Our continued close relationships with our partnering schools has brought many benefits to our students and our schools. Because we share students, there is no tuition to pay to the host school, keeping our costs to the price of a ticket and spending money. We also often share host families between students which can help grow life-long relationships, family to family. Our faculty and staff benefit from the connections made between schools by learning from each other’s practice and even connecting our schools’ curricula with activities done virtually between schools. Our faculty has visited our partner schools and they have personally visited our school, giving us real hands-on knowledge and understanding for what and where our students will be learning and spending time. A trust has been built between us, and that is priceless when we place our students in their hands.
Students interested in applying should first understand and meet the following qualifying criteria;
- Students must be in good academic standing with no outstanding credits needing recovery.
- Students must be in good financial standing with DeLaSalle High School.
- Students should have a generally positive behavioral record.
- Students/families should have the financial ability to pay for a student’s emergency return and/or any medical treatment needed if necessary while in the host country.
- Students must consider how the exchange could affect a student’s participation in co-curricular activities.
Exchanges last between four and eight weeks – depending on the location and time of year.
All costs include round trip airfare from Minneapolis (airport code MSP) to the host country. Airfare costs to all exchange destinations can vary from one day to the next. The Travel Advantage travel agency will work with students and families to find the most affordable ticket with the best travel itinerary. Generally, families can plan that airfare to Buenos Aires, Argentina will cost $1,300; to San Jose, Costa Rica will cost $1,000; to Torino, Italy will cost $1,300; to La Paz, Bolivia will cost $1,300; and to Munich, Germany will cost between $900-$1,300.
Students do not pay tuition, academic fees for uniforms or technology or room and board. Students who are accepted for an exchange will pay a $350 fee. Students should plan to have between $500,$1,000 for spending money for each destination. Passports, spending money and optional activities are the responsibility of the student.
A review committee will determine whether a student is eligible to continue with the interview phase of the application process.
