NOLS Expeditions

A Life-Changing Semester or Year

Photo Credit: Nick Garrett

A group of students pauses while backpacking in Patagonia to enjoy the rugged snowy mountains around them.
Hailey Arnold

Decide to do Different

NOLS created the original wilderness semester and we continue to lead the way. Some of the most prestigious organizations and schools send their people to NOLS:

  • NASA
  • United States Naval Academy
  • Ivy League graduate programs

Build confidence and outdoor skills under the guidance of the best instructors in the industry. Wherever in the world you travel with NOLS, you will emerge with confidence, competence, direction, courage, and perspective.

Semester and year courses are ideal for: Gap year programs, study abroad, sabbaticals, college programs, and more. Ages 17 and older.

Request More Information on Our Semester or Year Programs

Why Choose NOLS?

NOLS is the only organization that combines decades of wilderness experience with innovative leadership curriculum, top-tier instructors, and unparalleled risk management.

Focused on small group learning, NOLS shares the magic of wilderness education with students.

  • Examine academic and global topics in wild classrooms
  • Elevate leadership skills with lessons from an extended adventure
  • Connect with the earth
  • Understand new cultures

You will emerge from the wilderness a stronger, more competent, and more confident individual.

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Lifelong Skills

Develop leadership and outdoor skills that you can apply to all facets of your life. Explore wild places in the U.S. and around the world while gaining cultural immersion and practicing Leave No Trace principles.

Oscar Manguy
Oscar Manguy

Financial Aid

NOLS offers nearly $1.9 million in scholarships each year. You can also use 529 savings plans, consortium agreements for federal financial aid, veterans’ benefits, and AmeriCorps awards to help fund your gap year.

Academic Credit

Earn up to 27 credit hours in a variety of fields, including Cultural Studies, Leadership Techniques, Environmental Studies, and Risk Management.

Student enjoying full sails and clear skies while sailing.
Bj Klophaus

Featured Semester & Year Expeditions

An instructor psarying up snow in while skiing past trees in Idaho's backcountry.

Spring Semester in the Rockies

NOLS

Spring Semester in New Zealand

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Spring Semester in East Africa

A student rock climbs near snow dusted peaks in Patagonia.

Year in Patagonia

Student enjoying the brilliant sunset on the water while out sailing in Baja California, Mexico.

Fall Semester in Baja

Blog: Stories from the Wild

NOLS

Tolerance for Uncertainty: Sea, Mountains, and Culture on a Patagonia Semester

Chilean NOLS grad Ignacio Martínez shares stories and advice from his Semester in Patagonia.

I Belong in the Woods: Spring Semester in New Zealand

NOLS grad Natalie Beittel reflects on why she chose to travel to New Zealand for her study abroad semester with NOLS and what she learned from her experience.

A NOLS Diploma
Eryn Pierce

NOLS Diploma

A Recognized Credential

A NOLS diploma represents your cumulative course accomplishments to universities, employers, and others. Some expeditions offer additional industry-recognized certifications and certificates of completion:

Certifications

  • Wilderness First Aid
  • Wilderness First Responder
  • Wilderness EMT

NOLS Certificates of Completion

  • Leave No Trace Trainer
  • Leave No Trace Master Educator
  • Level 1 Avalanche Training
  • Avalanche Awareness
  • Rock Climbing Training
  • Rock Rescue Training
  • Swiftwater Rescue Training