College Age

Choices made in your late teens and early twenties may set a direction for years to come. At this stage in life, there are many paths to explore and many choices to make. An Outward Bound Wilderness experience is a journey, an adventure, a place where personal insights and new perspective are waiting to be uncovered. Whether you paddle, sail, hike or climb, you'll explore a beautiful wilderness and realize that you are in charge of what lies ahead in your life.

College Age 18-22 — Life offers endless possibilities and sometimes it can be overwhelming. Give yourself a break, get away from it all and tackle an adventure of a lifetime, while gaining a new perspective and direction on life. You will return to your everyday life with renewed energy for whatever lies ahead.

Semester Courses — From 7 to 12 weeks long, semesters are a series of multi-week expeditions in some of the world’s most amazing places. Boasting international locations and in-depth wilderness skills, semesters offer a broad-based curriculum including ecology, natural and human history, risk management, leadership and decision-making. College credit is available. Click here to go to the semester page.

Scholarships — Scholarships are available for a huge selection of Outward Bound Wilderness courses. Scholarships are generally 20% to 50% of course tuition and are most often awarded to younger students attending our longer courses. However, scholarship money is made available according to need on a first-come, first-served basis. Click here to go to the scholarship page.

Academic Credit — Hundreds of colleges and high schools have granted academic credit for Outward Bound expeditions in our 40+ years of operation. You can receive academic credit through one of our partner colleges, or we would be happy to help you work with your academic advisor to set up an independent study project at your school. Click here to go to the academic credit page.

Frequently asked questions

Q: I’m interested in becoming an instructor or working in the outdoors. Does Outward Bound Wilderness offer courses that can help me explore this path?
A: Yes, our semester and instructor courses provide an in-depth taste of what a career in the outdoors will be like and give you hard skills that you can use later on down the road.

Q: A semester course is too long to fit my schedule. Are there shorter courses that are appropriate for my age group?
A: Yes, we offer shorter courses that run year-round. Check out our Advanced Course Search page. You can search by course length, your dates of availability, age, and other parameters to find the best course to fit your needs.

Q: What is the food like? Can you cater to specific dietary needs?
A: The menu is a combination of fresh and dried foods and consists mainly of packaged dry foods. The menu is supplemented with some fresh vegetables, spices, cheese, and a small amount of canned meat (Tuna or Chicken). Our food is wholesome, simple and generally lightweight. We can accommodate vegetarian and most other special diets. Some special diets may require that students bring their own supplementary foods.