What are the benefits of a homestay?
• Living with a host family will help you immerse in the American culture.
• You can dramatically improve your English language skills.
• You will have a safe and supportive family environment while you're in America.
• Homestay is a lot cheaper than renting an apartment on your own in the Bay Area.
Resources
- Rent: page 4
- Deposit: page 5
- Semester Breaks: page 6
- If your host requires you to pay rent in cash, have them sign the receipt form every month.
- This form can also be used during your initial move-in day when you have to pay for two months' rent in advance.
- You must give your host a 30-day written notice before moving out, or else you may risk losing some or all of your $500 deposit.
- Fill out the form if you would like to request a new host family.
- $100 Change Fee.
Student
“The choice of living with a host family during my college period in the U.S. was the
best I could make. The homestay provides me a safe and healthy environment while I
get to explore a new country and its culture. The relationship you are going to make
with you host family is for life, if you are open to it. I would definitely recommend
this experience for everybody."
Application Fees and Deadlines Beginning Spring 2024:
- Spring Deadline: December 1st, 11:59 pm (California Time) - $300*
- Late Fee (after December 1st): $500
- Fall Deadline: July 1st, 11:59 pm (California Time) - $300*
- Late Fee (after July 1st): $500
* For students who apply after the Fall or Spring Homestay Referral application deadlines, we cannot guarantee that you will be placed with a host family. Kindly note that Options 3 and 4 WILL NOT be available after the application deadlines.
Application Fee Refund Policy:
We will refund you with the application fee if:
- Your visa is denied; or
- We are unable to match you with a host family
Homestay Options (monthly rate):
| Option 1 | Option 2 |
Option 3 (NOT AVAILABLE after deadline) |
Option 4 (NOT AVAILABLE after deadline) |
|
|
$1,775 Private Room (2 meals per day) |
$1,275 Private Room (without meals) |
$1,375 Shared Room* (2 meals per day) |
$875 Shared Room* (without meals) |
|
| Move-in Costs: | ||||
| Deposit | $500 | $500 | $500 | $500 |
| 2 Months' Rent | $3,550 | $2,550 | $2,750 | $1,750 |
| Total Due on Move-In Date | $4,050 | $3,050 | $3,250 | $2,250 |
*Two students of the same gender will share a room, but each student will have their own bed, desk, and drawer.
How to APPLY:
Thank you for your interest in San Mateo County Community College District's Homestay Referral Program for international students. Before submitting your application, kindly keep in the mind that it will take 10 - 14 days to process an application. If you are arriving prior to receiving your homestay placement confirmation, you will need to find your own temporary housing, https://www.smccd.edu/international/housing/other_housing_resources.php
Log in through your mySMCCD Student Portal to access the Homestay Application tab
Step 1 - Log in to your mySMCCD Student Portal using the student username and password that you received in your welcome letter.
Step 2 - Click on Student Success Link
Step 3 - Click on SMCCD International Portal
Step 4 - Click the Homestay Application tab
Airport Transportation:
It is the student’s responsibility to arrange transportation from the airport to the homestay. Some hosts offer to pick the student up from the airport, however, it is not required and is completely on a voluntary basis. After being matched, please contact your host right away to coordinate this. You may also take a taxi, Lyft, or Uber, located right outside of baggage claim.
|
Monthly Cost: $1,775 Room with 2 meals per |
Monthly Cost: $1,275 |
Monthly Cost: $1,375 |
Monthly Cost: $875 |
1) If I cancel my application before being matched with a family, do I get my application fee back?
- In this case we have two situations. The first, if you apply and pay before the deadline, the only two reasons we would refund the application fee is in case of visa declined or in case that we cannot match you with a Host Family. The second situation is in case you apply and pay after the deadline we will only refund in case we cannot match you with a Host Family.
2) The family will provide essential items such as toilet paper, razor blades or soap?
- No, items of personal care such as toilet paper, razor blades, soap and others are responsibility of the student and not of the Host Family to provide.
3) After I complete my program with my Host Family, do I get my $500 deposit back?
-
It depends, in order to get your $500 deposit back, you must fill out a Move Out Notification with a 30-day notice before the date that you plan to leave your Homestay. Once you notify your family that you are leaving with one month of anticipation, they will make an evaluation of the room situation: if there are no damage to the room and its furniture, the family will get you your deposit back. If you broke something or left your room unclean, the family might use your deposit to clean or fix those things, so you will not get full $500 deposit back or, in some cases, you will not get any money back.
4) Do host families get to choose the housing option too?
-
Yes, not only do they get to choose between the four options, but they also get to indicate the gender and age they prefer hosting. Many families do not want to host a student under 18 years old. The majority of host families offer options 1 & 2 (private rooms) while students often request options 3 & 4 (shared rooms). After living there for a while, sometimes students will request to stay with the same family but switch to a cheaper option. Some families are perfectly okay with that, while others are not. We always encourage the student to directly ask the family since we have no control over the family’s decision. Families also have the option of giving the student a 30-day written notice to move out after the initial two months. They are not required to continue hosting a student with behavioral issues. It’s important to provide great services to our students, but we must also keep our host families happy to maintain the Homestay Program.
5) If I choose one of the "no meals" options, do I need to buy my own kitchen utensils?
- Basic kitchens utensils such as pots, pans, dishes, spoons, forks or knives will be provided by the Host Family, but if you want something more sophisticated or not very common that the family do not have, you are welcome to buy it.