During your time in China, you will live with a host family and attend a local Chinese high school.
| PROGRAM | DEPARTURE | RETURN | FULL TUITION |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Fall Year | Late August | Late June | $18,995 |
- Placement with a carefully selected host family
- Enrollment in a local Chinese high school
- Airport transfers
- Domestic and international travel
- All pre-departure and post-arrival orientations
- Pre-program language camp
- Pre-program support by trained YFU staff
- Support from a YFU China area representative while on program
- Comprehensive insurance
YFU USA students to China will be placed in grade 10 or 11 in either a regular high school or a technical and vocational high school, depending on their Chinese ability. Chinese schools typically have strict rules for their students, and they have requirements for students’ physical appearance (no piercings, no long hair for boys, and no perm for girls). Physical education is highly encouraged. In many subjects, contests are organized annually at all levels to encourage students’ study. Examinations are designed separately for science and arts students.
All students applying for the year program must be available for a mandatory 3-day National Pre-Departure Orientation*, which takes place in mid-July. This orientation is a required part of the program aimed at preparing students for their experience overseas.
*Due to COVID-19, the 3-day National Pre-Departure Orientation described above may take place online, dependent upon recommended guidelines at the time of the event. YFU will continue to assess the situation as it develops.
Upon arrival in China, students will attend a 3-day arrival orientation and cultural tour in Beijing. After the orientation, you will travel to stay with your permanent host family and have an intensive 1-week Chinese language and culture course. During your mid-year orientation, you will stay at a local hotel or with a host family and enjoy a cultural and historical tour of the area. Your year will be capped off with a re-entry orientation before your return to the US. All orientation costs are included in the program tuition.
Students will have the option to participate in one or two self-paid trips during their time in China. These trips usually take place in October and June, and it typically lasts about 5 days. The trips may include museum tours, a visit to a famous site in Beijing, and visits to the provincial capital of Kunming to learn about the local minority group. Trips are subject to change.
- 2025 Fall Departures: Students born September 29, 2007 – July 30, 2010
- Students who do not meet this age requirement will be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis.
Mandarin Chinese and English. Applicants should have a minimum of 160 hours of Chinese language study before their arrival. We strongly recommend that students start to learn Chinese with an online language program as soon as they apply for the exchange. There will also be a compulsory one-week Chinese language and culture course for year and semester students. This course is included in the program tuition.
Students are typically placed in urban and suburban areas of Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Jiangsu, Shenzhen, and Shenyang. However, students should be prepared to live in any region of the country.
