High School Abroad in the United Kingdom
Live and study in this small island full of big possibilities!
Calling all football (soccer) fans, wannabe pop stars, and fish & chips lovers: you can now immerse yourself in a British high school! Settle in on the other side of the pond with a placement in a public or private high school in our network. Your adventure starts with an orientation, where you'll prepare for your time in the UK and experience fun, local activities with your peers. Then, head on to your placement, whether it's a beach town in Southern England on in big cities like Cambridge or Liverpool in Northern England. Enjoy the everyday life of a British teen—eat lunch with your friends at the school canteen, get ready for your school's football tryouts, or participate in a school club. On weekends, spend time with your new friends or your homestay family, sharing meals on cozy evenings, going on nature walks, or taking trips to the local city center, shops, sights, and festivals.
Interested in shaping your dream adventure in the U.K.? CIEE offers a customizable program designed to help you discover your passions and prepare you for your college experience. With this option, you'll be able to choose the school you are placed in and other optional add-ons. Connect with your Enrollment Coordinator to explore creating your personalized U.K. experience (additional costs apply).
The Take-Aways
Independence & Resilience
Come home better prepared to make transitions, take control of new situations, and appreciate challenging experiences for what they are: opportunities to learn and grow.
College Readiness
Studying abroad gives you the kinds of life skills that can’t be learned in a classroom — and shows college admissions reps that you’re already one step ahead in terms of initiative, maturity, and independence.
Global Citizenship
After immersing yourself in unfamiliar practices and customs, you’ll become better equipped to interact with people from other cultures — in school, on the job, or in your personal life.
93%
said their experience made them more aware of global issues.
79%
said their experience with CIEE helped shape their college applications.
96%
said they regularly use the knowledge and skills they acquired while abroad with CIEE.
The Destination
William Shakespeare. Charles Darwin. Margaret Thatcher. Jolly old England has been home to some of the world’s greatest thinkers, creators, and doers. Come see what inspired them, and find your own inspiration.
Discover a land where an idyllic landscape of rolling green hills and solitary moors abuts metropolitan cities. You’ll also see how easy it is to travel through time here, investigating the ancient megaliths of a 5,000-year-old stone circle, visiting medieval Dover Castle perched on white cliffs above the English Channel, and zooming in on modern architecture in industrial Manchester. Don’t forget to experience quaint, traditional events, like cheese rolling in Gloucestershire, which you’ll find amidst a rich arts scene that includes some of the best theater, music, and fashion Europe has to offer.
CIEE wants all our students to feel welcomed, supported, and empowered to succeed while studying abroad. No matter where you choose to study abroad with CIEE, our staff will be on hand throughout your program to provide advice, resources, and support.
Sample Activities
Your immediate surroundings will depend on your placement. You could be living the quiet provincial life in Southern England with easy access to beaches and nature, or experience bustling cities like Liverpool or Manchester. Wherever you land, England is a fairly small island that's very well connected by public transportation. So whether you tag along with some friends for an afternoon in the city center, join other participants placed near you for an group activity or excursion, or go out of town with your homestay for the weekend, you will get to travel and experience multiple facets of England.
Rich with history and strong with regional identities, each corner of England has its gems for you to discover!
Please note this list of activities is based on past programs and subject to change at CIEE's discretion to both adapt to local circumstances and participant feedback.
Top 6 Differences Between High Schools in the U.K. and American High Schools
View this post on Instagram A post shared by CIEE High School Study Abroad (@cieeglobalnavigators) The high school experience is an integral part of growing up, no matter where you... keep reading
Eligibility
- Be between the ages of 15 and 17 when the program starts and cannot turn 18 while on program.
- Please note: In the UK, participants who are 15 years old must be placed at boarding schools. Participants who are 16 and 17 years old have more options for placement.
- Be in the 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th year of schooling.
- Have a minimum GPA of 2.5.
- Demonstrate, through the application process, their flexibility, maturity, adaptability, and readiness to face the challenges of living in a new culture.
Dates & Fees
Priority deadline discount: Apply to a fall semester or academic year by February 15 and get a $400 discount. Apply to a spring semester by July 15 and get a $400 discount. Discounts are deducted from final balance.
High school abroad participants are NOT authorized to volunteer, take jobs, or seek employment during their stay.
Additional information about insurance can be found on the FAQ page.
Our U.K. Academic Year programs offer a unique, longer-term opportunity to experience deep immersion in British culture without the hassle of a visa. Spend a Fall Trimester at one British high school and a Spring Semester at another, living with two different host families. Note: participants must leave the U.K. during the holiday break between semesters, which eliminates the need for a visa. Prefer a more traditional academic year program? Contact your enrollment coordinator for more details.
Program |
Application Due |
Start Date |
End Date |
Costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program Fall 2025 22 weeks | Start Date | End Date | Costs $17,250 | |
| Program Fall Trimester 2025 17 weeks | Start Date | End Date | Costs $14,750 | |
| Program Spring 2026 20 weeks | Start Date | End Date | Costs $17,250 | |
| Program Spring Trimester 2026 12 weeks | Start Date | End Date | Costs $14,750 | |
| Program Academic Year 2025 41 weeks | Application Due Deadline Passed | Start Date | End Date | Costs $22,500 |
| Program Academic Year 2026 41 weeks | Start Date * | End Date * | ||
| Program Fall 2026 22 weeks | Start Date * | End Date * | ||
| Program Fall Trimester 2026 17 weeks | Application Due Deadline Passed | Start Date * | End Date * | |
| Program Spring 2027 20 weeks | Start Date * | End Date * | ||
| Program Spring Trimester 2027 12 weeks | Start Date * | End Date * |
*Dates for this program are provided as tentative dates. Please consult with your study abroad advisor to confirm dates before purchasing your flights.