International Students
Welcoming Students From Around the World
CVCA has been hosting international students for the past 30 years from Norway, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Cambodia, South Korea, China, Chile, Germany, and Russia. While at CVCA, these students attend classes and school activities and visit local attractions such as Cedar Point, Lake Erie, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
In most cases, our international students are juniors who come to CVCA for one year of study. We have also had a steady influx of international students who come to CVCA during ninth or tenth grade and stay through graduation. Many matriculate to American colleges and universities.
ABOUT CVCA
With over 1,050 students in grades 6-12, CVCA offers an advanced curriculum (including 21 AP courses), student ministries programs, 11 performing arts groups, 26 varsity sports, numerous student organizations, and more.
Curricular enhancements include Jterm, six Schools of Distinction, Student Houses, Connections groups, and a new 36,000 square foot building expansion.
CVCA is within 30 minutes of Cleveland and all the city offers. Local universities provide courses for our students both on campus and online. CVCA is located on a beautiful 70-acre campus bordering a national park.
Learn more about all CVCA has to offer by exploring our website.
Welcoming Students From Around the World
CVCA has been hosting international students for the past 30 years from Norway, Brazil, Dominican Republic, Cambodia, South Korea, China, Chile, Germany, and Russia. While at CVCA, these students attend classes and school activities and visit local attractions such as Cedar Point, Lake Erie, and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
In most cases, our international students are juniors who come to CVCA for one year of study. We have also had a steady influx of international students who come to CVCA during ninth or tenth grade and stay through graduation. Many matriculate to American colleges and universities.
ABOUT CVCA
With over 1,050 students in grades 6-12, CVCA offers an advanced curriculum (including 21 AP courses), student ministries programs, 11 performing arts groups, 26 varsity sports, numerous student organizations, and more.
Curricular enhancements include Jterm, six Schools of Distinction, Student Houses, Connections groups, and a new 36,000 square foot building expansion.
CVCA is within 30 minutes of Cleveland and all the city offers. Local universities provide courses for our students both on campus and online. CVCA is located on a beautiful 70-acre campus bordering a national park.
Learn more about all CVCA has to offer by exploring our website.
Meet Our ISP Coordinator
International Student Program FAQs
During their stay, our international students stay with vetted families from the CVCA community to fully experience CVCA life and American culture.
International students attend classes and school activities as well as visit Northeast Ohio attractions such as Amish country, Cedar Point, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park. A highlight of our fall guests’ visit is attending the CVCA Homecoming football game and banquet.
International students need to be at least 15 years-old. We do not accept seniors.
International students interested in attending to CVCA need to take the TOEFL or IELTS test. An interview will be held with the student via Zoom/video call.
The 2024-2025 tuition cost for international students is $33,500.
There are a variety of activities (picnics, Cedar Point, professional sporting events, Amish Country trip, etc.) throughout the school year to which the international students and their host students (and sometimes entire families) are invited. CVCA also provides international celebrations at school several times per semester.
Local universities provide college courses for high school students on CVCA’s campus, on college campuses, or online. After a high school student applies and is admitted to the college, they are able to earn dual credit (high school credit and college credit) for those courses. CVCA partners with Malone University by offering Malone courses at CVCA during the school day taught by vetted and qualified CVCA teachers. Students can earn college credit from other universities after applying and being accepted but attending outside of school hours (in person or online).
Any CVCA family interested in hosting an international student should complete a Homestay Family Application. Many lifelong friendships are formed by hosting guest students.
Hosting FAQs
The ISP gives qualified international students the opportunity to study at CVCA and exposes local students to other cultures and perspectives. Overall, the program’s goals are to promote cross-cultural learning and a global school culture that encourages students to look beyond themselves to what God is doing around the world. The school recruits, screens, trains, and cares for international students who attend the school. These international students live with Christian host families for the academic year.
Contact Brenda Worth, ISP Coordinator, at bworth@cvcaroyals.org.
Complete the online Homestay Family Application Form. The application requires a statement of faith and requests references.
Participate in a home visit. A member of CVCA’s ISP will visit with you and your family. This is both an interview and an informational session. The school will also conduct a criminal background check on all household members age 18 and older as required by state law.
Host families provide a “home away from home” for international students. They provide supervision and support as well as housing, meals, and transportation. International students are expected to cover their own school tuition and fees (including a homestay fee and a school lunch fee) and personal expenses such as money for recreational activities and trips. All host parents must be Christian believers and committed to setting a godly example and investing in the spiritual development of the international student placed in their home.
Long-term host families receive a homestay stipend to cover the basic expenses associated with hosting a student. International student tuition funds a CVCA lunch account, so host families are not required to provide lunch. Additionally, all international students have medical insurance coverage. A stipend is not available for short-term hosting.
There are a variety of activities (picnics, Cedar Point, professional sporting events, Amish Country trip, etc.) throughout the school year to which the international students and host students (and sometimes entire families) are invited. Costs for these are covered for the international students. Additionally, CVCA provides international celebrations at school several times per semester to which CVCA host students are invited at no cost.
Prayer: What is God saying about the possibility of your hosting an international student?
Interest: Are you interested in learning about another culture and country? Are you interested in providing a home to a high school student? Are all of your family members interested?
Adaptability: Are you willing to adapt to someone living in your home who will be culturally different? Are you willing to learn and grow? Are you willing to help an international student learn by taking time to explain differences?
Logistics: Will you have enough time to invest in another child in your home? Will you be able to provide reasonable transportation for activities? Do you have a place in your home where another child would have space to study and sleep?
Finances: Will your family be able to handle the additional financial expense of adding a student to your household (keeping in mind the provided stipend)?
Current family situations: Are there situations in your family right now that would make it difficult for you to host well, such as the recent death of a loved one, serious health problems, or relational issues?
Your student will have enough English ability to have been accepted to CVCA. Students’ language ability will vary, but all students should be conversational in English—meaning they can get by in most conversational settings, though they will not necessarily be fluent. Students will have studied English in school but may not have ever been immersed in the language. Therefore, host families will need to be patient and willing to give students helpful advice and informal instruction.
While international applicants are not required to be Christians or come from Christian homes, many are believers. Minimally, our international application process is designed to ensure that international students have a desire to learn about the Bible, Jesus, and Christianity. All CVCA students are required to take a Bible course each semester as a core academic class and attend weekly chapel. International students are also expected to attend church activities with their homestay family.
Your student will arrive within one week before the first day of school and depart within one week of the last day of school. Once you have been matched with a specific student, Mrs. Worth will let you know that student’s arrival date. Additionally, a host family is not required to house their international student over the Christmas break. If an international student is staying in the US for Christmas break, host families may wish to have their international student stay with them, or the ISP Coordinator can help arrange other accommodations for the break.
Mrs. Worth will give you specific information about your student, and she will be available throughout the school year to answer questions and help you work through any difficulties that might arise. Mr. Steve Kasiguran provides academic guidance to you and your international student. Additionally, our Student Ministries Department works with our international students throughout the year to provide spiritual and emotional support.
“What I remember most about CVCA are the memories I created with friends, teachers, and especially my host family. I was always waiting for the day to graduate, but when the day came, it was so hard to say goodbye. CVCA was more than just a school. It was a place to learn and grow as a person through both academic and real-life experiences. As an international student from Cambodia, CVCA was my home for over three years. I cried, laughed, learned, and grew so much from there. After all, CVCA will always have a special place in my heart. I had the most wonderful time at CVCA as an international student. If I could go back in time, I would still choose to go to CVCA and experience everything all over again. The experiences and the memories are very valuable.”
Liza ’22
International Student (Cambodia) Alum