High School in Australia

Why study abroad in Australia? Australia is home to the Great Barrier Reef, the largest ecosystem in the world. It is also home to many unique animals such as the kangaroo and the Koala bear. Want to learn more about this amazing country first hand? You can with our high school study abroad program!
Overview
We are proud to offer two High School Study Abroad programs in Australia will enable you to immerse yourself in Australian culture while living with an Australian host family and sharing in their daily life. As a family member, you will participate in activities and adapt to the family rules as if they were your own. You’ll also attend the high school nearest your host family’s home. You will study five to six subjects, which are determined by the school, from 8:30 am to 3:30 Monday through Friday.
Option 1: No Area Preference – Limited Availability
Students choosing this option can be placed anywhere in Australia. There is no guarantee of location in the placement process. The emphasis is placed on finding the ideal host family based on common interests.
Option 2: Area Preference
Students choosing this option will have the ability to select from a variety of placement options. You can view the available locations on our Location tab.

Available Locations
Adelaide
Adelaide has been named Australia’s most liveable city; where population has the best quality of life across the entire country. The city is very easy to get around and for this reason is known as the “20 minute city”. The airport, the City, the Hills and the beaches are always less than half an hour away by car. Its landscape is colored in green from the large number of trees right in the middle of the city buildings as well as shaped by the hills on the background of every place you go. Adelaide has a diverse cultural lifestyle, food is sensational and the region is proudly known as the Australia’s wine capital, with numerous wineries to choose from. Just two hours’ drive and a short ferry ride south of Adelaide you will find Kangaroo Island, and iconic tourist destination with pristine beaches, unique wildlife and unforgettable sunsets.
Byron Bay
Byron Bay is a coastal town in the southeastern Australian state of New South Wales. It’s a popular holiday destination, known for its beaches, surfing and scuba diving sites. Cape Byron State Conservation Park is on a headland with a lighthouse. Between June and November, humpback whales can be spotted from headland viewpoints such as the Captain Cook Lookout.
Kingscliff
Kingscliff is a coastal town just south of Tweed Heads in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, Australia, and is a beach community offering a variety of holiday accommodations.
Newcastle
Newcastle is a harbour city in the Australian state of New South Wales. Its plentiful beaches are linked by the Bathers Way, a coastal walk stretching between Nobbys Beach and Merewether Beach. The walk provides access to Bogey Hole, a convict-built ocean bath from the colonial period. Also on the path is the 1880s Fort Scratchley, a historic site and a viewpoint for spotting migrating whales.
Sydney
Sydney is Australia’s oldest and largest city and is one of the busiest commercial hubs in the Asia-Pacific region. Set on a stunning harbour and with a cosmopolitan population, Sydney is home to two of the world’s most recognizable icons − the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.
The 20th-century architectural masterpiece, along with the Hyde Park Barracks (an Australian convict site) are both World Heritage sites and “must see” places. The temperate climate, reasonable cost of living, great range of leisure activities as well as high levels of safety, education and health care are just a few reasons why Sydney is consistently rated as one of the world’s best cities.
Sandy beaches, National Parks, world-class theatres, great shopping, museums, art galleries, restaurants featuring cuisines from around the world, business opportunities with a relaxed lifestyle makes life at lot easier and more pleasant in Sydney.
Victor Harbor
Victor Harbor is a coastal town in South Australia. From the waterfront, horse-drawn trams cross the causeway to Granite Island, home to a wild penguin colony. Steam locomotives pull the Cockle Train to nearby Goolwa, a gateway to the wetlands of the Murray River Mouth. Offshore, southern right whales frequent the waters of Encounter Bay. The Heysen Trail runs across the Fleurieu Peninsula to Cape Jervis.

Australia - New
Program Dates & Deadlines
Apply early and get a discount! Submit your application 45 days before the deadline to receive an Early Bird Discount.
These are the approximate start dates. Exact start dates will be provided closer to your arrival.
Spring
Academic Trimester: Late January – Mid-April
Academic Semester: Late January – Late June
Academic Year: Late January – Early December
Final Deadline to Apply: July 1st
Fall
Academic Trimester: Early July – Late September
Academic Semester: Early July – Mid-December
Final Deadline to Apply: January 1st
Program Costs
Option 1: No Area Preference
Semester
Academic Year
Costs
$11,810
$13,560
Option 2: Area Preference
Adelaide
Byron Bay
Kiwns Cliff
Newcastle
Sydney
Victor Harbor
Trimester
3 months
$9,960
$10,240
$10,240
$10,240
$10,280
$8,960
Semester
5 months
$14,310
$14,700
$14,700
$14,700
$15,420
$13,270
Academic Year
$28,920
$29,310
$29,310
$29,310
$30,540
$27,440
Discounts, Scholarships & Fundraising
Early Bird Discount – $250 discount if you apply 45 days prior to the application deadline
Host Family Discount – Discount of up to $1000 for families that hosted an inbound student
Area Representative Discount – Discount of up to $500 for children of ISE Area Representatives
ISE Ambassador Scholarship – Designed for students who would like to engage deeply with their host community and reflect on their experience via blog/video contributions.
Additional Scholarships – We gathered a list of some additional scholarships that can help finance your dream exchange
ISE Fundraising Guide – Check out our tips and tricks for planning your very own study abroad fundraiser.
What's Included In The Program
- Arrival Orientation
- Comprehensive medical insurance
- Support and supervision by local representative
- Host family accommodation including 2 meals a day during the week, and 3 meals a day on the weekends.
- School tuition and fees
- Progress reports sent directly to parents
- 24/7 emergency support
- ISE Tote bag, luggage tag & lanyard
Additional Expenses You Might Incur
- Personal Expenses – cell phone bills, personal spending money, travel expenses
- Transportation to airport at conclusion of program
- Extra School Fees – Uniform, class trips, extra curricular activities
Eligibility
• Age between 14 and 18 years old.
• Be attending a school in his/her country.
• Have excellent physical and mental health.
• Agree to attend classes and maintain satisfactory standards of work and behavior.
• Be mature and flexible so as to be able to accept the school and host family.
• Be responsible and follow the school, the host family and ISE’s rules and respect the law.
• Be prepared to adapt to a new culture with different values and to live in a family with different life style and/or social economic level that he/she may be used in his/her own country.
Academic Info
The school year starts at the end of January or beginning of February and finishes at the beginning of December and is divided into four terms of 10 weeks per year. Between terms there is always a two-week break. The breaks are in April, July and September.
Term I: February to April
Term II: April to July
Term III: July to September
Term IV: October to December
Term I is the best time to start the program to get the most out of the academic year
Classes begin around 8:30 / 8:45 am, ending around 3:30 pm.
Each class lasts approximately 1:15 hr, with a ten minute interval and a forty-five minute break for lunch.
The class you are going to attend will be determined by the school, in accordance with your age and level of education you completed in your country.
You will study from five to six subjects. The availability of places to study a given subject will vary in accordance with each school. For the subjects of practical study – such as photography, carpentry, horticulture and others – you could be asked to give proof of former knowledge in the corresponding area, for the vacant places are limited and students which arrive in the middle of the year have less chances to find them.
Orientation
Upon arrival in Australia, you will receive a full cultural orientation. Here is what your schedule might look like during your first few days in Australia:
- Day 1: Arrival day. Staff will meet students upon arrival to take the group to their accommodations in Sydney.
- Day 2: Orientation, Australian culture sessions & excursions.
- Day 3: Departure day and arrival to new host families
Application Process
- Explore our programs, options and countries to find your best match.
- Complete our interest form and, if applicable, let us know who referred you to us.
- You can submit the interest form here: Travel & Study Abroad Interest Form
- Schedule a meeting with one of our Travel & Study Abroad experts.
- Submit your application and a $200 application fee. This non-refundable fee will be applied to your overall program costs.
- Upon acceptance, you will be required to pay a deposit of 50% of the total program costs, up to $1500. The final payment is due several weeks before your departure.
Parent FAQs
- Severe anxiety
- Depression
- Eating Disorders
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

High School Program FAQs
- Watch Netflix in your countries language
- Find a language buddy
- Study online
General FAQs
- Stand out during the college admissions process
- Develop new language skills in an immersive environment
- Develop problem-solving skills
- Identify interests to better select academic & career paths
- Establish cross-cultural skills
- Improve academic scores
- Improve personal organization and time management skills
- Develop a sense of adaptability, independence, and self-reliance
- Boost self-confidence
- Learn about new lifestyles
- Experience new cuisines
- Make lifelong friends
- Gain life experience
- Short Term Option (1-2 months)
- Trimester and Semester Options
- Full Year Options
- Program options from 1-8 weeks
- 12-month program option
- Explore our programs, options, and countries to find your best match.
- Complete our interest form and, if applicable, let us know who referred you to us.
- Schedule a meeting with one of our Travel & Study Abroad experts.
- Submit your application and a $200 application fee. This non-refundable fee will be applied to your overall program costs.
- Upon acceptance, you will be required to pay a deposit of 50% of the total program cost, up to $1500. The final payment is due several weeks before your departure.