Choose your French city, live your French dream! Study abroad, perfect your French accent, and experience daily life like a local. With Nacel, you’ll live with a welcoming French host family and attend a local high school - now in the city of your choice!
This is more than a school exchange; it’s a true cultural immersion. Improve your French, make international friends, and discover France from the inside, not as a tourist.
Explore French life, your way. Choose your city, your experience, your future in France with Nacel!
Next start dates: January and August 2026 — Apply now!
Choose your city area in France with Nacel!
Live your French dream with Nacel! Choose your preferred city in France, live with a welcoming French host family, and attend a local high school. This unique exchange experience lets you study, live, and grow like a true French student, all while becoming fluent in French and deeply connected to French culture.
This cultural exchange program is specially designed for international exchange students who study French at school and want to take their language skills to the next level. Now, with Nacel’s city choice option, you can decide where you’d like to experience French life: select three city areas in order of preference, and you will be placed not further away than 30km from the city!
You’ll live with a volunteer host family and attend a local lycée (high school), just like French teens do. It’s the most authentic and effective way to become bilingual and bicultural.
Your life as an Exchange Student in France
International students take part in regular school life, following classes alongside local students.
Most participants stay for a semester or a full academic year, and many may receive a transcript with their subjects and grades.
Students who stay for two academic years (Grades 11 and 12) can even graduate from a French lycée.
Academic credits & Grade recognition
Before registering, make sure to check how your home school recognizes study abroad programs.
If you need a grade report or specific subjects to earn credits, let your Nacel counselor know when you apply.
We recommend meeting your school counselor at home to identify which classes you must take abroad.
While Nacel provides full guidance, the final recognition process depends on your home school or local education authority.
Your French language level will influence your academic success, so start brushing up on your French early!
Your host family and your school options
Volunteer host families across France welcome exchange students to share language and culture.
Students typically attend semi-private day schools, but private boarding school options (5-day or full-time) are also available.
Students starting in late August will first enjoy a 3-day cultural and language orientation camp in Paris, meeting other exchange students from around the world.
Throughout your stay, you’ll have the support of a local coordinator and access to a 24/7 emergency hotline.
Who is this program for?
This program is perfect for students who:
- Want to choose their city or region in France
- Value family life and local immersion
- Are curious, adaptable, and open to cultural differences
- Want an affordable yet deeply immersive French experience
If you’d rather study in English, consider Notre-Dame International High School near Paris, where you can study American subjects while living with a French host family.
Looking for a shorter immersion? Try our 2–10 week French school immersion program, a perfect taste of student life in France!
Take the next step toward fluency and independence.
Choose your city. Choose your adventure. Choose France with Nacel!
Live like a real French teen! As an exchange student in France, you’ll experience everyday French life just like your classmates. You’ll attend school from Monday to Friday, with classes in the morning and afternoon, sometimes until 5 or 6 p.m. (most schools have Wednesday afternoons free!).
Outside of class, you’re encouraged to join extracurricular activities to make new friends and practice your French in a fun, relaxed way. Some schools offer sports or cultural clubs, and you can also join local community activities, from football and dance to music or art. It’s the perfect way to connect, learn, and live fully in French!
Your French host family experience
One of the most rewarding parts of your high school study abroad in France is living with a French host family. Our host families open their homes voluntarily, not for payment, but out of genuine curiosity and enthusiasm to welcome international students. They love sharing their daily life, traditions, and culture, and in return, they’re eager to learn about your country, your language, and your way of life.
As a student, you’ll become a real member of the family: sharing meals, conversations, weekend activities, and everyday routines. This is what makes the program a true cultural exchange. Communication, openness, and mutual respect are at the heart of the experience. Before any placement, our local coordinators carefully select and match host families with students based on their profiles, interests, and preferences, ensuring a great fit for everyone.
Living with a French host family is the fastest and most natural way to improve your French: soon, you’ll even find yourself thinking and dreaming in French!
Select High School Exchange in France 2026
Our High School exchange program in France provides international students with the opportunity to start a full school year, a term (3 months), or a semester (5 months) in September (or in January). You may also opt for a short-term homestay and high school in France (up to 10 weeks).
January intake: If you are from the southern hemisphere and want to become part of a full immersion program for an entire school year, then this is a great and quite unique opportunity for you to improve your French language with us. We also welcome international students for a spring semester in France from January.
* Price in Euros per participant.
Not included: Application Fees (65 EUR)
On offer:
- Term Abroad France
- Semester Abroad France
- School Year Abroad France
- High School Summer Abroad France
School Year Abroad in France 2026/2027
School Trimester :
- August 25th 2026 to December 19th 2026 (with orientation/ soft landing camp)
- February 27th 2027 to June 12th 2027 (no orientation)
School semester :
- August 25th 2026 to January 16th 2027 (with orientation/ soft landingcamp)
- January 17th 2027 to June 12th 2027 (no orientation)
School academic year:
- August 25th 2026 to June 12th 2027 (with orientation/ soft landing camp)
- January 17th 2027 to December 18th 2027 (no orientation and no accommodation during the summer break)
Optional School start French prep course:August 16th to 28th 2026
Orientation/Soft Landing camp :August 25th to 28th 2026
💰 What's Included in the Price?
- Administration fees
- School registration and school fees
- Host family accommodation with full board (including school lunches)
- Support, assistance and 24/7 Hotline during the whole program
🚫 What's Not Included?
- Round-trip international airfare
- Travel insurance (luggage loss, flight delay etc.)
- Visa, passport and medical exam fees
- Extra activities such as sports, excursions, etc…organized by the school or others, extra language courses
- Personal expenses and spending money
- Domestic transfer on departure day
Mandatory fees to be added
- Meet&Greet + Orientation: 500 EUR
- Supervised transfer on arrival to school/host family: 430 EUR
- Insurance: 450 EUR
- School books: 120 EUR
- School transportation: Term 150 EUR -Semester 200 EUR - Year 250 EUR
A minimum of two years of French language study (A2 level) are required to attend a Select High School exchange program in France.
Participants must show that they are mature enough to participate in the student exchange in France that requires:
- Interest in learning about the French language and culture: this is a cultural exchange in France.
- Deep desire to integrate into a different family and actively share their everyday life
- Enthusiasm for improving French language communication skills
- Willingness to make new friends among their local French community
- An open and flexible attitude towards a school year in France
If you speak no or very little French, we advise you to consider a French international school in Paris area: Notre-Dame International High School. Inquire now: https://www.ndihs.com
