Semester & Year Courses

TAKE TIME FOR YOUR FUTURE

NOLS created the original wilderness semester and we continue to lead the way. 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

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
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Spring 2020: It's not too late

NOLS Spring Semester enrollment closes soon. We have limited semester scholarship awards available.

Apply Today

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.

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.

Financial Aid

NOLS welcomes all students and supports dreams by providing more financial aid than any organization in the industry—we award nearly $1.9 million in need-based scholarships each year. Additional financial aid opportunities include veterans benefits, 529 savings plans, and AmeriCorps education awards.

Apply for a Semester Scholarship

Academic Credit

More than 400 colleges and universities nationwide accept college and high school credit earned on a NOLS course—up to 27 hours for an academic year. Qualifying subject areas include: cultural studies, first aid, risk management, leadership techniques, and environmental studies.

Learn More about Earning Academic Credit

Skills to Travel the Wild

Click to learn more about the backpacking skill

Backpacking
Click to learn more about the canoeing skill

Canoeing
Click to learn more about the canyoneering skill

Canyoneering
Click to learn more about the caving skill

Caving
Click to learn more about the cultural skill

Cultural
Click to learn more about the horsepacking skill

Horsepacking

Mountaineering
Click to learn more about the rafting skill

Rafting
Click to learn more about the rafting/kayaking skill

Rafting/Kayaking
Click to learn more about the rock climbing skill

Rock Climbing
Click to learn more about the sailing skill

Sailing
Click to learn more about the sea kayaking skill

Sea Kayaking
Click to learn more about the skiing skill

Skiing
Click to learn more about the snowboarding skill

Snowboarding
Click to learn more about the Wilderness EMT skill

Wilderness Medicine
Click to learn more about the backpacking skill

Backpacking
Click to learn more about the canoeing skill

Canoeing
Click to learn more about the canyoneering skill

Canyoneering
Click to learn more about the caving skill

Caving
Click to learn more about the cultural skill

Cultural
Click to learn more about the horsepacking skill

Horsepacking

Mountaineering
Click to learn more about the rafting skill

Rafting
Click to learn more about the rafting/kayaking skill

Rafting/Kayaking
Click to learn more about the rock climbing skill

Rock Climbing
Click to learn more about the sailing skill

Sailing
Click to learn more about the sea kayaking skill

Sea Kayaking
Click to learn more about the skiing skill

Skiing
Click to learn more about the snowboarding skill

Snowboarding
Click to learn more about the Wilderness EMT skill

Wilderness Medicine
Click to learn more about the backpacking skill

Backpacking
Click to learn more about the canoeing skill

Canoeing
Click to learn more about the canyoneering skill

Canyoneering
Click to learn more about the caving skill

Caving
Click to learn more about the cultural skill

Cultural
Click to learn more about the horsepacking skill

Horsepacking

Mountaineering
Click to learn more about the rafting skill

Rafting
Click to learn more about the rafting/kayaking skill

Rafting/Kayaking
Click to learn more about the rock climbing skill

Rock Climbing
Click to learn more about the sailing skill

Sailing
Click to learn more about the sea kayaking skill

Sea Kayaking
Click to learn more about the skiing skill

Skiing
Click to learn more about the snowboarding skill

Snowboarding
Click to learn more about the Wilderness EMT skill

Wilderness Medicine

Worldwide Semester Locations

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Blog: Stories from the Wild
carolyn-highland-sleeping-bag-edit-540x387.jpg

WAKING UP IN THE WILDERNESS

I woke in the middle of the night to cold on my nose and a black strip of sky smattered with stars in my vision. It was all I could see, my sleeping bag cinched up around my face... arrowRead More
maddy-eschholz-chilly-wyoming-DSC02707

What I learned About Resilience From Swimming an Icy Canyon Pond

It was November, and the water was the coldest thing I’ve ever felt—it was the kind of cold that made it hurt to take a deep breath. This was the hardest moment of my trip, but also the time when I learned the....  arrowRead More
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What you learn on a NOLS Semester

The desert awakened another kind of thirst as well, a burning curiosity about the beautiful and harsh environment that surrounded her: “Escalante taught me a very special lesson: to stop. To stop doing and start listening..."arrowRead More
Erica-Nala-Denmark-Tivoli-540x387px.jpg

3 MONTHS IN THE ROCKIES TO 30 COUNTRIES IN A YEAR: HOW A NOLS ALUM WENT WORLDWIDE

I had never been canyoneering, kayaking, rock climbing... arrowRead More
carolyn-highland-sleeping-bag-edit-540x387.jpg

WAKING UP IN THE WILDERNESS

arrowRead More
adam-stoumen-maya-johnston-sun-tree-edit-540x387.jpg

THANKING THE WILDERNESS FOR LETTING ME IN

arrowRead More
cass-colman-tea-house-india-edit-540x387.jpg

WHY YOU SHOULD GET OUTSIDE FOR YOUR GAP YEAR

arrowRead More
Erica-Nala-Denmark-Tivoli-540x387px.jpg

3 MONTHS IN THE ROCKIES TO 30 COUNTRIES IN A YEAR: HOW A NOLS ALUM WENT WORLDWIDE

arrowRead More

See More on Instagram
 

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