Poudre School District welcomes international students who are not moving into the school district and who apply for attendance through an approved J-1 agency.
Exchange Agency J-1 Visa Students
Students from other countries, who would like to attend a Poudre School District school and who have no connections with anyone in the community, may apply to attend a PSD school through an approved J-1 Visa exchange agency. PSD does not recommend or endorse one agency over another. PSD only works with agencies highly rated nationally by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET). Agencies must include current CSIET certification with each application packet. Potential students must complete all agency paperwork, pay all agency fees, and receive their J-1 Visa through the agency.
Agency representatives are responsible for finding potential host families in the school district and submitting the student’s complete application packet for approval to the Assistant Superintendent’s office by email at psdaso@psdschools.org by the posted deadline.
Going through an exchange agency does not guarantee acceptance to Poudre School District and should not be implied by the agency representative. J-1 students can be accepted for one semester or for one full academic year. Partial semester attendance and the auditing of classes is prohibited. PSD does not certify host families and does not place students with host families.
Program Requirements and Guidelines
Application Deadlines and Submissions
Application deadlines are firm. No extensions are given.
- Fall semester or for the full year: June 1 deadline
- Spring semester: Nov.1 deadline
Submit complete applications by email to the Assistant Superintendents' office at psdaso@psdschools.org by the deadlines.
In addition to the other information described on this website, applications must include, transcripts/report cards/grades for each term completed in high school, including in-progress grades, and confirmed host family information. Applications received without an identified host family may be rejected.
Please do not include photos of documents in the application packet. Only scanned originals should be included. Agencies should not contact schools directly and should send all inquiries and application materials to the Assistant Superintendent’s office at psdaso@psdschools.org.
PSD does not hold seats for foreign exchange students. See the Participating Schools and School Placement section for more information about this.
Late or incomplete applications are not accepted.
Age Requirements
Age Requirements
Students must be at least 15 years of age by Sept.15 of the school year in which the student is to be enrolled.
Students must not have reached 19 years of age by the first day of attendance and must not have graduated from the 12th grade of any school or be in receipt of a document evidencing completion of the equivalent of a secondary curriculum.
Agency Certification
Agencies must hold a current certification issued by the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) or be a Rotary branch under the national Rotary Youth Student Exchange International program.
Participating Schools and School Placement
Participating Schools
- Fort Collins High School
- Fossil Ridge High School
- Polaris Expeditionary Learning School*
- Poudre High School
- Rocky Mountain High School
- Wellington Middle-High School
- Liberty Common Charter School*
- Ridgeview Classical Charter School*
* Students will only be assigned to these schools upon request and on a space-available basis.
School Placement
PSD does not hold a specific number of seats for foreign exchange students. Applications are considered per student and not by seats available. If a student is accepted and cancels, another student will not be substituted in their place.
Approved students will be placed at the high school located in their host family’s designated attendance area. Host families who want their foreign exchange student to attend a school other than the one in their designated area must apply for school choice per PSD policy. There is no guarantee of placement at any PSD school outside of a designated attendance area.
PSD may determine that certain schools are full to anyone outside of a permanent resident of their designated neighborhood school. In that instance, attendance by a foreign exchange student whose host family lives in the boundary area may be denied. Notice will be given as much as possible in this scenario.
English Language Proficiency
PSD does not provide English language education to foreign exchange students. Students must demonstrate adequate knowledge of the English language as evidenced by scores on the following accepted tests.
Accepted Tests and Minimum Scores:
- ELTiS: 223 minimum score
- ELTiS 2.0: 693 minimum score
- iTEP SLATE: 4 minimum score
- TOEFL Jr.: 750 minimum score
- TOEFL iBT: 57-86 minimum score
- IELTS: 3.5 minimum score
Vaccination Requirements
Students must submit evidence of receiving immunizations that meet the Colorado immunization standards per the Colorado Department of Health or submit a non-medical exemption form (religious and personal belief exemption).
Semester Extension Request
Foreign Exchange students attending school in PSD during fall semester and who wish to extend their stay through the school year must request this extension by November 1 through the Assistant Superintendent’s office by email at psdaso@psdschools.org.
Grade Level Placement
Students are enrolled in the grade associated with their age and are highly encouraged to engage in school-based activities.
PSD does not offer a high school diploma to foreign exchange program students. Students enrolled in PSD in the 12th grade can receive a certificate of completion but not a diploma.
General Requirements
Foreign exchange students are responsible for complying with all district policies and regulations. Foreign exchange students are expected to pay for meals, books, athletic and student activity fees, yearbook costs, and all other fees and expenses normally paid by students in the district, unless the student is considered indigent and/or determined eligible for free or reduced price meals.
Colorado High School Activities Association eligibility requirement must be followed.
The sponsor, host family and local program representative must maintain personal contact with the school, must be available and willing to meet with school personnel when problems or circumstances require and must assume full and final responsibility for resolving problems including the early return of the student if personal, family or school difficulties cannot be resolved.
If a student's grades, attendance, conduct or discipline are deemed unsatisfactory by the school, the student may be withdrawn.
Testing Options
Students attending Poudre School District schools as part of the foreign exchange program, should not be required to take the WIDA Access assessment. Foreign Exchange students can opt to take AP, IB, CMAS, and/or SAT assessments. Information on these tests can be found here on our District and State Assessments web page.