International Exchange Students

For inbound students (from countries other than the United States)

International students residing in other countries who wish to attend a Wake County Public School must be sponsored by an approved international student exchange organization in “Full Listing” with the Council on Standards for International Travel (CSIET). In accordance with WCPSS Board Policy 4100-R&P, the following conditions must be met in order for placement to be approved:

• The student must be at least 15 years of age upon enrollment in the district and no older than 18 1/2.
• The sponsoring international exchange organization must have a local area representative currently living in Wake County.
• The host family of the international student must also live in Wake County.
• The student must be eligible to study in the United States on a J-1 Visa. 
• For additional inbound exchange student information, contact internationalexchange@wcpss.net.

For outbound students (WCPSS students requesting to study abroad)

For a student to take courses abroad and receive high school credit in Wake County, careful planning based on outlined procedures is required. Credit may be given for those courses that have substantial equivalency to a Wake County high school course in content and hours as documented by a syllabus from the school. Approval is required prior to the student engaging in the courses taken abroad.

Grades earned in courses taken abroad are not included in the calculation of the student’s grade point average. Contact the school-based student support services department for additional information.