Get the Most Out of Your Experience
You can earn high school or college academic credit for your course. Though we’re different than a traditional academic program, we are recognized for teaching outdoor education, leadership, wilderness medicine, risk management, and conservation.
College Credit
More than 400 colleges and universities nationwide have accepted University of Utah credit earned on a NOLS course, and many more grant their own credit.
Find out more information on our college credit page.
High School Credit
You can earn high school credit from a NOLS expedition course.
Find out more information on our high school credit page.
FAQ
Every school is different, so we recommend connecting with your academic advisor and university’s registrar to determine how academic credit will be applied.
You can still get credit through University of Utah. Please note that you must request academic credit before the start of your course.
To earn University of Utah credit, you must be either a high school graduate or a rising high school senior with a 3.2 GPA or higher.
To earn Western State Colorado University credit, you must be age 15 or older.
AmeriCorps and 529 Plan participants must apply for academic credit through Western State Colorado University.
Yes, you can receive graduate credit for NOLS courses through University of Utah. The course must correspond with one the following University of Utah Courses:
- PRT 6050-Environmental Ethics, Leave No Trace, and Leadership
- PRT 6051-Group Leadership Techniques
- PRT 6052-Wilderness Skills Practicum and Leadership
- PRT 6043-Risk Assessment, Risk Management and Decision-Making
- PRT 6054-Outdoor Educator
Your University of Utah grade will be 80% based on the grade from your NOLS expedition student evaluation. The other 20% of the grade is based on a specific paper, written post-course, and graded by a professor at the University of Utah. Papers are generally APA format, 10 pages long, and expected to meet entry-level graduate student writing standards. Graduate-level courses are all two credits only (even when the equivalent undergraduate course is offered for 3 or more credits).
