Study abroad at a High School in Germany
When planning your study abroad, there is literally a thousand questions that pop into your head. How will I get there? Where will I stay? How do I apply for school? Do not worry, it's not that complicated and we're happy to help. You found the one place with all the info you need to start your study abroad at a German high school. We do have answers to all these questions, because that's what we - the ASTUR Education Group - do since 1986. We have helped countless students to make their dream of studying abroad come true. Now read on about all the important questions that you are asking yourself and also those you might not have thought about, yet.
On this site we will explain to you
- How to recognise a quality study abroad programme
- How to find the right programme for you
- How we ensure that your experience will be best and
- How the application process for Germany works
For us it is most important that all parties involved have a positive experience during the programme. These parties are the student going to Germany, the student's parents and of course the student's host family.
Germany is a federal state and has 16 different education systems. As a result, school holidays and starting dates are different for every federal state. We have prepared this handy list of starting dates for the year 2020/21 and 2021/22.
Finding a Quality High School Programme for Germany
Going abroad is a big decision, because as a student you will spend up to one year away from home and you want to make sure that everything is well-organised before you go. Transparency and and a very clear description of what you will expect in Germany are most important. Nobody wants to live with uncertainty when making big decisions.
As a parent the decision might be even bigger: first of all sending the kid abroad is quite an investment. In addition to that you will not see your kid for up to one year in a very important time of his/her life. Also you will worry about safety and the quality of education.
But how do you recognize a quality programme? Most agencies and organizations have very similar descriptions of how they organise your high school studies in Germany. The promises are similar, too: high quality, safe, best experience of your life. But what facts do they present to support their arguments?
The recipe for a quality high school programm has three main ingredients:
- Safety & Service level
- Host Family / Homestay
- School
1. Safety and Service
Unless you are going to attend a bording school, you will be placed with a host family.
2. Host Family / Homestay
Your host family is the group of people who
3. School
Of course the pinnacle of the programme is the High School you will be attending. And you will
Ask yourself the following questions:
- When will I know what school I will be going to?
- Do I have a choice regarding the school?
- How can I get info on that school?
- How do I get there and how will I find friends?
Wait, that's all? No. There is a secret fourth ingredient and that is you. Both, the parents and the student. Your mindset and the way you approach the challenges of going to high school in Germany directly impact the experience for you as a family, because High School in Germany is not just an exciting coming-of-age experience. This period in the life of a student is a character shaping and life defining time. Read more on these aspects for parents here and for students here.
The application process
The Application Process follows three very simple steps.
I. Decision Stage
Wait, that's all? No. There is a secret fourth ingredient and that is you. Both, the parents and the student. Your mindset and the way you approach the challenges of going to high school in Germany directly impact the experience for you as a family, because High School in Germany is not just an exciting coming-of-age experience. This period in the life of a student is a character shaping and life defining time. Read more on these aspects for parents here and for students here.
II. The Preparation Stage
Wait, that's all? No. There is a secret fourth ingredient and that is you. Both, the parents and the student. Your mindset and the way you approach the challenges of going to high school in Germany directly impact the experience for you as a family, because High School in Germany is not just an exciting coming-of-age experience. This period in the life of a student is a character shaping and life defining time. Read more on these aspects for parents here and for students here.
III. Before Departue
Wait, that's all? No. There is a secret fourth ingredient and that is you. Both, the parents and the student. Your mindset and the way you approach the challenges of going to high school in Germany directly impact the experience for you as a family, because High School in Germany is not just an exciting coming-of-age experience. This period in the life of a student is a character shaping and life defining time. Read more on these aspects for parents here and for students here.
What types of programmes can I enroll in?
We receive studetns from all around the globe and most countries have different requirements when it comes to leaving school and going going abroad. While in some countries it is failry easy to pause school for a year and study in Germany, other countries have strict policy regarding school attendance. This is why we offer two different High School programmes to give you the highest degree of flexibility and enable you to go Germany for as long as you you wish.
There are two main differences with the programmes. One is of course the duration of your stay: while you only stay 2 to 6 weeks in the short-term programm, you may stay up to 11 months in the academic hogh school programme. The second difference is your intention and what you would like to experience. The short-term programme enables you to get a deep impression of what it is like to study in Germany.
Both programmes come in two flavours:
- Classic: You can tell us your desired of the region you would like to stay in, but there is no guarantee, that we will place you in that region
- Select: We guarantee to place you in your desired region OR you can choose your host family
In addition to that you may also choose to boost your language skills and upgrade your stay with private one-to-one language tuition. As a certified language course provider, we offer flexible one-to-one tuition to our High School students in all destinations. You can read more about this topic here.
Age group: 14 - 18 Jahre
Duration: 2 to 6 weeks
Accommodation: Homestay
Choose your Host Family: yes
Language requirements: minimum B1
Certificate by ASTUR: yes
Recognition of school achievements: no
Age group: 14 - 18 years
Duration: 2 to 11 months
Accommodation: Homestay
Choose your Host Family: yes
Language requirements: minimum B1
Certificate by ASTUR: yes
Recognition of school achievements: yes
The application process
| Cities | State | Airport(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Augsburg, Nuremberg, Erding, Freising | Bavaria | Munich (MUC) |
| Bonn, Cologne, Moenchengladbach, Ahr | Northrhein-Westfalia | Düsseldorf (DUS) |
| Cities | State | Airport(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Augsburg, Nuremberg, Erding, Freising | Bavaria | Munich (MUC) |
| Bonn, Cologne, Moenchengladbach, Ahr | Northrhein-Westfalia | Düsseldorf (DUS) |
| Ernst Handel | Roland Mendel | Austria |
| Island Trading | Helen Bennett | UK |
| Laughing Bacchus Winecellars | Yoshi Tannamuri | Canada |
| Magazzini Alimentari Riuniti | Giovanni Rovelli | Italy |
Safety and Background Info
Safety in Germany
Your Host Family
ASTUR Education Group works with more than 6000 Host Families in almost 50 destinations throughout Germany. This homestay network is not only the largest network in Germany, but also the most reliable. Our Host Families are used to welcoming guests from all around the globe in a variety of programmes. This of course means, that they have received a lot of different students from very different cultures and are very experienced hosts. Many of the host familes who welcome a high school student have done so in the past, meaning that they know perfectly well what to expect and how to integrate the student into their family life.
The decision to welcome a foreign student for a long time into their homes is never a question of payment. All families show a high degree of committment and responsibility. They just want to make the world a smaller place and learn about other cultures. Therefore, in all of our High School Programmes about half of the programme fee goes to host family reimbursement. We do this for a couple of reasons:
- We want all of our students to experience their time abroad on the same qualified standard. By reimbursing the families we ensure that it is never a question of money what's for dinner or if there is a snack in the lunch package.
- Also we do not want to burden our committed Host Families with the living expenses of an additional person for a year.
- Trust always goes both way. We are not finding a family adhoc for a student, but we maintain a large pool of host families with detailed profiles in order to match the student to the best fitting family
- Our families host students because they want to, not because they have to. Many organisations expect families who send their own child abroad to take a student in exchange. This sounds great in theory, but inevitably leads to mismatches between the student and the host family.
By reimbursing the host
When comparing our programme to other programmes (especially non-profit programmes) you might want to ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I get to choose my host family?
- When do I get to know the family I will stay with for the durtion of the programme?
- Do I have to move to another family during the programme?
- Does the organisation make use of so called "welcome families" and how long will you stay there?
- How long does the organisation know the host family?
Finding and Vetting a Host Family
Your Host Family
Your Host Family
ASTUR Education Group works with more than 6000 Host Families in almost 50 destinations throughout Germany. This homestay network is not only the largest network in Germany, but also the most reliable. Our Host Families are used to welcoming guests from all around the globe in a variety of programmes. This of course means, that they have received a lot of different students from very different cultures and are very experienced hosts. Many of the host familes who welcome a high school student have done so in the past, meaning that they know perfectly well what to expect and how to integrate the student into their family life.
The decision to welcome a foreign student for a long time into their homes is never a question of payment. All families show a high degree of committment and responsibility. They just want to make the world a smaller place and learn about other cultures. Therefore, in all of our High School Programmes about half of the programme fee goes to host family reimbursement. We do this for a couple of reasons:
- We want all of our students to experience their time abroad on the same qualified standard. By reimbursing the families we ensure that it is never a question of money what's for dinner or if there is a snack in the lunch package.
- Also we do not want to burden our committed Host Families with the living expenses of an additional person for a year.
- Trust always goes both way. We are not finding a family adhoc for a student, but we maintain a large pool of host families with detailed profiles in order to match the student to the best fitting family
- Our families host students because they want to, not because they have to. Many organisations expect families who send their own child abroad to take a student in exchange. This sounds great in theory, but inevitably leads to mismatches between the student and the host family.
By reimbursing the host
When comparing our programme to other programmes (especially non-profit programmes) you might want to ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I get to choose my host family?
- When do I get to know the family I will stay with for the durtion of the programme?
- Do I have to move to another family during the programme?
- Does the organisation make use of so called "welcome families" and how long will you stay there?
- How long does the organisation know the host family?
Finding and Vetting a Host Family
Your Programme Manager
Your Host Family
ASTUR Education Group works with more than 6000 Host Families in almost 50 destinations throughout Germany. This homestay network is not only the largest network in Germany, but also the most reliable. Our Host Families are used to welcoming guests from all around the globe in a variety of programmes. This of course means, that they have received a lot of different students from very different cultures and are very experienced hosts. Many of the host familes who welcome a high school student have done so in the past, meaning that they know perfectly well what to expect and how to integrate the student into their family life.
The decision to welcome a foreign student for a long time into their homes is never a question of payment. All families show a high degree of committment and responsibility. They just want to make the world a smaller place and learn about other cultures. Therefore, in all of our High School Programmes about half of the programme fee goes to host family reimbursement. We do this for a couple of reasons:
- We want all of our students to experience their time abroad on the same qualified standard. By reimbursing the families we ensure that it is never a question of money what's for dinner or if there is a snack in the lunch package.
- Also we do not want to burden our committed Host Families with the living expenses of an additional person for a year.
- Trust always goes both way. We are not finding a family adhoc for a student, but we maintain a large pool of host families with detailed profiles in order to match the student to the best fitting family
- Our families host students because they want to, not because they have to. Many organisations expect families who send their own child abroad to take a student in exchange. This sounds great in theory, but inevitably leads to mismatches between the student and the host family.
By reimbursing the host
When comparing our programme to other programmes (especially non-profit programmes) you might want to ask yourself the following questions:
- Do I get to choose my host family?
- When do I get to know the family I will stay with for the durtion of the programme?
- Do I have to move to another family during the programme?
- Does the organisation make use of so called "welcome families" and how long will you stay there?
- How long does the organisation know the host family?
Finding and Vetting a Host Family