About School Year Abroad
What is School Year Abroad?
School Year Abroad (SYA) was founded over sixty years ago and is a nonprofit organization that provides immersive study abroad programs to high school students. We have three campuses in France, Italy and Spain, and we operate full academic year, semester and summer programs. SYA students live with a host family and attend our American-accredited high school. This allows students to earn U.S. high school credits and prepare for admission to selective U.S. colleges and universities. While at SYA, students are part of a tight-knit community made-up of other U.S. high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Our curriculum is rigorous, experiential, and personal. It challenges students to become independent, international thinkers and makes them stand out in the competitive college application process. SYAers develop close relationships with their host families, new friends, and SYA faculty members. Attending SYA is a truly life-changing experience.
U.S. High School Educational Model With a Global Focus
- SYA is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
- Students keep up with their typical high school courses while also taking unique electives and language courses.
- All three SYA campuses are official test centers for the College Board. Students are able to take the PSAT, SAT and AP exams and receive testing accommodations (if applicable) while abroad.
- Each school has a College Counseling Liaison to support juniors and seniors through the college process.
- The SYA faculty includes both local and American teachers.
- Students take the Stamp test at the beginning and end of their time at SYA to measure their language proficiency growth.
