AFS Vivre Sans Frontière

What AFS Vivre Sans Frontière does

AFS Vivre Sans Frontière is a French non-profit association (loi 1901), recognized as a public utility since 1965, operating as the French chapter of AFS Intercultural Programs, Inc. The organization is headquartered at 8 quai Bir Hakeim, Saint-Maurice, France, and is licensed by Atout France (n° IM094110022). Its core business is organizing intercultural exchange programs for high school students aged 15-17, with destinations spanning more than 50 countries and durations ranging from 6 weeks to a full academic year, encompassing international travel, host family placement, schooling abroad, insurance, and ongoing volunteer support.

The organization's product portfolio spans physical exchange programs, hybrid and fully online learning platforms (Global Up with 18 modules and multiple learner versions; Global You with Adventurer and Changemaker tracks for ages 14-17), both culminating in the AFS Global Competence Certificate. Supporting offerings include the AFS STEM Accelerator (funded by BP, targeting 5,000 scholarships over five years from 2021), the annual Youth Assembly in New York, school-partnership workshops, and the Asia Kakehashi Japan program subsidized by the Japanese Ministry of Education. A proprietary "AFS Superpowers" framework organizes 9 intercultural competencies across 4 domains, and the ELTIS tool is used for language-proficiency assessment.

Revenue is generated primarily through participant program fees (€6,700 for a 6-8 week summer program, €7,500 for a trimester, €13,000 for a semester, €16,450 for a full year), individual donations supporting the solidarity fund, the Banque Populaire Val de France banking-partnership referral channel, and corporate partnerships such as BP. Distribution is executed through a regional volunteer network across France, school partnerships, and a self-serve online application platform. The organization hosts more than 350 international students annually in France and operates global programming across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, and Oceania.

Name

AFS Vivre Sans Frontière

Legal name

AFS Vivre Sans Frontière

Website

https://afs.fr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

AFS Vivre Sans Frontière is a French non-profit association (recognized as a public utility since 1965) organizing intercultural study-abroad exchange programs and online global-competence learning platforms for high school students, host families, schools, and educators across more than 50 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International student exchange and intercultural education services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual/Blended Exchange (COIL) Partnerships (EDAIABAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Under-18 / High School-to-University Foundation Pathways (EDAIAJAI), STEM/Business/Discipline-Specific Foundation Pathways (EDAIAJAH), Virtual Recruitment Events, Fairs & Webinar Platforms (EDAIACAF)

Keywords

• International student exchange
• Intercultural education programs
• Study abroad programs
• High school exchange
• Cultural immersion programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-Maurice

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Program Participation Fees: Participants pay a flat-fee participation contribution that covers international travel, host family placement, schooling abroad, orientation sessions, insurance, and ongoing support. Fees vary by destination and program duration.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: Individual donors support the organization to enable scholarship access for economically disadvantaged participants. The solidarity fund distributes financial aid based on fiscal reference and family dependents.
3. Banque Populaire Partnership: Banking partnership offering preferential personal loans for program financing, generating referral relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AFS Vivre Sans Frontière is a French non-profit association that organizes international student exchange programs for high school students aged 15-17, placing participants in host families and schools across more than 50 countries for durations ranging from 6 weeks to a full academic year. It also operates online intercultural learning platforms (Global Up and Global You) that develop global citizenship competencies and culminate in the AFS Global Competence Certificate. Supporting services include host family recruitment in France, school partnership programs, financial aid/scholarships, and the BP-funded Global STEM Accelerator.

Product overview

AFS Vivre Sans Frontière is a nonprofit organization offering a portfolio of intercultural educational programs centered around international student exchange and virtual global learning. The core offerings include study abroad exchange programs to 50+ countries for high school students (with durations from 6 weeks to one academic year) and two online learning platforms: Global Up (a hybrid program with multiple versions for students, professionals, and educators) and Global You (fully online programs for teenagers aged 14-17), both delivering the AFS Global Competence Certificate. Supporting offerings include financial aid/scholarship programs, school partnership initiatives with workshops and exchanges, the annual Youth Assembly for young leaders, and the STEM Accelerator scholarship program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AFS Exchange Programs (Study Abroad) International student exchange programs enabling high school students (typically ages 15-17) to study abroad for durations ranging from 6 weeks to a full academic year, with host family placement and school enrollment in over 50 destination countries. Includes Summer (€6,700), Trimester (€7,500), Semester (€13,000), and Full Year (€16,450) tiers.
• Global Up Hybrid online educational program consisting of 18 modules with guided discussion sessions, designed to develop intercultural and global competencies. Available in versions for abroad participants, at-home learners, professionals, educators, and teenagers. Completion awards the AFS Global Competence Certificate.
• Global You 100% online programs for youth aged 14-17 offering Adventurer and Changemaker tracks that develop global citizenship competencies without requiring international travel. Participants can earn the Global Competence Certificate.
• AFS School Programs B2B intercultural programs for educational institutions including workshops, European class exchanges, online pedagogical programs (Global Up/Global You), and International Opening Charters that enable schools to develop global competencies among students.
• AFS Youth Assembly Annual international gathering of young global citizens aged 18-32 from multiple countries (76 countries represented at the 27th edition in New York, August 2022), focused on sustainable development goals and building a worldwide network of young leaders and changemakers.
• Global AFS STEM Accelerator Scholarship program funded by BP (partnership since 2011), launched as the Global AFS STEM Accelerator in 2021 to provide 5,000 study scholarships to youth with emphasis on diversity, inclusion, and support for young women in STEM fields.

Quantifiable outcome

• Participants develop intercultural competencies essential for living, studying, and working in a globalized world
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• APST (Association Professionnelle de Solidarité du Tourisme)minorOthersProfessional Tourism Solidarity Association serves as the statutory guarantee for the travel operator. Located at 15 Avenue Carnot, 75017 Paris.
• Atout FranceminorOthersFrench tourism development agency that has registered AFS Vivre Sans Frontière under registration number IM094110022.
• Corps européen de solidarité (European Solidarity Corps)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAFS intercultural workshops are co-facilitated with volunteers from the European Solidarity Corps, enabling cross-border youth engagement in non-formal education activities.
• Center for Social Impact Strategy, University of PennsylvaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for the Global You Changemaker program, providing official feedback on participant prototypes from an official committee formed by AFS and the university center.
• AFS Partner Institutions WorldwidecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network of universities and institutions using Global Up programs, including Purdue University (USA), with institutions across multiple countries implementing the Global Competence Certificate.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• EF Education First: Large global education company offering language training, study abroad, and cultural exchange programs. Overlaps with AFS in student mobility and intercultural learning but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple education verticals.

Direct peers

• Youth For Understanding (YFU): Non-profit international student exchange organization offering high school semester and year-long programs in multiple countries. Directly competes with AFS for the same 15-18 year-old participant segment and host family pool.
• Cultural Vistas: Non-profit organization administering international exchange programs for students and professionals. Comparable B2B school partnership model and intercultural training content offering to AFS School Programs.
• Nacel Open Door: International student exchange organization specializing in high school semester, year, and short-term programs. Directly competes with AFS on participant recruitment and host family placement in overlapping destination markets.
• AFS Intercultural Programs: Global parent organization of AFS Vivre Sans Frontière, headquartered in New York. Operates the same international student exchange programs and Global Up/You platforms across 50+ countries, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• WEP (World Education Program): Non-profit organization offering high school study abroad programs in multiple countries. Comparable product (semester/year exchange), pricing model, and target audience to AFS France.
• InterExchange: Non-profit organization offering au pair, work, volunteer, and study abroad programs for young adults. Overlaps with AFS on cultural exchange and intercultural learning outcomes for similar demographic.
• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): Non-profit organization running high school study abroad, gap year, and semester programs globally with a similar volunteer-driven, country-network model. Comparable exchange product portfolio and target demographic.
• Rotary Youth Exchange: Sponsored by Rotary International, this program provides long-term and short-term high school exchanges globally. Operates on similar volunteer-club model with comparable intercultural learning objectives.
• Experiment in International Living (Experiment): Non-profit offering high school study abroad, gap year, and community service programs globally. Operates with similar intercultural-learning framework and targets the same teen demographic as AFS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/VivreSansFrontiere
• Facebookfacebook.com/afsvivresansfrontiere
• Instagraminstagram.com/afs_france
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/afs-vivre-sans-fronti%C3%A8re

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AFS Vivre Sans Frontière