About ACES
ACES – American Cultural Exchange Service was founded in 1995 in Little Rock, Arkansas, with the support of a group of professionals including lawyers, accountants, university professors, business and community leaders who believe in the value of international exchange in the pursuit of world peace. ACES is a non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to international cultural and educational exchange. With the national office located near Seattle, WA, ACES maintains a network of dedicated and trained Local Coordinators in communities throughout the United States who provide program services at the local level to participants, host families, and schools. Local Coordinators and the national office are committed to providing the best possible exchange experience to participants, host families, and schools. Since its founding, ACES has developed partnerships in more than 50 countries around the world and with hundreds of high schools throughout the United States. ACES has served thousands of program participants, including elementary and high school students, teachers, athletes, coaches and performing artists. ACES is a well-established and respected international exchange organization and will continue to offer outstanding exchange programs for people from around the world.
Our Vision
Be a leading organization in the field of international educational and cultural exchanges.
Our Mission
The ACES mission is to provide high-quality international educational and cultural exchange experiences to individuals from the U.S. and foreign countries in order to promote global understanding. ACES believes that only through interaction can the peoples of the world truly understand each other, establish friendships and promote world peace.
Professional Affiliations
Council on Standards for International Educational Travel (CSIET)
ACES has been a member of and has received Full J-1 Inbound Certification by CSIET each year since 2003. CSIET is a not-for-profit organization committed to quality international educational travel and exchange for youth at the high school level. The purpose of CSIET is to identify reputable international youth exchange programs, to provide leadership and support to the exchange and educational communities so that youth are provided with meaningful and safe international exchange experiences, and to promote the importance and value of international youth exchange.
The US Department of State (DOS)
The mission of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the Department of State is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries by means of educational and cultural exchange. ECA brings together students and professionals from the United States and across the world to foster stronger relationships between countries. ECA sponsors and funds initiatives to bring international students to the United States and send U.S. students abroad.
ACES is designated by the Department of State to administer the J-1 High School Homestay Program. ACES also works with the State Department in the administration of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES) and the Future Leaders Exchange Program (FLEX). These programs are funded by the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Students receive scholarships to participate in the programs, which include enrichment activities to develop and improve their leadership potential.
In addition, ACES works with the State Department in administering the National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) Program. NSLI-Y program provides merit-based scholarships for eligible American high school students to learn one of eight less commonly taught languages in summer and academic year overseas immersion programs. ACES currently administers summer programs in Turkey, China, Korea and Russia.