Why host a foreign exchange student? The world moves in. Your family grows.
Hosting an exchange student doesn't just change a young person's life — it quietly changes yours. A new voice at the dinner table, a new way of seeing your own town, and a bond that usually outlasts the school year by decades.
What hosting gives back
No hype — these are the things host families actually talk about years later.
A culture at your own table
Instead of reading about another country, you live alongside it — its holidays, its home cooking, its everyday habits. Dinner conversation becomes a window on the world, no passport required. See the cultures ISE students bring.
A global sibling for your kids
Children who grow up with an exchange student in the house learn early that the world is bigger than their zip code. Many host siblings stay close for life — and grow up more curious, confident, and open.
A second home abroad
When the year ends, the relationship doesn't. Host families end up with standing invitations in Spain, Germany, Thailand, Brazil — and many travel to visit "their" student, attend graduations, even weddings.
A richer school and community
Your student brings a new perspective to the local classroom, the team, the youth group. Teachers and classmates get a firsthand connection to another country — something no textbook can supply.
Real people-to-people diplomacy
Exchange programs exist because friendships between ordinary families do what policy cannot. Your student goes home as a lifelong ambassador for the America they lived in — yours.
Your own town, seen new
The first snowfall, a Friday-night football game, a trip to the lake — things you stopped noticing become wonders again when someone experiences them for the first time from your passenger seat. That's the quiet magic of hosting an exchange student in Michigan.
What hosting actually takes
No surprises. Here's the real commitment — and what you absolutely do not need.
What your student needs from you
- A bed of their own. A private room is great, but sharing with a host sibling of the same gender and similar age is fine under program guidelines.
- Three meals a day. Whatever your family normally eats. Students who prefer to buy school lunch cover that themselves.
- A way to get to school. A ride, the bus stop, or a bike route — whatever works where you live.
- Genuine inclusion. The one thing that matters most: treat them as family, not a guest. Bring them to the cookout, the game, the grocery run.
What you do not need
- Kids at home. Empty-nesters, single parents, young couples, and retirees all make wonderful host families.
- A fancy house. Students aren't coming for square footage. A clean, caring, ordinary home is exactly what they hope for.
- To cover their expenses. Every student arrives with full medical insurance and their own spending money for clothes, activities, and personal costs.
- To go it alone. Lisa lives right here in Michigan and supports every placement personally, with ISE's national network behind her.
The details, plainly stated
Volunteer, from the heart
Hosting is volunteer-based — families aren't paid, which keeps every placement about the student. Host families may qualify for a modest monthly charitable tax deduction (currently up to $50 per month under IRS rules; confirm with your tax preparer).
Fully insured, self-funded
Every ISE student arrives with their own medical insurance and their own spending money. Your commitment is a bed, meals, and a warm welcome — not a financial burden.
Semester or school year
Placements run about 5 months (a semester, starting in August or January) or 10 months (a full academic year). Choose the length that fits your family's season of life.
ISE is a U.S. Department of State designated exchange visitor program sponsor.
Become a Welcome Family — just 4 to 6 weeks
Not every family can commit to a full school year, and that is okay. A Welcome Family gives a newly arrived exchange student a warm place to begin — helping them get settled, start school, meet their community, and adjust to life in America while Lisa continues working to find their permanent host family.
Sometimes a few weeks of kindness is exactly what a student needs to begin their journey. Many Welcome Families enjoy it so much they choose to keep their student for the year. Wondering who you'd be welcoming? Meet the exchange students waiting for a Michigan family.
What a Welcome Family provides
The same warm basics as any host family — a bed, meals, a ride to school, and a seat at the table — for a short, defined stay of about a month while the long-term match is finalized.
"You don't have to commit to the entire school year to make a difference." — Lisa
Things families ask Lisa first
Can we choose our student?
Yes. You review student profiles — their interests, letters, and photos — and Lisa helps match you with a student who fits your family's rhythm. No student is ever placed in your home without your approval.
What if it isn't a good fit?
It's rare, but it happens, and there's a process for it. Lisa is your local representative and checks in throughout the year. If a placement genuinely isn't working after honest effort on both sides, ISE has an established rematch process to move the student to another family — no one is stuck.
Do we get paid to host?
No — hosting through ISE is volunteer-based, which is part of what makes the relationship real. Host families may qualify for a modest monthly charitable tax deduction for hosting expenses; ask your tax preparer what applies to you.
Can single people or families without kids host?
Absolutely. Single adults, single parents, empty-nesters, and couples without children host successfully every year. What matters is a stable, caring home and the willingness to include a teenager in your daily life — not your household's shape.
How long do students stay?
Most placements are either a semester (about 5 months, starting in August or January) or a full academic year (about 10 months, starting in August). If you're unsure, many families start with a semester and find themselves asking to host again.
Families who already said yes
Nobody can describe a hosting year the way the people who lived one can.
Hosting changed my life during a time when I couldn't always see the light. The boys from Spain who became my boys will forever hold such a special place in my heart.
Through student exchange, I gained so much more than I ever expected. I gained family, friendships, memories, and people I simply cannot imagine my life without.
Lisa became more than the person who introduced our family to student exchange — she became an amazing friend, part of our family, and someone deeply loved by all of us.
Opening our home opened my heart in ways I never could have imagined. These students may have come from another country, but they became family — and that doesn't end when the exchange year does.
Amber KanineHost Mom
Watching Richard become part of our family was such a beautiful experience. The love and connection between him and his host family was easy to see, and he truly left a lasting mark on all of us.
I was fortunate to meet Richard when the family brought him to Florida, and from the outside looking in, it was clear that this was so much more than a student staying with a family. He had become family.
I'm already looking forward to the day everyone is together again and they make another trip to Florida. Student exchange may begin with opening your home, but the relationships it creates can last a lifetime.
Deborah MoffatHost Aunt
Davi was my very first foreign exchange student, and the experience became so much more meaningful than I ever expected. Our journey together brought joy, comfort, and healing into my life in ways that are hard to put into words.
Because my first hosting experience was so rewarding, I've decided to open our home again and welcome another student this fall.
Hosting gave me the chance to share our family, our home, and our love — but I received just as much in return. If you have extra room in your home and a lot of love to give, I truly encourage you to consider hosting. These students can become such an incredible part of your life and your family.
Deborah LottHost Mom
Hosting exchange students was truly one of the best things I ever did. Over the years, I had the opportunity to host four students, and each one taught me so much about their country, their culture, and the world beyond my own community.
My very first exchange student came into my life 20 years ago — and she still comes back to visit. That says everything about what hosting can become.
You may open your home for one school year, but the relationships and memories can stay with you for a lifetime.
Jan TerryHost Mom
My boys will always hold a very special place in my heart. Hosting exchange students brought something into my life I never expected and gave me memories, relationships, and a bond that will stay with me forever.
They may have come into our home as exchange students, but they became family. Hosting truly changed my life, and I wouldn't trade the experience for anything.
DougHost Dad
The other side of the story
Short clips from students who spent their year with a Great Lakes family — in their own words, in their second language.
More videos and everyday moments live on the Great Lakes ISE Facebook page.
Ready to set one more place at the table?
Start the application, or just have a no-pressure conversation with Lisa about whether hosting fits your family right now.