History and experience. The Experiment has been running high quality summer abroad programs every year since 1932. Within a year of our founding, we launched the never-before-tried concept that came to be known as the homestay. After 85 years and more than 70,000 participants, The Experiment remains a leader in the field of international cross-cultural education for high school students.
Our programs. Experiment programs are fun, thought-provoking, and active. Each program follows the same four-part structure: an in-depth, cross-cultural orientation in the capital or another major city of the country, a homestay with a local family, a thematic focus, and a thoughtful reflection and evaluation. Our program structure is designed to maximize the well-being of all participants while they engage with the culture and host communities.
Maximizing health and safety. The Experiment places the highest priority on health, safety, and security. We understand and deeply respect that socioeconomic, political, environmental, and medical conditions vary across the more than 28 countries in which we run programs. We work tirelessly to build and maintain relationships within each host country, and we tailor our health, safety, and security measures to each location and to current circumstances.
Scholarships and financial aid. The Experiment is committed to helping students from a diversity of backgrounds experience immersive cross-cultural programs through a variety of need-based scholarships. Importantly, The Experiment creates and maintains longstanding partnerships with mentoring organizations, after-school programs, home-school organizations, community groups, public and private schools, and foundations located across the country. Many of these collaborative partnerships enable students to receive partial or full scholarship funding.
Our in-country partnerships. The Experiment works closely with an international partner — often an educational nonprofit organization — in each country in which we offer programs. These local partners contribute enormously to the dynamic, educational, and immersive nature of every program, and they play an essential role in maximizing the health, safety, and security of all groups. Many of the Experiment’s in-country partnerships are decades-old.
Our small and diverse student groups. Experiment groups are small, typically 10–15 students who represent a range of backgrounds: small towns and large cities; urban and rural areas; and public, private, and home-school educational experiences. Experimenters are of different races, religions, sexual orientations, physical abilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
