EDUCATIONAL CONSORTIUM INSTITUTE

What EDUCATIONAL CONSORTIUM INSTITUTE does

Educational Consortium Institute (ECI) is a California-registered non-profit organization founded in 1993, headquartered in La Selva Beach, California. ECI operates international student exchange and academic programs for middle and high school students seeking to study in the United States under F1 (academic full-year) and J1 (cultural exchange) visa statuses. Its portfolio covers F1 and J1 high school placement programs at partner California schools including Monterey Bay Academy, Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory School, and Pacific Collegiate School, as well as Summer Intensive Immersion English, Academic English Programs, Online High School Classes, Summer English Immersion Camps, and Short Custom Programs for Groups ranging from five days to two months. Supporting services include sponsorship, legal guardianship, academic support, airport transfers, and a homestay program coordinated through a network of California host families with monitoring during academic terms and short-term holiday stays.

The organization's value proposition is built on human expertise rather than proprietary technology: ECI employs a small staff (5 total) collectively holding over 50 years of living-abroad experience and is multilingual across English, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese. Some staff have prior experience at University of California and California State University international programs. ECI is registered with the California State Attorney General's office and provides legally regulated services (visa sponsorship and guardianship) that carry meaningful barriers to entry. There is no proprietary technology platform described; program operations rely on direct outreach, community networks, and school partnerships, with marketing conducted through the eci-ca.org website and direct contact channels including WeChat, WhatsApp, Line, and Viber.

ECI generates revenue through professional-services fees for managing F1 and J1 visa programs, sponsorship/guardianship, homestay coordination, academic support, and English immersion programming. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; interested parties must contact ECI directly. End customers are international students and their families, primarily from markets where ECI's multilingual staff operate, and the organization has cumulatively helped thousands of students since 1993. No funding rounds, M&A activity, leadership changes, or revenue figures are disclosed in available source material.

Name

EDUCATIONAL CONSORTIUM INSTITUTE

Legal name

Educational Consortium Institute

Website

https://eci-ca.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Educational Consortium Institute is a California non-profit founded in 1993 that manages F1 and J1 visa programs, homestay coordination, guardianship, and English immersion programs for international middle and high school students at partner California schools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

La Selva Beach

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. International Student Programs: ECI generates revenue through fees for managing F1 and J1 visa programs, including sponsorship, guardianship, academic support, airport transfers, and homestay coordination services for international middle and high school students in California.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Educational Consortium Institute (ECI) manages F1 academic full-year and J1 visa exchange student programs for international students attending California private and public high schools. The organization also designs and runs short-term custom English immersion and cultural programs ranging from 5 days to 2 months, plus homestay coordination, sponsorship, guardianship, academic support, and airport transfer services.

Product overview

Educational Consortium Institute offers a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs and support services for international students. The core offerings include F1 academic full-year visa programs and J1 visa exchange student programs, which enable international students to attend California high schools. Supporting these programs are English language offerings including Summer Intensive Immersion English, Academic English Programs, Online High School Classes, Summer English Immersion Camps, and Short Custom Programs for Groups. The organization also provides a Homestay Program with monitoring and supervision, plus Student Services Packages that include sponsorship, guardianship, and airport transfers. All programs are designed to help international students succeed academically and culturally in the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• F1 Academic Full-Year Visa Program

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Monterey Bay AcademycoreOthersPartner school site where ECI provides annual F1 and J1 visa programs for international students, including academic support and homestay placement.
• Georgiana Bruce Kirby Preparatory SchoolcoreOthersPartner private school where ECI facilitates international student enrollment in annual academic programs with homestay coordination.
• Pacific Collegiate SchoolcoreOthersPartner school providing annual F1 and J1 programs for international students with academic support services and homestay arrangements managed by ECI.
• California Homestay FamiliescoreOthersECI coordinates with local California families to provide homestay accommodations for international students, including monitoring during academic terms, holiday homestays, and cultural opportunities.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Greenheart Exchange: U.S. non-profit designated sponsor of J-1 secondary school exchange programs and F-1 high school placement with homestay coordination. Closest head-to-head competitor to ECI in California-focused F-1/J-1 high school programs.
• Nacel Open Door: Non-profit international student exchange organization operating F-1 academic high school programs and short-term language immersion in the U.S. Highly comparable to ECI's combination of F-1 placement and summer English immersion.
• Aspect Foundation: Non-profit J-1 secondary school exchange sponsor placing international students with host families and U.S. high schools. Directly comparable to ECI in visa-sponsorship and homestay model.
• Cultural Homestay International (CHI): Non-profit organization providing homestay placement and academic program support to international students, particularly short-term and summer participants. Comparable to ECI's homestay coordination and short custom group programs.
• ASSE International Student Exchange Programs: Non-profit organization sponsoring J-1 and F-1 high school exchange programs in the U.S. and worldwide with a homestay model. Directly comparable to ECI on program type, visa sponsorship, and host family recruitment.
• International Student Exchange (ISE): Non-profit designated J-1 visa sponsor placing international high school students with American host families and schools. Comparable to ECI's F-1/J-1 high school placement and homestay model.

Broad incumbents

• AFS Intercultural Programs: Global non-profit running secondary school exchange and homestay programs in 50+ countries. Directly comparable to ECI in J-1/F-1-style high school exchange and host-family placement, with a much larger international footprint.
• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): One of the largest U.S. non-profit international exchange organizations, operating J-1 high school programs and a broad portfolio of study abroad and work programs. Highly comparable in mission to ECI's J-1 exchange offering, but vastly larger in scale and geographic reach.
• World Learning / School for International Training: Global non-profit operating international student exchange programs, including secondary school programs and English language training. Comparable to ECI's academic English and exchange offerings, but at much greater scale and program breadth.

Emerging players

• Cambridge Network / CAPA (The Global Education Network): Organization running study abroad and English language programs with a homestay/academic support model. Comparable to ECI's short-term immersion and academic English offerings, though more oriented toward university-age students.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/educational-consortium-institute

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 EDUCATIONAL CONSORTIUM INSTITUTE