Students International

What Students International does

Students International (SI) is a 501(c)(3)-style nonprofit religious organization founded in 1993 and headquartered in Visalia, California. The company organizes short-term mission trips and longer-term immersion programs that connect US and Canadian college students, youth groups, campus ministry chapters (InterVarsity, Cru), Christian high schools, Christian colleges, and adult church teams with 52 vocational ministry sites across four Latin American countries: Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. Each site is staffed year-round by full-time missionaries and local leaders spanning fields such as medicine, healthcare, education, sports, agriculture, microfinance, appropriate technology, social work, special education, creative arts, and clean water. To date, the organization reports serving approximately 40,000 people and engaging roughly 25,000 students across its programs.

The core product set includes 9-13 day short-term outreach trips, semester-length study abroad programs (originally launched in 2000), the Global Bridge gap year program, internships, summer staff positions, full-time vocational staff placements, and a child sponsorship donation program. Specific trip pricing is not publicly disclosed; participants are expected to fundraise their trip costs from personal networks of 75-100 supporters through letters, church presentations, and community outreach. The organization also accepts donations across multiple categories (general fund, staff support, ministry site support, child sponsorship, special projects, and recurring monthly giving) with suggested gift tiers ranging from $25 to $900. Distribution is entirely direct, with no resellers: SI recruits participants through its website (stint.com), church and campus partnerships, and field staff presentations.

Students International is privately held and funded, with no equity funding rounds, no parent company, and no external ownership. It operates field bases in San Jose (Costa Rica), Jarabacoa and Santiago (Dominican Republic), and additional sites in Guatemala and Nicaragua. The organization holds a Charity Navigator 4-star rating, employs 101-250 staff, and does not disclose revenues publicly. Recent strategic activity includes the Genesis 2.0 special-needs school groundbreaking in Jarabacoa (January 2026), Los Bateyes expansion in the Dominican Republic (September 2025), and the 2018 Costa Rica Training Center property acquisition and remodel.

Name

Students International

Legal name

Students International

Website

https://stint.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Students International is a US-based nonprofit founded in 1993 that organizes short-term mission trips and immersion programs connecting North American students and church groups with 52 year-round vocational ministry sites in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, funded through participant fundraising and donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mission and Ministry Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Missionary Training Colleges & Schools (EDAHAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Short-Term Exchange & Visiting Student Programs (EDAIABAG), Faculty-Led & Custom Group Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAA), Student Wellbeing & Counseling for International Students (Non-Clinical Support) (EDAIAKAF)

Keywords

• Short-term mission trips
• Vocational ministry programs
• Study abroad missions
• Gap year programs
• Nonprofit ministry services

Headquarters

HQ city

Visalia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Participant Program Fees: Participants fundraise to cover their mission trip costs. While specific trip pricing is not publicly listed, participants raise financial support from personal networks, churches, and community members to cover travel, housing, and ministry expenses.
2. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The organization accepts donations for various purposes including: general fund, where needed most, staff support, specific ministry sites, child sponsorship, special projects (building projects, vehicle fundraisers), national staff funds, and programmatic initiatives. Donors can give one-time or recurring monthly donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Students International is a nonprofit ministry organization that organizes short-term and long-term mission trips for college students, youth groups, and adults, connecting participants with full-time missionaries working at 52 vocational ministry sites across four Latin American countries. Its core offering centers on Christ-centered service experiences in fields such as medical/dental, healthcare, sports, education, agriculture, microfinance, and clean water, with programs spanning 9-13 day outreaches, semester study abroad, gap year (Global Bridge), internships, and full-time staff positions. Participants fundraise for trip costs and donors provide ongoing financial support, including child sponsorship and project-specific giving.

Product overview

Students International operates a service-based ministry platform offering short-term mission trips (9-13 days), study abroad programs, Global Bridge gap year programs, internships, summer staff, full-time staff positions, and child sponsorship. The core offering centers on connecting participants with 52 vocational ministry sites across 4 Latin American countries (Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nicaragua), where full-time missionaries lead sites in areas including Medical/Dentistry, Healthcare, Sports, Education, Agriculture, Microfinance, Appropriate Technology, Social Work, Special Education, Creative Arts, Trade School, Early Childhood Development, Physical Therapy, Media/Communications, and Financial Education. The organization has served approximately 40,000 people and 25,000 students through its sustainable, Christ-centered service model.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Short-Term Mission Trips (9-13 Day Outreach)
• Study Abroad
• Global Bridge
• Internships
• Summer Staff
• Full-Time Staff
• Child Sponsorship
• Ministry Sites Network

Named customers5 records

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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Local Churches and PastorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSI partners with local churches and pastors in each country who serve as spiritual leaders and community connectors for the ministry sites. These partnerships ensure ministry aligns with community needs and local church involvement.
• Local Ministry Leaders and EducatorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYear-round local staff including teachers, healthcare workers, and ministry coordinators who lead specific ministry sites and train incoming participants.
• Centro Especial GenesiscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecial needs school in Jarabacoa, Dominican Republic that has been serving children with disabilities for over 18 years. Karen Unternahrer previously served as Director before the organization began the Genesis 2.0 building project.
• InterVarsity Christian FellowshipmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCampus ministry organization whose chapters regularly partner with SI for spring break mission trips and semester programs.
• YWAM (Youth With A Mission)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSome staff members, like Alberto Herrera and Yocasta Herrera, met through YWAM's Discipleship Training School before joining SI.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cru (Campus Crusade for Christ): Campus-based evangelical organization that also runs short-term mission trips and missionary training programs for college students; identified by SI as a key partner and participant feeder.
• Adventures in Missions: Direct peer in short-term and long-term mission trip programs; organizes youth, young adult, and gap-year mission experiences worldwide with similar vocational ministry positioning.
• InterVarsity Christian Fellowship: Campus ministry organization and SI's named recruiting partner; runs its own short-term mission experiences for college students, competing for the same participant pool.
• YWAM (Youth With A Mission): Global evangelical mission organization running Discipleship Training Schools, short-term outreach teams, and long-term staff placements — overlapping directly with SI's training and missionary-sending model. Several SI staff met through YWAM.

Broad incumbents

• Latin America Mission (LAM): Long-standing mission organization dedicated to Latin America with permanent missionary teams and church-partnership models very similar to SI's site-based approach.
• Compassion International: Major faith-based child sponsorship organization with deep Latin America operations; competes with SI for recurring donor dollars and child-sponsorship participants.
• Pioneers International: Evangelical missionary-sending agency operating in Central and Latin America; comparable full-time missionary placement and short-term team model, though focused on career missionaries rather than students.
• Samaritan's Purse: Large evangelical humanitarian organization operating child sponsorship, disaster relief, and volunteer programs across the same Latin American geographies; broader scope but overlapping donor base.
• World Vision: Large faith-based humanitarian organization with active sponsorship, community development, and volunteer trip programs in Latin America; much larger scale, partially overlapping donor pool.

Emerging players

• Volunteer Forever: Digital marketplace aggregating international volunteer and mission opportunities; represents the kind of digital-native platform that threatens traditional brick-and-mortar mission organizations without proprietary tech.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StudentsIntl
• Facebookfacebook.com/studentsinternational
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/students-international---si

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Students International