Explore semester-length and multi-week gap year programs for students ages 17–22.
Gap Year Programs After High School
- Country
-
- Fiji Islands
- Program name
- South Pacific Service and Ocean Skills
Explore the South Pacific
- Duration
- 77 days
- Ages
- 17-22
- Price
- $20,990 + airfare
Flights to and from the program aren't included.
Flight options include: Chaperoned Group Flight, Independent Flight with Support, or Self-Managed Airfare. You'll choose with your advisor after enrolling.
- Departures
- Dates coming soon
- Countries
-
- Costa Rica
- Peru
- Dominican Republic
- Program name
- Spanish Immersion and Service
Hone your Spanish in three Latin American countries.
- Duration
- 78 days
- Ages
- 17-22
- Price
- $17,645 + airfare
Flights to and from the program aren't included.
Flight options include: Chaperoned Group Flight, Independent Flight with Support, or Self-Managed Airfare. You'll choose with your advisor after enrolling.
- Departures
- Dates coming soon
- Country
-
- Thailand
- Program name
- The Land of Smiles: Gap in Thailand
Thailand's beaches, forests, and elephants
- Duration
- 40 days
- Ages
- 17-22
- Price
- $13,000 + airfare
- Focus
- 64 service hours
Flights to and from the program aren't included.
Flight options include: Chaperoned Group Flight, Independent Flight with Support, or Self-Managed Airfare. You'll choose with your advisor after enrolling.
Which Gap Year Programs Are Best?
The best gap year programs after high school match your goal and give you real support on the ground. A structured gap year program sets the route, arranges housing and transport, and travels with trained staff, so you can focus on what you came to do.
When you compare reputable gap year programs and organizations, ask:
- Who leads the group, and how many students travel together?
- What medical and emergency support is in place?
- What does tuition include, and what costs extra?
- Who chooses the service projects, and how?
- Can you speak with past students or parents?
Rustic Pathways launched structured gap-year programs in 2007. Compare formats in the types of gap year programs.
What Gap Year Programs Go Abroad?
Rustic Pathways gap year programs all run abroad, in Southeast Asia, Latin America and the South Pacific.
- The Land of Smiles: Gap in Thailand: 40 days in Thailand, from Bangkok to the Andaman coast, with 64 hours of community service.
- Spanish Immersion and Service: 78 days in Costa Rica, Peru and the Dominican Republic, with Spanish classes, homestays and community service.
- South Pacific Service and Ocean Skills: 77 days in Fiji, with surfing, scuba diving, a homestay in the rural highlands and community service.
An immersion program abroad puts you in daily contact with local families and communities. Flights to and from each program are separate from Program Tuition.
Are There Gap Year Programs in America?
Yes. Gap year options in the United States include national service, conservation corps, outdoor leadership courses, internships and paid work. They let you stay closer to home and can cost less than a program abroad.
Rustic Pathways gap year programs all run outside the United States.
Who Are Gap Year Programs For?
Rustic Pathways gap year programs are for students ages 17 to 22. That includes high school seniors planning the year after graduation, students who have deferred a college place, and college students taking a semester off.
The programs run as semesters of about 11 weeks or a 40-day block. In Asia, the gap year program is in Thailand. Students still in high school who want a summer program can look at summer programs for students.