What makes NOLS the Leader?

Watch the video and learn why NOLS is the leader in wilderness education.

NOLS, a non-profit school, has 45 years of experience and curriculum development. Since 1965 nearly 200,000 graduates have benefited from the very best outdoor education available.

At NOLS, you'll get our instructors and the support of the NOLS expedition team.NOLS' program isn't farmed out to subcontractors. We do the logistics, the planning, the outfitting and all of the instruction.

NOLS has the best staff. NOLS instructors get their start at other outdoor programs and then, after a competitive selection process, training by NOLS and an apprenticeship, they are ready to instruct for us.

No other school focuses on outdoor skills, leadership and environmental studies exclusively. As a NOLS graduate, you will have everything you need to lead others in the backcountry. You will have the outdoor skills for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and the leadership ability you need to excel at work or in the classroom.

NOLS' college credit program is unparalleled in wilderness education. More than 75 percent of NOLS students who are of college age take their NOLS course for college credit. Students have successfully transferred the credits to over 400 colleges around the country.

NOLS explores remote wilderness on extended expeditions. What NOLS teaches cannot be learned in a classroom or on a city street. It takes practice to learn outdoor skills and time to develop leadership. The wilderness provides the ideal setting for this unique education.

NOLS attracts highly motivated students. They come to learn skills and develop leadership. Our students are successful in careers or at school and come to NOLS for our unique hands-on approach to education.