SEMESTER & GAP YEAR

Learn by doing. Gain real-world knowledge. Build self confidence. Redefine what “service” means to you.

This is the place to master technical outdoor skills. To explore exotic places and remote wilderness locales. And to learn alongside the best instructors in the industry. With a focus on hands-on leadership training and an unwavering commitment to excellence, our Semester and Gap Year courses prepare students aged 18-30 for future success. With options that span the globe, these expeditions are far more than stamps in a passport; they are once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunities.  

What Does Outward Bound Have to Offer?

From 30 days to 85 days, from mountaineering to dog sledding to swimming with dolphins, Outward Bound courses offer opportunities for you to develop real-world decision making, group management and leadership skills in spectacular settings that will challenge and inspire you.

Students benefit from working with rigorously trained and motivated instructors who are specialists in their chosen field. Students participate in a progression of experiences that begin with skill building, advance to increasingly complex decision making and culminate with real leadership.

Students emerge from Outward Bound courses with leadership skills, an improved ability to solve problems, to resolve conflicts effectively, to communicate confidently and with a desire to actively engage in service to others.

Who Is the Right Student?

Our accredited expeditions are ideal for gap year students or students seeking a challenging and formative experience for their off-campus semester. You will travel as a group in remote, rugged settings that will broaden your view on the world while building your skills in teamwork and leadership.

See all Semester & Gap Year courses

Outward Bound is accredited with the American Gap Association and is the longest running program in this elite group dedicated to providing supportive, meaningful and high-caliber educational experiences to students.

These courses are not appropriate for students who are adjudicated (court mandated) or who need therapeutic support.