International Student Placements

What International Student Placements does

International Student Placements (ISP) is a US-based homestay placement service that connects international students with American host families for college, high school, and short-term group programs. Founded in 1994 by Jean Ikeda — a former Foothill College international-program coordinator — the company is operated under the legal entity JKI Ventures, Inc., a privately held California corporation headquartered in Los Altos. ISP serves three primary customer segments: college and university students seeking homestay accommodation, high school students (both F-1 visa holders and US-passport minors) requiring academic-year placements and guardianship, and organized short-term groups needing customized ESL programs, experiential learning, and housing. Host families represent the supply side, with a network of approximately 8,000 families spread across all 50 states; ISP has placed over 23,000 students cumulatively and served 675 short-term groups.

Name

International Student Placements

Legal name

JKI Ventures, Inc

Website

https://isphomestays.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

International Student Placements is a US homestay placement service that matches international college, high school, and short-term group students with American host families, operating a network of 8,000 hosts across all 50 states and having placed 23,000+ students since 1994.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Student Housing Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings (7340), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Homestay Placement & Host Family Management (EDAIALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

International Student Housing Placement & Management (BPAJAJAL), Peer Mentorship, Buddy & Host-Family Matching Programs (EDAIAKAD)

Keywords

• International student housing
• Homestay placement services
• Student accommodation matching
• Host family matching
• Guardianship services

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Altos

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Student Placement Fees: One-time placement fees charged to students for initial homestay placement. Fees vary by location: $375-$435 for standard placement, with an additional $100 late fee for applications submitted within 21 days of arrival.
2. Monthly Hosting Fees: Recurring monthly fees charged for homestay accommodation. Room with 2 meals/day ranges from $1,200-$1,800/month depending on location. Room only (no meals) ranges from $925-$1,425/month. Southern California students pay an additional $70 monthly service charge.
3. Guardianship Services: Monthly fee for guardianship services for students under 18, providing legal guardian services and certificate of guardianship to colleges.
4. Airport Transportation: Airport pickup fees charged to students upon arrival. Northern California rate is $175 per person. Available for De Anza College, Foothill College, and College of the Desert students.
5. Host Stipends (Cost Offset): Hosts receive stipends based on location and program, which are offset against revenue. Stipends are either paid monthly at the beginning of each month or as a lump sum at the start of the student's stay.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

International Student Placements (ISP) matches international students with vetted host families across the United States for short-term and long-term homestay housing. The company places college students, high school students, and short-term groups with hosts, and offers related services including meal plans, airport pickup, shared dorm-style housing at partner California colleges, and legal guardianship for minors.

Product overview

International Student Placements (ISP) operates as a student housing placement platform offering three core programs: College Housing, High School Programs, and Group Programs. The platform connects international students with host families across the United States through a matching service that reviews student profiles and pairs them with compatible hosts. Core offerings include homestay placements with private bedrooms, meal plans, and dedicated coordinator support. Add-on services include Shared Housing (dorm-like accommodations at specific California colleges), Airport Pickup Service, and Guardianship Program for underage students. The company manages a network of approximately 8,000 host families and has placed over 23,000 students since its founding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• College Housing Program Homestay placement service for college students across the United States, providing private bedroom accommodation with host families, meal plans, and dedicated coordinator support for international students.
• High School Programs Academic year and semester homestay placements for international high school students, including private school placement with homestay, public school placement with homestay, and guardianship services for F-1 visa students and US passport holders.
• Group Programs

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Foothill CollegecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorISP maintains a core partnership with Foothill College in Northern California, one of the largest international programs in the US. The company was founded by Jean Ikeda who previously worked at Foothill College managing international programs. ISP provides homestay housing for Foothill College international students and offers shared housing units for these students.
• De Anza CollegecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorISP provides homestay and shared housing services for De Anza College international students. Students at De Anza College qualify for specific airport pickup rates ($175) and shared housing options.
• College of the DesertcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorISP partners with College of the Desert to provide homestay housing and airport pickup services for international students. Students qualify for the same $175 airport pickup rate as Foothill and De Anza students.
• Global Educational Agent NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorISP has established relationships with hundreds of educational agencies and agents worldwide (Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, India, and other countries) who refer international students to ISP programs. The student application form includes a comprehensive dropdown list of approved partner agencies.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Educatius: Educatius is a US-based organization providing high school study abroad, F-1 academic programs, and homestay placements for international students across the US. It is a direct peer to ISP in international high school and college homestay placement, with comparable screening, matching, and guardianship services.
• Cultural Homestay International: Cultural Homestay International (CHI) is one of the largest nonprofit homestay placement organizations in the US, placing international students with screened American host families for short-term and academic-year programs. It is a direct peer to ISP with a similar matching, screening, and guardianship model, and competes for the same host families and institutional clients.
• ASSE International Student Exchange Programs: ASSE is a US-based nonprofit that runs international student exchange and homestay placement programs for high school and short-term students. It is a direct peer to ISP's high school and group programs, operating the same model of matching international students with screened American host families.
• Education Homestays: Education Homestays is a UK-based homestay provider with global operations placing international students with vetted host families for language schools, universities, and short-term programs. Despite being UK-headquartered, it is a direct peer to ISP because it competes for the same international student demand and operates similar matching, screening, and airport-arrival service workflows.
• Greenheart Exchange: Greenheart Exchange (formerly Greenheart International) operates F-1 high school academic programs, J-1 intern/trainee programs, and au pair placements across the US. It is a direct peer to ISP in the international student homestay and host family matching category, with overlapping host family and institutional client base.
• Nacel International: Nacel International is a US-based cultural exchange organization offering F-1 high school programs, homestay placements, and short-term group programs for international students. It is a direct peer to ISP, competing for the same international student segments and US host family supply.

Regional players

• International Student House: International Student House operates residential student housing and homestay programs in Washington DC and select international cities. It is a regional peer to ISP in international student accommodation, with a similar mission but different operating model (purpose-built residences plus homestay) and limited geographic overlap.
• Cambridge Homestays: Cambridge Homestays is a UK-focused homestay provider placing international language and university students with British host families. It is a regional peer to ISP with the same core business model but operates in a different geography (UK), making it more of a benchmark for international expansion than a direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• EF Education First: EF Education First is a global education company operating language schools, study abroad, cultural exchange, and homestay programs across dozens of countries. It is a broad incumbent that competes with ISP at the edges through its homestay and short-term program offerings, but its scale and breadth put it in a different category than a niche specialist like ISP.
• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): CIEE is one of the largest US-based international education nonprofits, operating study abroad, exchange, and work-travel programs. It is a broad incumbent that overlaps with ISP on homestay and accommodation services as part of a much wider portfolio, but does not specialize in dedicated international student homestay placement the way ISP does.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/isphomestays
• Instagraminstagram.com/ispplacements?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw==
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-student-placements-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

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 International Student Placements