For Students

The Homestay program offers international graduate students the opportunity to develop informal friendships with local hosts as a way of getting acclimated to the area prior to moving to campus.

Homestay program matches as many international graduate requestors as it can with volunteer hosts (approved by the Homestay program chair). The maximum 3-night stay usually occurs between mid-August and the start of the Fall term in September.

Student participation requirements

Applications to apply for the CCIS Homestay Program are sent out in the Welcome Letter from the Bechtel International Center soon after your acceptance to Stanford (or approximately early to mid-June).

• Please read through the Homestay Qualifications before you apply to the program.
• After applying, you will hear from the Homestay program chair regarding your application status. You will be kept informed and notified when a match has been made.

Homestay is an enriching experience for the students and their hosts, often continuing on as lifelong friendships!

For Host volunteers / What to expect

The Homestay program offers international graduate students a chance to get acquainted with the area before their move to student housing for the academic year. The "home stay" is typically between 2 - 4 days. Students get a glimpse of daily life while staying with their host family. The host family can help their student in many ways such as: assisting with local banking options, a trip to Target (for household items), shopping for a bike, local grocery stores, campus and local transportation info, etc. Guidance and support from the host is greatly appreciated by the newly arrived students and helps to make their transition to campus housing much smoother!

Host participation requirements
Homestay host volunteers are recruited throughout the year. Students typically stay with their host for 2 - 4 days (3 nights maximum) between the months of August and September, depending on the student’s US arrival date and the date of their campus housing availability. If you're interested in becoming a Homestay host:

• Please see volunteer host information: Homestay Volunteer Guide
• Complete and submit the Homestay Host Application .
• Please direct any questions to the Homestay Chair
• CCIS Membership is required.