High School in Germany

Willkommen in Deutschland!

Studying abroad with Greenheart Travel’s high school program in Germany will give you a chance to live and study in a place where gemütlichkeit, or good-naturedness, is a way of life! Immerse yourself in a culture where hiking, cycling, palaces, parks, and gardens are abundant. As an exchange student in Germany, you will experience what it’s like to attend high school with your German peers and receive the wealth of cultural immersion, allowing you to gain a new perspective during your academic adventure abroad!

Program at a Glance:

• Host family accommodation provides full language and culture immersion
• Must have previous German experience
• You can choose between trimester, semester or academic year length programs
• A straightforward online application process
• Start dates available in spring or fall

Greenheart Travel exchange students celebrating Oktoberfest in Munich!

Spring 2025 Dates

Application Deadline: September 15, 2024

• Trimester: January – April 2025
• Semester: January 2024 – July 2025

You’ll know your exact arrival and departure dates after being placed in a host family and in a school! Program dates vary depending on region and school placement.

Can’t commit to going during the school year? Check out our summer language camp in Berlin!

Arrival and Departure 

All students are required to book flights on their own. An airport transfer upon arrival is included in the cost of the program. We will provide your exact arrival and departure dates after you’re placed in a host family and school, as well as the exact timeframes you should arrive/depart, so that you can start to search for possible flights. We require prior approval of a proposed itinerary before you purchase any flights.

Nervous about flying on your own? We recommend students and parents sitting down together to review the following resources:

• How to navigate an international airport blog
• Flying internationally video
• Webinar with tips on flying internationally

For many Greenheart Travel students their first time flying is across the world to start their exchange program! You can read our alumni experiences on our blog, such as Emily’s or Madison’s blogs on their experiences flying to Japan or Rachel’s tips on what you actually need to know about flying.

Program Fees for Fall 2024 – Spring 2025

• Academic Trimester: $10,470
• Academic Semester: $12,170
• Academic Year: $14,950

Packaged into the Price:

• Airport pickup upon arrival
• Host family accommodation and 3 meals per day
• Comprehensive medical/accident insurance
• 3 Day Arrival Orientation* (only available to Fall participants)
  • Greeting and Transfer from Airport to Orientation Site
  • Accommodation at Orientation Site
  • Traditional German Meals
  • Orientation workshops (covering school life, host family life, German culture, etc)
  • Cultural Tours of Bonn and Cologne (museums, palaces, plazas, cathedrals, etc)
• Certificate of Completion upon successful completion of the program for use on college applications.
• Access to Greenheart Travel Facebook groups to connect with alumni and others on your start date ahead of your program.
• Greenheart Atlas Program 
• Greenheart Travel T-shirt & other Greenheart swag

Our Support and Services: 

• Visa Assistance in applying for the visa ahead of arrival, including visa paperwork and extensive directions and support.
• Extensive pre-departure advice and support from your US-based program coordinators! They will be with you from your first inquiry, all the way through preparing to leave and your arrival in Germany.
• Support from in-country staff upon arrival to Germany.
• Online pre-departure cultural and logistical orientation before you leave
• 24-hour in-country and emergency support for the duration of the program, including 24-hour emergency phone numbers to reach a program manager at any time.
• Opportunity to apply for a Greenheart Grant to give back to your community at home or abroad

Additional Expenses to Budget for (Estimates):

• Airfare to/from Germany
• Public transportation if required. In places where public transport is good, students will mostly be expected to use it or ride a bike. The average cost of a bus pass is 60-90 €/month.
• Extracurricular activities/sports/clubs
• Personal spending money for cell phones, clothes, toiletries, etc.
• German courses for beginners (200 euros/month)
• Textbooks are usually provided by the school, in some cases might have to be purchased.

Payment Details

• $1,500 Application Fee due by the program deadline to formally apply
• $5,000 Commitment Payment due 14 days after acceptance
• Remaining balance is due 16 weeks prior to your start date. If your program starts within 16 weeks of acceptance, the remaining program balance payment will be due at the same time as the commitment payment. 

Worried about the program fee?

Our goal is to help make travel accessible to everyone and we are here to help when you are deciding if this experience is financially do-able. Each year we offer scholarships for high school study abroad students! We also have a guide to fundraising your program fee, and many high school students fundraise in their hometown ahead of their program.

We also offer discounts for applying early (plus there are many other benefits to applying early!) for each start date and for US families that have hosted an exchange student with Greenheart Exchange.

In researching a study abroad program, you have already shown you are a leader and open-minded in your academic pursuits. These are just a few of the traits that our exchange students possess. You’re motivated to immerse yourself in another culture and flexible enough to live outside your comfort zone. You should also:

• Be between 15 and 18 years of age (at the time of travel)
• Be from the United States or Canada
• Possess a high school cumulative GPA of at least 2.75/4.0
• Be in great mental* and physical health
• Have a genuine interest in becoming a part of your host family and community
• Have at least 2 years of German language instruction or Be willing to attend a German language course during the first half of the program (not included in program fee)

Interested in gaining German fluency before you go? Check out our Teen Summer Language Camp in Berlin!

*What does it mean to be in good mental health?

Moving to a new culture and staying in unfamiliar surroundings without your normal support structure can be very stressful, even to a well-adjusted student. Sending a student with pre-existing conditions on a long-term exchange program could exacerbate whatever challenges the student was previously facing. In order to ensure the safety of our participants, we must be rigorous in our pre-screening of all high school abroad applicants.

Therefore, we may not be able to accept students who have struggled with any kind of mental illness, specifically within the last 2 years and/or are reliant on medication to address their existing mental health condition. Each student will be addressed on a case by case basis and ultimately it is Greenheart Travel’s in-country partner who holds the right to accept or decline a student based on their individual policy.

These include, but are not limited to:

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder
• Eating disorders
• Chronic debilitating migraines
• Bipolar Disorder

All students who currently experience one or more of these conditions will be required to submit an addendum to the terms and conditions as well as a letter of support from their current mental health specialist. If the student’s mental health issue has been managed (post-medication) for over 2 years, we will still require a note from his/her relevant practitioner (psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, etc) as part of the application process.  We encourage you to discuss your specific situation with us directly, before securing these documents.

Please note that students who have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD will not be guaranteed any academic accommodations plans by the host school abroad.

So, what about credits? 

Neither Greenheart Travel nor the host school abroad provides high school credit. All credit must be granted through your home school in the U.S. or Canada. All U.S./Canadian schools have different policies. Here’s a blog post to read more about how some alumni have transferred credits.  

In Germany, we cannot guarantee your host school will provide you an official transcript. If your school will not, some host schools will provide documentation, letters, and any other materials you require upon request. You must have good behavior, attendance, and performance in order for the school to fulfill this request.  

Then, you should take this documentation back to your home school as proof of your participation in the program. Your home school is responsible for awarding you credit for this program or not.  

Before You Go Abroad

You should meet with your U.S./Canadian high school before you leave and share the general curriculum guidelines for Germany with your guidance counselor and/or teachers.  

Because the curriculum will vary by school and we cannot guarantee you’ll take any specific classes, it is important that you arrange the required classes required for your graduation, such as U.S. History, before or after your time abroad.  

Greenheart Travel will be able to provide information about the general curriculum for your age level in Germany, but you will not know your course schedule until after you arrive in country and start attending school.  

Access your High School Curriculum Guidelines for Germany here!

Once You’re Abroad

Please keep in mind that the grading system in other countries is different than the US. Most host schools will not grant grades or transcripts as it is too difficult to evaluate your work due to the language barrier. If your host school is able to award you grades, they won’t be an exact match to what you would get in the US.

What to know about attending a German high school:

• Most exchange students study in public schools.
• The German high school consists of Grades 10-12 and is divided into two semesters, the first beginning in August and the second ending in June.
• You will go to school from Monday to Friday, from 7:50 in the morning until around 1 o’clock. Sometimes it is longer depending on the day and the subjects chosen.
• Each session is normally about 45 minutes.
• Math, German, English, a second language (French or Spanish), Biology, Chemistry, Physics, History, Geography, and/or Social Sciences are typically taught in 10th & 11th grades.
• Three different tracks (Languages/Literature/Arts; Social Sciences; Mathematics/Sciences) are taught in 12 grade and your host school will determine your track.

Getting involved in extra-curricular activities is a great way to gain deeper insight into German culture. Every town offers a variety of clubs and activities. So do a little investigative work when you arrive to determine the best option for you!

As a High School in Germany participant, we will support you and welcome you to the program in a variety of orientation activities.

These Include:

• 3 Day Arrival Orientation (only available to Fall participants)
  • Greeting and Transfer from Airport to Orientation Site (Mannheim)
  • Accommodation at Orientation Site
  • Traditional German Meals
  • Orientation workshops (covering school life, host family life, German culture, etc)
  • Cultural Tours (museums, palaces, plazas, cathedrals, etc)
• Online pre-departure cultural and logistical orientation before you leave with the Greenheart Travel staff
• Greenheart Travel Atlas Program will provide pre-departure activities to complete ahead of arrival, on program, and for reflection after returning home.
• Local coordinators will meet the student personally after arrival in their host family placement

The best way to learn about a new culture and language is to be fully immersed in it which is why all Greenheart Travel high school abroad students live with local host families. All of our host families are volunteers and will treat you as a member of their family. By being a part of your family’s daily life, you will learn to live and speak like a local.

Prospective host families undergo a rigorous screening process. Participants can rest assured that only suitable host families will be selected. In fact, many of our current host families have hosted students in the past, showing what an impactful experience it was.

In order to qualify as a host family, the prospective hosts must:

• Successfully pass a criminal background check
• Undergo and pass an in-person interview with program staff
• Agree to and pass a home inspection

We will connect you with your host family prior to your arrival in your host country. By e-mailing and speaking with them before arriving, it will help break the ice when you finally meet in person. It will also show that you are as excited to live with them as they are to host you!

Host families have many reasons why they want to welcome you! Our host families are volunteers, meaning they don’t receive compensation for housing and feeding students during their program. Many host families love the experience of cultural exchange – they learn just as much about your country as you do theirs. Many are also former exchange students and want to return the favor, or they have children who have gone or will go to study in the U.S. Having an exchange student exposes their children to new languages and cultures.

A student meeting her new host family!

Each semester the program offers optional trips for exchange students to participate in. Usually, during the fall semester, there is a trip to Hamburg and during the spring, to Munich. These trips are not included in the program and are optional.

Usually, these trips are from Friday afternoon/evening until Sunday afternoon. They include entrance fees, snacks, half board and hostel accommodation (transport is an additional cost and organized by students.) The cost is usually around €200.

Hamburg Trip Highlights

Sightseeing, ferry tour along the Elbe river, eating local specialties, a live concert in pub, rally, free time for shopping, and the Hamburg Dungeon (a kind of haunted house with scary Hamburg history!)

Munich Trip Highlights

Sightseeing, hop-on-hop-off bus tour, hike in Olympic Park, Spring Fest (little Oktoberfest!), local specialties, market, free time for shopping, pedalboat, and museum visits.

Nymphenburg Palace in Munich

Trips Outside Germany

Students are often invited to join our excursions and trips with our exchange students in other countries as well. This past year there were trips to London, Paris/Lille, Amsterdam, Norway, and Edinburgh. The cost ranged between 200-400€ for a (long) weekend. Students can sign up for these once they arrive on the program.

Greenheart Travel has been working with high schoolers for many years, and there are advantages of applying for this program through us:

• 33 years of experience with cultural exchange programs.
• Friendly, responsive, and professional support from your program manager.
• Connect with alumni and others on the program via our Greenheart Travel only Facebook forums, before you even leave!
• We try and make our program fees as inclusive as we can. We include things like medical insurance so you don’t run into any hidden fees down the line.
• Greenheart Atlas Program. The Greenheart Travel Atlas is a cultural training interactive guidebook alongside five videos where you will find three main topics covered: Personal/Professional Development, Cultural Understanding, & Environmental Awareness.
• Our alumni recommend us! GoOverseas.com Reviews // GoAbroad.com Reviews
• Hands-on support and personal attention every step of the way
• 24/7 emergency phone number to reach a staff member at any time
• Pre-departure “Culture Shock and Adjustment” Webinar before you leave
• Discounts for future Greenheart Travel programs
• We are a non-profit, mission-based organization
• Continued support throughout your time abroad

We also have some unique offerings to our Greenheart Travel students and alumni!

Greenheart Global Impact Grants (GIGs)

Greenheart GIG Grants are funds awarded to Greenheart Travel participants to use for community development projects in their host or home country. A GIG is the opportunity to create, improve, or maintain an impactful, community-focused project abroad or at home. Grant funds could be applied to supporting women’s cooperatives, schools, community centers, or health clinics, for example. Grant winners will be featured on our website, social media, and blog. You can see our past winners on our blog here.

Greenheart Alumni Program

We created the Greenheart Travel Alumni Program to provide resources and a community to support alumni in their advancement as global leaders, and a way to celebrate and reward our participants for being ambitious, inspiring catalysts of cultural exchange!

Junior Greenheart Global Leaders Conference

Each May Greenheart offers full-ride scholarships to around 10 teen alumni to attend our annual conference in Chicago. You can see more about what Jr. GGLC is and what you could do at the conference here.

Committing to studying abroad can feel daunting, but we are here every step of the way to make the application process as simple as possible! Below are the various steps you’ll need to take to be accepted on a high school abroad program.

1. Start Your Application Here. You will be sent more information as well as the link to our application portal to begin your formal application. Once the initial form is complete, you will be connected to a High School Abroad program manager who will speak with you and a parent to go over the details of the program.

2. Submit Basic Program Information: The first step in our application portal will be basic things like your chosen start date, etc.

3. Submit your application fee: A $1,500 application fee is required in order to apply for the program. This is subtracted from your total program fee, it’s not additional. 

4. Complete Application & Documents: Provide more detailed information about yourself in Part 2 of the application. In this section, you’ll tell us more information like your work history, motivations for joining the program, travel history, and emergency contacts. You will also submit your documents (below) within your portal account.

5. Interview: After submitting your deposit, you will schedule an interview. During this interview, we will ask you questions about living with a host family, adjusting to new situations and homesickness, among other things. You will also receive an overview of the next few months and what you can expect. This is done via Zoom, and at least one parent should also be in attendance.

6. Secondary Interview with German staff: The final step is to have a video call with in-country German staff. We will organize this with you after you finish all the prior steps.

7. You’re Accepted! Once you’ve completed all the steps, Greenheart Travel will thoroughly review your application and will contact you within 2-3 weeks about your acceptance. Then, you’ll get more information about preparation, visas, and placement.

8. Commitment Payment: Once you are accepted to the program, you will need to submit a $5,000 commitment payment within 14 days to confirm your spot on the program. We cannot start the host family matching process until we have this deposit. Once you submit your commitment payment you will unlock the acceptance portion of your portal, which includes things like pre-departure videos, travel and arrival information, the Greenheart Travel Atlas, and more.

9. Book your flights, and get ready for your adventure to Germany! 

Once you’ve completed all the steps, Greenheart Travel will thoroughly review your application and will contact you within 2-3 weeks about your acceptance. Then, you’ll get more information about preparation, visas, and placement.

Required Documents

In addition to completing an application, you will also be required to submit documents. You can be collecting the documents during the application process, but all documents will be due 14 days after you submit your application fee.

The following documents will be required for all destinations:

• Letter of Recommendation (from a teacher, coach or guidance counselor) – does not need to be sealed, should be scanned and uploaded to the document portal
• Transcripts from the last 3 years (unofficial transcripts accepted)
• Student Dear Family Letter
• Parent Questionnaire & Letter
• Photo Album (5-7 photos of you on a Word document with captions in English and host country’s language)
• Medical Form (including immunizations)
• Copy of your passport
• 60-90 second self-introduction video sent via YouTube link
• Secondary rules & expectations document signed by both parents and students

Payments

For payments, a $1,500 non-refundable fee will be due with your submitted application. This is a deposit will be deducted from your overall program cost. If we are able to take a last-minute application submitted after the deadline, the deposit will be $2,000.

Once you are accepted onto the program, a $5,000 commitment payment will be due within 14 days of acceptance.  The remaining balance is due 16 weeks prior to  your start date, or at the same time as your commitment payment, whichever comes first.

You’ve Been Accepted, Now What?

Start getting ready for your adventure! Your program manager will be in regular communication with you to make sure that you are on track in your preparations to go abroad.

• Upon acceptance, you will receive a student handbook (parents – you get one, too!) and access to the Greenheart Travel Atlas, as well as the Greenheart Club.
• You will receive your host family and school placement roughly 2-3 months after acceptance.
• After receiving your host family and school placement, you will receive further instructions on applying for your student visa (if applicable for your program length)
• We will also schedule an online pre-orientation with other Greenheart students a few weeks before your departure!

Have questions or want to talk to one of the program coordinators? Set up a time to have a phone call below.