World Heritage International Student Exchange Programs, Inc.

What World Heritage International Student Exchange Programs, Inc. does

World Heritage International Student Exchange Programs, Inc. is a U.S. nonprofit founded in 1980 (originally as Spanish Heritage) and headquartered at 1516 Village Harbor Drive, Suite 212, Clover, South Carolina, with an additional office in Laguna Beach, California and a payments mailing address in Atlanta, Georgia. The organization places international high school students aged 15–18 with screened North American host families for academic-year, semester, 3-month, and summer programs, and facilitates outbound North American students to study in 30+ countries across Europe, Eurasia, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific, and Latin America. It holds full listing with the Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET) and is a member of the Alliance for International Educational and Cultural Exchange.

The business operates under the sponsorship of ASSE International, which provides the shared application platform (db.asse.com), program infrastructure, and operational support for both inbound and outbound exchange programs. World Heritage is also a placement organization for three U.S. Department of State merit-based scholarship programs — Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX), Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX), and Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) — which supply fully-funded inbound student placements. A distributed Area Representative network performs host-family recruitment, screening, orientation, and in-program support, functioning as the primary community-level sales and service channel.

Revenue is generated through a non-refundable $350 preliminary application fee, full program fees (with a 10% early-application discount on qualifying deadlines) for academic-year, semester, 3-month, and summer formats, and optional unit-priced North American field trips delivered in partnership with Worldstrides Travel & Experiences at $929–$2,849 depending on destination and occupancy. Student medical and liability coverage is required and routed through IMG Insurance via Envisage Global Insurance. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer phone (toll-free 800-888-9040), website applications, and the Area Representative network, with top-of-funnel marketing across Facebook, Instagram (WHConnect), LinkedIn, YouTube, and a school counselor / teacher referral channel.

Name

World Heritage International Student Exchange Programs, Inc.

Legal name

World Heritage International Student Exchange Programs, Inc.

Website

https://world-heritage.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Short description

World Heritage International Student Exchange Programs is a U.S. nonprofit that places international high school students aged 15–18 with screened North American host families for academic-year, semester, and summer programs, and facilitates outbound U.S. student placements in 30+ countries under the sponsorship of ASSE International.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Exchange Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Short-Term Secondary Immersion & Cultural Exchange Trips (EDAIAHAD), On-Ground Orientation, Travel, Transfers & Logistics Support (EDAIAHAL), Country/Region-Specific Scholarships (Inbound/Outbound) (EDAIAOAC), Language Immersion & Cultural Exchange Programs (THAKAGAE)

Keywords

• High school exchange programs
• Cultural exchange services
• Study abroad programs
• Host family placement
• International student exchange

Headquarters

HQ city

Clover

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Preliminary Application Fee: Non-refundable $350 fee charged to students applying to become exchange students, covering application processing
2. Program Fees: Full program fees for exchange programs including academic year, semester, 3-month, and summer options. Early application discounts of 10% available for qualifying deadlines.
3. Field Trip Packages: Optional North American field trip packages sold to exchange students including travel, accommodation, meals, and activities. Prices range from $929 to $2,849 depending on destination and occupancy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

World Heritage International Student Exchange Programs places foreign high school students (ages 15-18) with vetted host families in North America for academic year, semester, 3-month, or summer language programs. Students attend local high schools and live with screened families for cultural and language immersion. The organization also administers U.S. Department of State merit scholarship programs (CBYX, FLEX, YES) and offers optional field trip packages.

Product overview

World Heritage International Student Exchange Programs operates as a single unified program centered on cultural exchange for high school students. The core offering is the High School Student Exchange Program, which places students ages 15-18 with host families for academic year, semester, 3-month, or summer durations. The program is supported by the Area Representative Program (community volunteers who recruit and support participants) and supplemented by optional North American Field Trips (through Worldstrides). Three U.S. Department of State-sponsored scholarship programs—CBYX, FLEX, and YES—provide merit-based full scholarships for eligible students. Student insurance is offered as an add-on through IMG Insurance. The organization cooperates closely with ASSE International Student Exchange Programs for program administration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• High School Student Exchange Program Core exchange program placing international high school students (ages 15-18) with screened North American host families for academic year, semester, 3-month, or summer language programs. Students attend local high schools and live with host families for cultural immersion and language learning.
• North American Field Trips Optional all-inclusive travel adventures for exchange students including Southwest National Parks, New York City, California, East Coast, and Hawaii itineraries with travel, accommodation, meals, and activities. Prices range from $929 to $2,849 depending on destination and occupancy.
• Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) Scholarship Program Full merit scholarship exchange program between the United States and Germany, providing funded school-year placements for German and American high school students.
• Future Leaders Exchange (FLEX) Program Full merit scholarship exchange program providing youth from former Soviet Republics (e.g., Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan) the opportunity to live and study in the United States for a school year.
• Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program Full merit scholarship exchange program providing scholarships for high school students from countries with significant Muslim populations (e.g., Egypt, Jordan, Pakistan, Yemen) to spend a school year in the United States.
• Student Medical and Liability Insurance Required medical and liability insurance coverage for all World Heritage exchange students, provided through IMG Insurance and administered via Envisage Global Insurance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Scholarship programs provide full scholarships to qualifying students
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ASSE International Student Exchange ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Heritage is affiliated with and operated under the sponsorship of ASSE International. ASSE provides the application platforms, program infrastructure, and operational support for World Heritage exchange programs. Together they offer four different international exchange programs including full academic year, 5-month, 3-month, and summer language programs.
• Worldstrides Travel & ExperiencesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWorldstrides provides educational travel and field trip experiences for World Heritage exchange students. Offers North American adventures including Southwest National Parks, California, East Coast, New York City, and Hawaii trips with all-inclusive packages.
• IMG InsuranceminorOthersProvides student medical and liability insurance coverage for exchange students through IMG and Envisage Global Insurance. All World Heritage exchange students are required to have complete medical and liability insurance coverage.
• U.S. Department of State (CBYX, FLEX, YES Programs)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorld Heritage participates in three prestigious merit-based scholarship programs sponsored by the U.S. Department of State: Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX), Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX), and Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program. Students receive full scholarships through these programs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AFS Intercultural Programs: One of the largest and oldest international high-school exchange organizations, operating in 60+ countries with CSIET listing and similar host-family/area-representative model. Directly comparable in core product, target market (15-18 year-olds), and nonprofit structure.
• Greenheart Exchange: Nonprofit exchange organization running high-school and au-pair programs with CSIET listing and similar host-family model. Direct competitor for inbound international student placements into U.S. high schools.
• Youth For Understanding (YFU): Long-established nonprofit running high-school exchange and study abroad programs for teens in 60+ countries, with similar CSIET-listed operations, host-family model, and scholarship partnerships. Direct competitor for both inbound and outbound placements.
• CIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange): Major nonprofit exchange organization offering high-school exchange programs alongside its broader university study-abroad portfolio. Directly comparable on the high-school exchange product line with stronger brand and scale advantages.
• Experiment in International Living (World Learning): Nonprofit running high-school exchange and gap-year programs globally with similar mission, age range, and host-family model. Closely comparable nonprofit peer with longer-running intercultural programming.
• Nacel Open Door: Nonprofit organization offering high-school foreign exchange programs with similar host-family placement and CSIET-listed operations. Comparable scale and product offering to World Heritage.
• International Student Exchange (ISE): Nonprofit high-school exchange organization with CSIET listing and a comparable host-family/area-representative model. Direct competitor for placements of international high-school students into U.S. communities.

Broad incumbents

• EF Education First: Global education company offering high-school study abroad, language immersion, and cultural exchange programs. Adjacent competitor with much larger scale and broader brand, particularly for language-focused summer programs.
• Worldstrides: Large educational travel provider and a World Heritage channel partner for field-trip add-ons. Comparable in the educational travel product line but broader in scope (K-12, university, music performance trips) and far larger in scale.
• ASSE International Student Exchange Programs: Parent/sponsor of World Heritage and a larger independent exchange operator with broader country coverage and outbound programs. Comparable core product and infrastructure, but operates at greater scale with additional brands under its umbrella.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsYcdaXxMMHgAiRBOr2ofMg
• Facebookfacebook.com/worldheritage.org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/world_heritage
• Instagraminstagram.com/whconnect

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 World Heritage International Student Exchange Programs, Inc.