ASSE was established in 1976 as the American Scandinavian Student Exchange by the Swedish Government to organize student exchange programs between Sweden and the United States. Soon Denmark, Norway and Finland elected to participate.

At present, ASSE works closely with the Canadian provincial education ministries and is approved by the Ministry of Education in New Zealand. ASSE maintains 38 offices in 31 countries and accommodates more than 30,000 high school age students and host families annually in its programs in the participating countries.

How You Qualify For An ASSE Exchange Year
To qualify, you must be no younger than 15 nor older than 18 1/2 years of age upon departure, and be mature enough to adjust to the different values, lifestyle and attitudes of a foreign country. You must also be a student in good standing in the upper third of your class or have a B grade average (C for summer programs), be in good health and have excellent character references.

Having studied a foreign language is certainly helpful, but not essential. Most important is a sense of adventure and a serious commitment to learning the language and becoming an active participant in the family, school and community life of your chosen country. It’s an experience you will remember and cherish for the rest of your life.