Homestay

Location, location, location. We think there is no better place to live than Minneapolis and we aren't the only ones. Every year the Twin Cities is highly ranked as one of the best place to live in the U.S. Click HERE to read about the ranking. The Twin Cities gets high marks for many reasons:

• Considered the U.S. Midwest cultural capital with 30 theater venues, 10 dance companies, and 60 museums
• Home to the Mall of America, the largest shopping mall in the U.S. with unbeatable savings due to no tax on clothing and shoes
• Home to more Fortune 500 companies per capita than any other state in the U.S.
• Short distance to the Mayo Clinic, considered the best hospital in the world and a destination for health care for many world leaders
• Offers more shoreline than California, Florida and Hawaii combined with almost 15,000 lakes
• Offers a four season climate
• Lots of green space, parks, and clean air
• Minneapolis has the number one ranked park system in the U.S., with St. Paul coming in 3rd. Click HERE to read the article
• Easy access to places like Target, local malls, restaurants, the airport, etc.   

Totino-Grace is located in a quiet neighborhood of Minneapolis! Nearby is the city of St. Paul and these two cities are known collectively as the Twin Cities. The campus is conveniently located just 16 KM from downtown Minneapolis and 25 KM from downtown St. Paul. This gives students two cities for the price of one. Bus routes that run to both downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul are within a few blocks of the campus.

Shanna Peterson
Assistant Director of Enrollment and International Students
shanna.peterson@totinograce.org 

• Living with a host family allows students to become fully immersed into daily American life.
• Learn about local cultures, customs, and holidays.
• Create beautiful memories.
• Home away from home.
• More affordable option compared to boarding.

Totino-Grace High School assumes that students and their families will take responsibility for financing their education. We highly recommend international students establish a U.S. bank account with a debit/credit card so that they can pay other costs directly and be able to access cash for incidental expenses.

The Totino-Grace Board of Directors has set tuition for the 2023-2024 school year at $17,270. In addition, there is a non-refundable enrollment fee of $1,000 for homestays, an annual re-enrollment fee of $300 (for the second year onward), and an annual technology fee of $400. 

Homestays cost $1,200 per month. The host family will use this money for things like room and board, food, utilities, and gas for things like airport transportation, getting to and from school, and to activities. Families must pay for August and September up front. If coming for second semester, families must pay for January and February up front. 

For more information on tuition and fees, please visit our page HERE. 

All host families will undergo a background check for every adult in the home. They will also go through VIRTUS training required by the Archdiocese. Home inspections will be done by staff before homestays are finalized. 

Students - please let admissions know of any allergies you have, especially for animals and food. 

Homestay parents would become guardians so they can take the students to any required medicial appointments, etc. 

International Student Insurance

Totino-Grace requires that all students residing in a homestay have medical insurance coverage through StudentSecure Insurance through Tokio Marine HCC to ensure that each student has sufficient medical insurance coverage. The policy levels that are accepted by Totino-Grace are: Elite, Select, or Budget. Parents must enroll the student in international student health insurance through StudentSecure prior to the student’s arrival to the United States and send proof of insurance to Shanna Peterson. To find out more, click HERE. 

U.S. Citizens Living Abroad

If you are a U.S. citizen but living internationally, you may want to consider Patriot Plus for health insurance. 

U.S. Citizens in the U.S.

If you are a U.S. citizen and currently living domestically, we are happy to take your current health insurance. We recommend making sure the plan covers MN clinics.