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During their exchange program with AFS, students will live in a host family, attend a local school and therefore experience a foreign culture up close. AFS á Íslandi provides a preparation camp before departure and a reorientation-camp where students can share their experience with volunteers and other exchange students.

While abroad, each student will be assigned a volunteer (liaison) to accompany them throughout their journey, helping them to understand the local reality and overcome difficulties in cultural adjustment.

Host families with AFS are voluntarily hosting, come from all kinds of socio-economic backgrounds and can be very different from each other. Where they live can also vary; some of them live in cities, while others live in more rural or suburban areas.

Depending on where the host family lives, AFS students may be placed in private or international schools.

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Each country may have different eligibility criteria for the students; you can find the general criteria here. Some AFS countries have stricter requirements for applicants than others, the main reason being that it can be difficult to find host families or schools. 

For example, some countries prefer not to accept vegetarians, applicants with certain medical conditions, certain allergies, or students with special dietary requirements. 

We would prefer that these factors not prevent exchange programs, but at the same time we need to take into account local conditions in each country. You can contact our office to find out what are the specific criteria for the country you are interested in.