Working with Grants Students

Grants Students

Enrolling a Grants student deeply enriches the diversity of your school community. He/She has competed against hundreds, and in some cases, thousands of other students for a full scholarship sponsored by the U.S. government and the chance to study at your school. Given their high academic motivation, it is not unusual for our Grants students to express interest in joining Honors or Advanced Placement (AP) courses at your school, in addition to involvement in extracurricular activities. A number of our Grants students have logged 100 or more hours of community service during their short time in the U.S., and have been awarded the Presidential Award for Community Service for their achievements. As a token of gratitude for hosting a Grants student, CIEE and the Department of State acknowledge schools for their commitment to international exchange with honorary plaques at the completion of each successful program year.

Welcoming a Grants student at your school also means playing a large role in the highly structured program that CIEE runs for these unique students. YES, FLEX, A-SMYLE and CBYX students are expected to participate in required program activities, such as presenting about his/her home country during International Education Week (IEW) each November and volunteering on Global Youth Service Day every April.

Grants students also engage in enhancement activities with specially trained CIEE Grants Local Coordinators. Through class participation and making friends, CIEE Grants students educate your school community about life as an exchange student and about their country’s history, politics, and culture. At the same time, they gain first-hand experience from the American education system and appreciate American school values that other students may take for granted, such as school spirit, community service, or entrepreneurship.