STS Student Travel Schools

What STS Student Travel Schools does

STS Student Travel Schools (legal name: STS Education) is a Stockholm-headquartered provider of international high school exchange programs for students aged 14-18. Founded in 1958, the company operates as a subsidiary of Educatius Group, which it identifies as the world's largest organization for high school exchange abroad. STS has facilitated study-abroad placements for more than 1.2 million students over its lifetime, across 20+ destinations spanning North America, Europe, Oceania, South and Central America, and Asia.

The company's product portfolio centers on the High School Exchange Program, delivered through two tiers: the Classic Program (placement-based, with the student sent to wherever a vetted host family is available) and the Select Program (where the student chooses school, region, and academic focus, with public or private school options). Supporting services include pre-departure language preparation courses, a Welcome Camp orientation, screened host family placement under the "Host & Go" program, and 24/7 on-the-ground support via local representatives in both home and host countries. A "Destination Quiz" tool is offered on the website for prospect matching, but no proprietary technology platform, AI system, mobile app, or API is described in the source material.

Commercially, STS runs a sales-led, consultation-driven go-to-market: prospective students and parents book free country-specific consultations via Calendly (covering markets such as Austria, Germany, New Zealand, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland), download brochures in 13+ language versions of the website, and then proceed through a personal interview before final acceptance. Program fees are not publicly disclosed and are described as multi-year subscription-style contracts varying by destination, tier (Classic vs. Select), and duration (3-12+ months). The company maintains regional offices and contact entities in Sweden (Stockholm global HQ; Gothenburg data protection contact), New Zealand (Auckland), and Denmark (Copenhagen), with active social channels under @stsworldwide across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok. STS also supports the Aiducatius nonprofit initiative, funding education and environmental projects in Gambia and Tanzania.

Name

STS Student Travel Schools

Legal name

STS Education

Website

https://sts-education.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Short description

STS Student Travel Schools (STS Education), founded in 1958 and headquartered in Stockholm, provides international high school exchange programs for students aged 14-18 across 20+ destinations. As a subsidiary of Educatius Group, it offers Classic and Select program tiers with host family placements and 24/7 support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International student exchange programs

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (6117)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Secondary School Exchange Programs (Academic Year/Semester) (EDAIAHAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

On-Ground Orientation, Travel, Transfers & Logistics Support (EDAIAHAL)

Keywords

• High school exchange
• Study abroad programs
• Cultural exchange services
• International education programs
• Language study abroad

Headquarters

HQ city

Stockholm

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. High School Exchange Program Fees: STS generates revenue through program fees charged to students and families for high school exchange year services. The programs include Classic and Select options with varying levels of customization and support. Additional costs outside program fees include travel insurance, visa fees, pocket money, school lunches, public transport, uniforms, optional excursions, and medical expenses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

STS Student Travel Schools organizes international high school exchange programs for students aged 14-18, placing them with vetted host families and into local high schools across 20+ destinations in North America, Europe, Oceania, South and Central America, and Asia for durations of 3-12 months or more. The company offers two program tiers — Classic (placement-driven) and Select (student-chosen school, region, and academic focus) — and surrounds the placement with preparatory language courses, a Welcome Camp, 24/7 in-country support, and ongoing assistance.

Product overview

STS Education operates as a high school student exchange organization offering a portfolio of programs centered around its core High School Exchange Program. The company provides two main program tiers: Classic (for open adventure with host family placement) and Select (for students wanting control over school and location choices). Supporting services include language preparation courses, Welcome Camp orientation, 24/7 student support, and host family matching. The organization facilitates exchanges across 20+ destinations spanning North America, Europe, Oceania, South America, and Asia for students aged 14-18. STS also operates Aiducatius, a social impact initiative funding education and environmental projects in developing regions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• High School Exchange Program Core exchange program for students aged 14-18 to study abroad for 3-12 months or more, living with a vetted host family and attending a local high school in 20+ destinations across North America, Europe, Oceania, South and Central America, and Asia.
• Classic Program Placement-driven exchange tier where students are placed in a location with an available host family (small town, suburb, or larger city), typically attending public schools, focused on an open adventure and authentic local everyday life.
• Select Program Customized exchange tier where students choose their school, region within the destination country, and academic focus, with the option to select public or private schools, offering a higher degree of control and personalization.
• Language Courses Pre-departure language learning support designed to help students prepare linguistically for their exchange year in the destination country.
• Welcome Camp Orientation program for newly arrived exchange students to help them settle in and meet other students at the beginning of their exchange year.
• Host Family Program Carefully screened host family placement where students live as part of the family, joining meals, weekend activities, and everyday life to experience local culture firsthand.
• 24/7 Support Service Round-the-clock assistance available to students throughout their exchange year, including local contact persons, host family support, and team support in both the home and host countries.
• Aiducatius Initiative

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Educatius GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTS is part of Educatius Group, the world's largest organization for high school exchange abroad. This partnership provides STS with global reach, extensive local support infrastructure, and decades of combined experience in international student exchange programs.
• AiducatiusminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAiducatius is a nonprofit initiative supported by STS that funds education and environmental projects in Gambia and Tanzania. STS students contribute to this initiative, supporting tree-planting, conservation in Tanzania, school access for children in Gambia with books, uniforms and supplies, and education for children with disabilities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Aspect Foundation: Nonprofit operating high school exchange programs globally, including J-1 visa inbound programs to the US. Comparable host-family-based exchange model and teen demographic.
• Greenheart Exchange: US-based nonprofit facilitating high school exchange year programs with host families, sponsored by the US Department of State. Comparable to STS on placement model and target demographic, with strong presence in the US inbound market.
• Nacel Open Door: International student exchange organization running academic year, semester, and short-term high school programs across multiple countries. Directly comparable product offering and customer profile.
• Youth For Understanding (YFU): Long-established nonprofit operating semester and full-year high school exchange programs with host families in dozens of countries. Closely matches STS on program model, age group, and global destination footprint.
• AFS Intercultural Programs: One of the oldest and largest international student exchange organizations globally, offering high school exchange programs across multiple continents. Directly comparable to STS in mission, product structure (academic-year and semester placements with host families), and target demographic of teens aged 15–18.
• WEP (World Education Program): Italy-based international student exchange organization offering semester and year-long high school programs with host families. Direct competitor, particularly in European source markets overlapping with STS.
• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): Major US-headquartered nonprofit offering high school study abroad and exchange programs in multiple countries. Directly competes for the same teen demographic with similar host-family-based semester/year models, though it has a wider portfolio spanning college-level study abroad.
• EF High School Exchange Year: Part of EF Education First, running academic-year high school exchange programs globally with host families. Comparable on product structure and customer segment; benefits from larger corporate parent marketing muscle.
• PAX - Program of Academic Exchange: Nonprofit sponsoring academic-year and semester high school exchange programs worldwide with host families. Directly comparable on product type, target age, and operating geographies.
• ISE - International Student Exchange: Operates high school and college-level student exchange programs across many countries. While broader in scope, it directly competes with STS in the high school exchange segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtiktok.com/@stsworldwide
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@stsworldwide
• Facebookfacebook.com/stsworldwide
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sts-education
• Instagraminstagram.com/stsworldwide
• TikToktiktok.com/@stsworldwide

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 STS Student Travel Schools