Where you can do a gap year
55 countries with gap years an American can actually do. Click one to see them all.
12–45–910+programsNot open to Americans
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Click anywhere shaded on the map, or choose from the list. The darker the green, the more you can do there.
Worldwide or not tied to one country(61)
Run worldwide, at sea, online, or in so many places that pinning them to one country would mislead.
- Duke Gap Year Program fundingDuke University$5,000–$25,000 totalPays youService
- Fulbright Public Policy FellowshipU.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (administered by IIE)Pays, amount variesPays youService
- Luce Scholars ProgramHenry Luce Foundation$32,000–$42,000 totalPays youResearch
- Peace CorpsPeace Corps (U.S. federal agency)$10,000 totalPays youService
- Princeton in Africa FellowshipPrinceton in Africa (independent nonprofit affiliated with Princeton University)$350–$1,000/moPays youService
- Princeton in Asia FellowshipPrinceton in Asia (independent nonprofit affiliated with Princeton University)Pays, amount variesPays youTeaching abroad
- Thomas J. Watson FellowshipWatson Foundation$40,000 totalPays youResearch
- UNC Global Gap Year FellowshipUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Campus Y / Global Programs)$8,000 totalPays youService
- Work and save at homeNo operator — the DIY path$16/hrPays youPaid work
- Yacht crew (after STCW certification)Private and charter yacht industry$1,500–$2,500/moPays youPaid work
- Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM)Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)Pays, amount variesPays youService
- Boren Awards (Boren Scholarship and Boren Fellowship)Defense Language and National Security Education Office (DLNSEO), administered by IIERoughly breaks evenBreaks evenTravel & study
- CIEE Teach AbroadCIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange)Roughly breaks evenBreaks evenTeaching abroad
- Crewseekers (UK-based, global)crewseekers.netRoughly breaks evenBreaks evenTravel & study
- Findacrew.net (sailing passages)findacrew.comRoughly breaks evenBreaks evenTravel & study
- HelpStayhelpstay.comRoughly breaks evenBreaks evenPaid work
- Princeton Novogratz Bridge Year ProgramPrinceton University, Office of International ProgramsRoughly breaks evenBreaks evenService
- Serving and Learning Together (SALT)Mennonite Central Committee (MCC)Roughly breaks evenBreaks evenService
- Workawayworkaway.infoRoughly breaks evenBreaks evenPaid work
- Workaway / WorldpackersWorkaway.info / WorldpackersRoughly breaks evenBreaks evenPaid work
- Worldpackersworldpackers.comRoughly breaks evenBreaks evenService
- WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms)WWOOF (federated national organizations)Roughly breaks evenBreaks evenPaid work
- WWOOF Independentswwoof.netRoughly breaks evenBreaks evenTravel & study
- African Impact Volunteer ProjectsAfrican Impact$1,950You payConservation
- AIFS Abroad Gap Year / Semester AbroadAIFS Abroad (American Institute For Foreign Study)$19,790You payTravel & study
- ARCC Gap SemesterARCC Programs (Adventures Rolling Cross Country)$16,388You payTravel & study
- Carpe Diem Education – Latitudes Year (Full Year with College Credits)carpediemeducation.orgFee variesYou payService
- Carpe Diem Education – Semester Programscarpediemeducation.orgFee variesYou payTravel & study
- CIEE Gap Year AbroadCIEE (Council on International Educational Exchange)$12,100You payTravel & study
- Concordia International Volunteer Projects (UK)concordia-iye.org.ukFee variesYou payService
- Earthwatch research expeditionEarthwatch Institute$2,000–$4,500You payResearch
- EF Gap YearEF Education First$43,750You payTravel & study
- GVIGlobal Vision International$1,500–$3,500You payConservation
- IVHQ – International Volunteer HQvolunteerhq.orgFee variesYou payConservation
- IVHQ volunteer placementInternational Volunteer HQ$285–$864You payTravel & study
- Latitudes YearCarpe Diem Education$25,800–$29,800You payTravel & study
- LDS missionThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints$12,000You payService
- LeapYear (formerly LEAPNOW)Naropa University (program absorbed from LEAPNOW: Transforming Education)Fee variesYou payTravel & study
- Love VolunteersLove Volunteers$299–$2,000You payService
- Love Volunteers – International Volunteeringlovevolunteers.orgFee variesYou payConservation
- Maximo Nivel Volunteer AbroadMaximo Nivel$735–$1,815You payService
- Operation Wallacea Research ExpeditionsOperation Wallacea (Opwall)Fee variesYou payResearch
- Pacific Discovery Gap Year SemesterPacific Discovery$15,000–$20,000You payTravel & study
- Plan My Gap Year (PMGY)Plan My Gap Year$24–$27You payService
- Projects AbroadProjects Abroad$2,000You payTravel & study
- Projects Abroad – Gap Programsprojectsabroad.orgFee variesYou payConservation
- Rotary Youth ExchangeRotary International$1,500–$3,000You payTravel & study
- Rustic Pathways – Gap Semester / Mini Gaprusticpathways.comFee variesYou payTravel & study
- Rustic Pathways Gap SemesterRustic Pathways$13,000–$20,990You payTravel & study
- SEA Semester / Sea Education Associationsea.eduFee variesYou payTravel & study
- Semester at Sea – Fall 2026 Voyagesemesteratsea.orgFee variesYou payTravel & study
- Semester at Sea – Spring 2027 (for comparison with Spring gap year seekers)semesteratsea.orgFee variesYou payTravel & study
- Take Action Lab (formerly Global Citizen Year Fellowship)Tilting Futures (formerly Global Citizen Year)$10,500–$21,000You payService
- TEFL Certificate Programs (as enabler for paid work abroad)tefluk.comFee variesYou payTeaching abroad
- Verto Education Semester AbroadVerto Education$18,750–$33,500You payTravel & study
- Volunteers for Peace (VFP)vfp.orgFee variesYou payService
- Where There Be Dragons — Southeast Asia semesterWhere There Be Dragons$17,950You payTravel & study
- Where There Be Dragons (WTBD) – Gap Year/Semestergapyearassociation.orgFee variesYou payOutdoor / wilderness
- Winterline Global Education – Gap Yeargooverseas.comFee variesYou payTravel & study
- Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM)Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)Fee variesYou payService
- YWAM Discipleship Training School (DTS)Youth With A Mission (independent local bases)$6,335–$10,200You payService
Countries come from what each program's own description names — nothing is inferred from an operator's home base. Closed and paused programs are left off. Search the catalog