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Prepare for a life-changing study abroad experience

Our High School Study Abroad Program

SYA has pioneered study abroad programs for high school students ever since launching in 1964. We believe education needs to integrate real-world experiences into day-to-day school life. We challenge students to take education into their own hands all while learning a new language and adapting to a different culture. After SYA, students are ready to take on the world with confidence and a better global perspective. So why not study abroad in high school when there’s so much to gain and little to lose?

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1964

SYA founded

10+

Scholarships offered

50%

Students receiving financial aid

90%

Alumni who still consider themselves moderately or highly fluent

8,000+

Alumni in the SYA community

93%

Alumni who continue to study a foreign language after SYA

118

Sending schools comprising the Class of 2022

79%

Alumni who agree that SYA strengthened their college application

France

Rennes, the capital of Brittany, allows you to experience the distinct Breton culture as you simultaneously master the French language and discover France’s place in the world.

Italy

Italy is a country of layers where ancient ruins and modern culture exist in harmony. SYA Italy will help you see how the two relate through experiential learning and interdisciplinary classes — all initially taught in English except for Italian.

Spain

SYA Spain is a study abroad program for high school students that will take you deep into the study of Spanish language and culture. Your home base, Zaragoza, is Spain’s fifth-largest city, located halfway between Madrid and Barcelona.

Co-Curriculars

Maybe you're looking to continue a particular activity or maybe you want to try something new — at each SYA campus, there is an Activities Coordinator to help you get involved!

Host Families

Host families play an integral part of the SYA experience. They foster  involvement in the community and provide an authentic means for learning about the country and culture as well as countless opportunities to develop language proficiency outside the classroom. 

Travel

Travel will take many forms at SYA — as a whole school, in smaller faculty-led groups and sometimes, independently in a small group of classmates. You'll travel not as a tourist, but as a resident of the host country in which you live.

The Latest from SYA

School Year Abroad

SYA alumni, faculty and others make amazing things happen in the world.


This year, the SYA Awards Committee is pleased to announce its award recipients in recognition for outstanding contributions to SYA and the greater world.

School Year Abroad

A personal look back from Director of Advancement Erin Ericson

This year, you will likely read many reflections and remembrances from those who lived through the events of September 11, 2001. As you can imagine, SYA’s story is somewhat unique in that September is the beginning of our school year, when students are boarding planes for their adventure abroad.

School Year Abroad

Orientation, innovated. The Immersion Unit was designed with great intentionality to help students explore their local cities through fieldwork activities.

The Campaign for SYA

THE CAMPAIGN FOR SYA

We did it! Thanks to the generosity of the SYA community, The Campaign for SYA exceeded its $18 million goal. What started four years ago as an ambitious undertaking has resulted in an unprecedented historic fundraising accomplishment — the largest in SYA history.

Celebrating 50 Years of Coeducation: the Women of SYA

The unprecedented move toward coeducation signaled a sweeping evolution at SYA. This moment opened doors to a lifetime of possibility and change for women, one that continues to evolve and show promise. The rest is HERstory.

School Year Abroad

SYA alumni, faculty and others make amazing things happen in the world.


This year, the SYA Awards Committee is pleased to announce its award recipients in recognition for outstanding contributions to SYA and the greater world.