear.org

Biography:
Melanie French, Director

Quick Facts:

  • AYA students come from more than 25 countries, including Brazil, Russia, China, France, and Thailand.
  • AYA is a proud administrator of several U.S. State Department grants: the FLEX program, which welcomes students from Eurasia, the former Soviet Union states; the newly implemented YES program, which welcomes students to the U.S. from predominantly Muslim countries; and the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange program (CBYX), which awards scholarships to U.S. high school students to study and live in Germany for 12 months.