The American Institute For Foreign Study
Foundation's Academic Year in America program is one of the
nation's most respected
cross-cultural educational
exchange programs. The program enables high school
students from more than
30 countries to visit
the United States and live with American families while
attending high school for a semester or an academic year.
Academic Year in America (AYA) has been in operation
since
1981. The program is sponsored by the American Institute
For Foreign Study Foundation, a not-for-profit educational
organization f

ounded
in 1967 with the assistance of the late Senator Robert F.
Kennedy. to promote worldwide understanding through cross-cultural
exchanges. The Foundation has been designated by The U.S.
Department of State as an Exchange Visitor Program authorized
to issue the
DS 2019 form, which enables
qualified participants to apply for a
J-I
exchange visitor visa from the nearest U.S. consulate
or embassy.