美国高中交换生项目源自美国国务院立法，项目受美国法律监管和保护。高中交换生项目AYP(Academic Year Program) 属于美国“国际交流计划法案”中的一部分。该计划于1995年由美国国务院设立，法案编号为EVP P-3-5950。
由于美国高中交换生项目的政府背景，使美国迅速成为世界上最受欢迎的交换学习目的地和接收交换生最多的国家。现在每年有超过100个国家的近3 万名交换生前往美国交流学习。其中派遣人数最多的有德国、巴西和韩国等。为了更好的管理和服务数量巨大的交换生群体，美国国务院将交换生纳入“美国国土安 全部(DHS)”的SEVIS数据库系统，接受美国政府监管。SEVIS是提供信息跟踪和数据监测功能的一个互联网系统，交换生在美国居留期间的证件、住 所、就读学校等资料、以及数据变动等都会及时反映在数据库中。SEVIS也提供事件通知和报告给美国的学校和交换机构，并为美国移民局提供相关信息。
高中交换生法案摘译
（1）通过高中交换项目，外国中学生进入美国的公立或私立中学做为期一年的学术访问。在他们的逗留期间，参加者与美国接待家庭一起居住。在经审核的美国学校就读。学生作为全日制学生需学满1学年。
（2）合格的参加者是年龄在15到18周岁，以到校注册之日为准。已经参加过美国交换生项目的学生不能再次参加。
（3）外国学生在离开他们的祖国之前，要求主办机构提供他们的旅行安排和他们安置的学校、接待家庭和社区的资料。交换生和他们的父母应该了解他们的接待家庭是临时家庭或一个长期接待家庭。
（4）如果学区和州政府批准，交换生可以参与特定的社会活动。交换生可以参与学校认可的课外社会活动，包括各种比赛。交换生原则上不允许工作。
（5）主办机构不可以安排没有学校接待的外国学生进入美国。他们必须获得校长或其他经授权的学校行政管理人员的书面通知。主办机构在同一学校不可以注册超过5名外国学生，除非美国学校方面出具书面同意。
（6）要求主办机构筛选参与学生安置的所有接待家庭。主办机构保证家庭能提供一个舒适的家庭环境，并且有充分资金来源承担接待义务。如有国务院的同意，同一个家庭可以接待2个交换学生。
法条原文引用 62.25 Secondary school students.
(a) Introduction. This section governs Department of State designated exchange visitor programs under which foreign national secondary school students are afforded the opportunity for up to one year of study in a United States accredited public or private secondary school, while living with an American host family or residing at an accredited U.S. boarding school.
(b) Program sponsor eligibility. Eligibility for designation as a secondary school student exchange visitor program sponsor is limited to organizations…
(c) Program eligibility. Secondary school student exchange visitor programs designated by the Department of State must…
(d) Program administration. Sponsors must ensure that all officers, employees, representatives, agents, and volunteers acting on their behalf…
(e) Student selection. In addition to satisfying the requirements of §62.10(a), sponsors must ensure that all participants in a designated secondary school student exchange visitor program…
(f) Student enrollment. (1) Sponsors must secure prior written acceptance for the enrollment of any exchange student participant in a United States public or private secondary school. Such prior acceptance must….
(g) Student orientation. In addition to the orientation requirements set forth at §62.10, all sponsors must provide exchange students, prior to their departure from the home country, with the following information…..
(h) Student extra-curricular activities. Exchange students may participate in school sanctioned and sponsored extra-curricular activities, including athletics, if such participation is….
(i) Student employment. Exchange students may not be employed on either a full or part-time basis but may accept sporadic or intermittent employment such as babysitting or yard work…..
(j) Host family selection. Sponsors must adequately screen and select all potential host families and at a minimum must…..
(k) Host family orientation. In addition to the orientation requirements set forth in Sec. 62.10, sponsors must…..
(l) Host family placement. (1) Sponsors must secure, prior to the student's departure from his or her home country, a permanent or arrival host family placement for each exchange student participant. Sponsors may not…
(m) Reporting requirements. Along with the annual report required by regulations set forth at §62.15, sponsors must file with the Department of State the following information