History Main / ForeignExchangeStudent

* MidoriNoHibi: Lucy Winrad is a foreign exchange student, from America, and is an {{expy}} of [[RivalSchools Tiffany Lords]], who ''also'' happens to be an exchange student from the same country (seen further below).

* ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' has Roy, Tiffany, and Boman as a team of foreign exchange students from America. Tiffany even gains an expy, in the form ''Midor no Hibi's'' Lucy Winrad.

* ''Manga/RurouniKenshin'': according to Cho, the "sword hunter", this what Kamatari becomes after the Jupon Gattana disbands. [[spoiler: Though truthfully it was because Cho lied to Kamatari, by saying Shishio had wanted the remaining Jupon Gattana to spread word of his deeds in case his plans failed. In reality, it was Cho's way of keeping Kamatari from killing him/herself. It's also implied that he/she was aware of it.]]

* ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' has Roy, Tiffany, and Boman as a team of foreign exchange students from America.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'': Yope, who came from Norway in one episode (and left in the same episode)

* ''{{Recess}}'': Yope, who came from Norway in one episode (and left in the same episode)

* In ''The School For GIFT'd Filmmakers'', 'Ali' as a new staff member from England, definitely qualifies as this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r08H77qg68

* In ''The School For GIFT'd Filmmaker'', 'Ali' as a new staff member from England, definitely qualifies as this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r08H77qg68

* In "The School For GIFT'd Filmmakers, 'Ali' as a new staff member from England, definitely qualifies as this. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6r08H77qg68

* ''RurouniKenshin'': according to Cho, the "sword hunter", this what Kamatari becomes after the Jupon Gattana disbands. [[spoiler: Though truthfully it was because Cho lied to Kamatari, by saying Shishio had wanted the remaining Jupon Gattana to spread word of his deeds in case his plans failed. In reality, it was Cho's way of keeping Kamatari from killing him/herself. It's also implied that he/she was aware of it.]]

* Dexter of ''DextersLaboratory'' was a foreign exchange student in Japan in one episode. The Japanese kids were drawn [[{{Animesque}} anime-style]]

* Season 12 of ''{{Degrassi}}'' introduces several junior pro hockey players from the US and other parts of Canada who live with host families and attend school on a similar basis to exchange students.

Is your work set in a school, or at least has some scenes there? Do you want to introduce a new character to your steadily expanding cast, but the NewTransferStudent isn't ''exotic'' enough?

Don't get your panties in a knot, that's what the ForeignExchangeStudent is for!

The ForeignExchangeStudent, officially there to soak in the country's culture, will often be beautiful (often subject, however, to their home country's PhenotypeStereotype) and mysterious (due to their foreign background, duh). Their home country varies, but it's often from the United States (if the setting is Eastern) or Asia (if the setting is Western). Exchange students from Europe also pop up every once in a while (in that case, students from the United Kingdom are fairly common).

Common plot points will be the existing characters having quite a culture shock upon their arrival due to assumptions about what they would be like (and vice-versa), finding the exchange student interesting and exotic, which might rocket them to the top of the PopularityFoodChain, the exchange student having trouble with the language/customs of the area, and how they fit into the existing TrueCompanions dynamic.

Personalities vary in fiction, but making the exchange student a ShrinkingViolet, a NiceGuy, or a DefrostingIceQueen seems fairly common (the last one especially). Moral alignment also differs as their "air of mystery" can mean either shyness or pure evil, but they're generally nice kids.

Naturally, the ForeignExchangeStudent will commonly be the LoveInterest of at least one character (which might cause complications when they have to leave). Unless, of course, they're around to cause trouble...

See also NewTransferStudent. May overlap with FunnyForeigner or ForeignPeopleAreSexy. If the exchange student is European, EuropeansAreKinky is often used, especially if she's female.

!!Examples

[[AC: Anime and Manga]]

* Sharna Alamgir in ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'' is an exchange student from India. Her main task in the series is to serve as CloudcuckoolandersMinder to Fumi Hibino and provide snappy comebacks.
* Patricia Martin in ''LuckyStar'' is an American exchange student and otaku who came to Japan to learn Japanese culture. Unfortunately most of what she know [[{{animeland}} is based on manga and anime]], which doesn't always match the reality.
* ''RurouniKenshin'': according to Cho, the "sword hunter", this what Kamatari becomes after the Jupon Gattana disbands. [[spoiler: Though truthfully it was because Cho lied to Kamatari, by saying Shishio had wanted the remaining Jupon Gattana to spread word of his deeds in case his plans failed. In reality, it was Cho's way of keeping Kamatari from killing him/herself. It's also implied that he/she was aware of it.]]
* Sue Hopkins in ''{{Genshiken}}'' is technically neither an ''exchange'' nor a ''transfer'' student, just a freshman who came from America, but nevertheless is a source of confusion and comical situations, with her limited knowledge of Japanese language (majority of her lines being [[RadioMouth quotes from manga and anime]]), [[CloudCuckooLander eccentrically extrovert]] (although good-hearted) personality, creepy child-like face and exotic looks (long blond hair and blue eyes). And, of course, being an OccidentalOtaku.
* The Stanley siblings, Rachel and Ethan, in ''KenichiTheMightiestDisciple''. Also Boris (a Russian). Tirawit (a Thai) also technically counts, but in his case there is little or no racial gap, and the cultural gap is not so prominent.

* Squirt the baby sea turtle actually becomes one at the end of ''FindingNemo''.

[[AC: Film -- Live Action]]

* Areola in ''NotAnotherTeenMovie.''
* Long Duk Dong from ''SixteenCandles''.
* ''AmericanPie'' had the sex-liberal Czech exchange student Nadia. Areola in Not Another Teen Movie is a parody of her.
* ''Porky's Revenge'' has Inga, from Sweden(?)
* ''BetterOffDead'' has Monique, from France.

[[AC: Live Action TV]]

* Fez from ''That70sShow.'' The name "Fez" is short for "foreign exchange student", despite the difference in spelling, which the series' official web site describes as "poetic license". His friends know Fez' real name but consider it unpronounceable.
* Sunshine Corazon (from the Philippines) and Rory Flanagan (from Ireland) in seasons two and three of ''{{Glee}}''.
* ''James At 15''. In the episode "The Gift", James lost his virginity to a Swedish foreign exchange student. It was in this episode that the series title changed to ''James At 16.''

[[AC: Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/RivalSchools'' has Roy, Tiffany, and Boman as a team of foreign exchange students from America.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', one of the social links that helps augment the player character's power is with French foreign exchange student Andre Laurent Jean Geraux ("Zey just call me Bebe!").

[[AC: Western Animation]]
* Fentruck from ''{{Doug}}''.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** Bart became a FES in France while the Simpsons family got Adil, from Albania, who turned out to be a spy.

* In ''BonVoyageCharlieBrown'', Charlie Brown, Linus, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie go to France for two weeks as students. In the meantime Babette and Jacques come to the US to their school.
* Rolf in ''EdEddAndEddy.''

* Sharna Alamgir in ''HayateTheCombatButler'' is an exchange student from India. Her main task in the series is to serve as CloudcuckoolandersMinder to Fumi Hibino and provide snappy comebacks.

** Bart became a FES in France while the Simpsons family got Adil, who turned out to be a spy.

* In ''[[WebOriginal/DemonThesis Demon Thesis]]'', the four main characters attend [=MacPhee=] University in Canada, which is noted to have a rather large number of transfer students attending from different countries. Sure enough two of the four main characters (and both of the female main characters, coincidentally) are exchange students. Val is from [[{{Eagleland}} America]], while Clady is Danish.

* ''RivalSchools'' has Roy, Tiffany, and Boman as a team of foreign exchange students from America.

The ForeignExchangeStudent, officially there to soak in the country's culture, will often be [[TheBeautifulPeople beautiful]] (often subject, however, to their home country's PhenotypeStereotype) and mysterious (due to their foreign background, duh). Their home country varies, but it's often from the United States (if the setting is Eastern) or Asia (if the setting is Western). Exchange students from Europe also pop up every once in a while (in that case, students from the United Kingdom are fairly common).

* Sharna Alamgir in ''HayateTheCombatButler'' is an exchange student from India. Her main task in the serie is to serve as CloudcuckoolandersMinder to Fumi Hibino and provide snappy comebacks.

* ''TheSimpsons'': Bart became a FES in France while the Simpsons family got Adil, who turned out to be a spy.

* ''{{Peanuts}}'': Charlie Brown, Linus, Peppermint Patty, and Marcie go to France for two weeks as students. In the meantime Babette and Jacques come to the US to their school.

[[AC: Film]]

* Squirt the baby sea turtle actually becomes one at the end of ''FindingNemo''.

* Patricia Martin in LuckyStar is an American exchange student and otaku who came to Japan to learn Japanese culture. Unfortunately most of what she know [[{{animeland}} is based on manga and anime]] which not always match the reality.

* Patricia Martin in LuckyStar is an American exchange student and otaku who came to Japan to learn Japanese culture. Unfortunately most of what she know is based on manga and anime which not always match the reality.

* The Stanley siblings, Rachel and Ethan, in ''KenichiTheMightiestDisciple''.

* In ''DannyPhantom'' one episode has a Hungarian transfer student coming in to be Sam's RomanticFalseLead. [[spoiler: Turns out that he was an American guy putting on a show just to mess with Sam.]]