Semester at Sea

Semester at Sea

Why choose Semester at Sea?

Semester at Sea is a unique, ship-based, multi-country study abroad experience academically partnered with Colorado State University. In one semester, students will get exposure to 10+ countries across multiple continents while earning 12-15 college credits. Our mission is to take journeys of discovery that spark bold solutions to global challenges. Since 1963, more than 73,000 individuals from 1,700 institutions have traveled to more than 60 countries on Semester at Sea and its predecessor programs.

Scholarships

Semester at Sea

Semester at Sea Scholarships & Financial Aid

Each semester, ISE and SAS offer scholarships, need-based grants, and merit grants to make it possible for more students to set sail and join our living and learning community. An average of 60% of voyagers receive some form of aid and scholarships each voyage. Even students who don't receive financial aid at their home colleges or universities may qualify for funding assistance through Semester at Sea. In addition, many students can apply the aid they receive from their home institution to Semester at Sea.

Value
$500 - $10,000

Reviews

Default avatar
Emily
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Best Experience of my Life!

Participating in Semester at Sea was hands down the most transformative experience of my life. Traveling to multiple countries while taking classes aboard a ship gave me a global education that you can’t get from a traditional classroom setting.

You get to visit 10 different countries in the course of a single semester where you get to experience new cultures and meet new people every step of the way.

What makes Semester at Sea even more special is the people you meet along the way. The bonds you make with fellow students and professors are unmatched and something you would never find in a traditional learning environment.

If you’re considering semester at sea, DO IT!! You won’t regret it!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Be prepared for anything and be open to everything!
Default avatar
Reece
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Most well rounded study abroad experience

I should start by saying semester at sea is not for everyone - It is for high energy, highly dedicated students who want to dive into the cultural and geographic differences of their subject of study. Class sizes are small and personal, allowing for life long connections with professors and peers. How many times have you discussed nutrient cycling of estuaries over breakfast with your professor. Yet, with almost 600 students and life long learning, there is no shortage of finding your people. The ability to explore and compare multiple cultures in one educational experience is unique and semester at sea takes full advantage of that. You will study your field from the smallest to largest scale and visit real businesses, organizations, and governments to understand how your studies are applied around the world.

Not everyone will have the same experience, but like all things, you get out what you put in. I have never learned, and really retained the content, more in any other semester of college. And now I have peers and worldwide connections to last a lifetime.

What was your funniest moment?
Learning traditional Kenyan dances with my professors
Pros
  • Great acedemics
  • Tight community
  • Vast traveling experiences
Cons
  • Cost
Default avatar
Eliza
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The Experience of my Life!

If you're thinking about doing Semester at Sea, I encourage you to find anyway possible to make it happen. The part of Semester at Sea that is obviously great is traveling to 10+ countries and exploring the world, but the part that I miss the most is the community and home that I found aboard the ship. From the incredible traditions like Neptune Day, Sea Olympics, and more, to the care and love of every professor and Staculty member, to the lifelong friendships I found with my fellow voyagers, Semester at Sea is far more than a study abroad program -- it's a community that lasts a lifetime, and an experience that will shape your future in unimaginable ways.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
My advice to future travelers is to prioritize seeing the things that you want to and do the things you want to do, even if you travel with an unfamiliar group or by yourself. I encourage you to travel with different groups of people -- not only can you meet way more people on the voyage, but you're also able to explore different travel styles.
Pros
  • Community Programming
  • Academically Exciting
  • Lots of Support
Cons
  • Low internet access (pro and con!)
Default avatar
Michelle
1/5
No, I don't recommend this program

HORRIBLE GAP Year Program - AVOID

My son participated in the Spring 2022 voyage as a GAP year student. Contrary to program description, there is no support for the small subset of younger GAP year students. My son was bullied by an older roommate, and after having paid for an outside cabin was placed in an interior space without windows (again, paid for outside cabin at 100% list price -- no aid, no discount) He was basically told to "suck it up." Although kids are told intoxication, etc. would not be tolerated, it was rampant without recourse (a night in "drunk tank" in medical area). Similar to sex. Confusing since they're told not to "hook-up" during presntations but there are bowls of condoms available throughout the ship. Academically, no extra consideration. Again, GAP year students are simply thrown into the mix of majority junior year college students. Try CIEE - two successful summer programs completed in China and Italy (prior to Semester at Sea).

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
Spending time with an older roommate who didn't flush the toilet, commandeered all the space in the room, incessantly talked on phone to girls on ship, was in an out at all hours of the night after hooking up with various girls onboard. Ultimately being banished to a dark cabin with no windows since I no longer could tolerate being subjected to disrespectful and rude roommate.
Pros
  • Kids make of it what they want.
  • Make friends and basically vacation on land in Europe.
  • As long as you are well funded, you'll have a dozen vacations in different countries on land.
Cons
  • No academic support. Large scale class (half the ship) required course and the only support was being told "you're not getting a good grade, try harder." No tips for GAP students.
  • Once paid up and onboard, no administrative support.
  • Rules are mostly lip service. Your child can be drunk, and exposed to drunk kids and although it says expulsion can happen, it won't.
Response from Semester at Sea

We are deeply sorry to hear about your son’s experience during his Semester at Sea voyage in Spring 2022, our first voyage back after the pandemic. We take feedback from our parents and students seriously and strive to provide a supportive and enriching environment for all participants. While it’s disheartening to hear that the experience didn’t meet your expectations, we want to share the significant improvements we’ve made since that time, particularly in addressing concerns related to our Gap Year students.
Our program has evolved to ensure better support and a more structured experience for younger students. We hope that the following enhancements reflect our commitment to continuous improvement:

  • Dedicated Support for Gap Year Students: We’ve introduced a full semester experience course specifically tailored to Gap Year students, led by a dedicated faculty member and Resident Director (RD) who specialize in guiding and supporting younger participants.
  • Roommate Matching: We now prioritize matching students by age to better align social and developmental dynamics. Our Gap Year students are also part of larger cohorts, which reduces the likelihood of being paired with significantly older students.
  • Roommate Issues: In instances of conflict we encourage students to communicate with their Resident Director, the Care Team, or Voyage Leadership Team. We also provide an electronic self-reporting system to ensure concerns can be raised safely and confidently.
  • Health and Safety: While we do not enforce abstinence, we encourage responsible choices and provide access to contraceptives to promote safe practices. Additionally, we only allow drinking on board at short, intermittent events monitored and staffed by voyage personnel. Instances like those you describe are rare while at sea. The observation facility is in place to aid students who require it, mostly at port, but given the consequences for excessive behavior, including potential expulsion, the great majority of students make responsible choices.

We are constantly working to improve the experience for all our students, and your feedback helps us to better understand where we can make adjustments. We’d love the opportunity to discuss your concerns in more detail and answer any questions you might have about our current program offerings. Please don't hesitate to contact our office at admissions@semesteratsea.org, or visit our Gap Year Program page here for more information.
Thank you again for your feedback, and we sincerely hope to support future families in having positive experiences with Semester at Sea.

Default avatar
Douglas
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

World Campus Afloat / Semester at Sea

I was a student aboard the old World Campus Afloat program Spring 1975 voyage prior to the renaming to Semester at Sea. SP75 traveled east from Florida and ended in Los Angeles after voyaging for about 25,500 miles, for 107 days and visiting 13 different counties and stopping in 13 different ports. I had one outstanding professor, two very good professors and one who should have never been teaching. Overall, the academics, environment and experience were top notch with the one exception. Accommodations aboard the Ship were not much different than living in the Dorms. As we all learned during the 1st week aboard, tolerance, respect and patience for your fellow shipmates or you didn't survive.

After being off the ship and completing the experience 47 years ago, the experience of this semester still remains a life changing event. It indirectly changed my path for employment, it certainly changed my perspective on how the rest of the world views America and Americans, and it allowed me to view America from the outside looking in with hopes and intent of making America and the World a little better. And I am still in touch / communicate with fellow students from SP75.

Pros
  • Academics
  • Multi-cultural exposures
  • Life Changing Experience
Cons
  • None
Read my full story

Programs

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Douglas W. Johnson

I spent 107 days on World Campus Afloat, Spring 1975 voyage. Departing from Fort Lauderdale, ending in Los Angeles. Went to Morocco, Ivory Coast, Ghana, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Philippines, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

A now retired Environmental Scientist, spent 45 years cleaning up oil spills, Superfund sites, hazardous waste sites, household hazardous waste from during post-hurricane, flood and fire events.

Interview

Why did you choose this program?

I wanted to travel outside the United States while in college. World Campus Afloat (WCA), now Semester at Sea gave me the opportunity to visit 12 different countries in 4 months while attending school.

It gave me an opportunity to look and experience numerous different cultures, religions and people while completing some of the hardest course work I had as an undergraduate.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

In 1975, WCA was academically sponsored by Chapman College (now University). It was considered an intra-school transfer from the "home" campus to WCA and back.

I was a political science and geology double major student at the time. This voyage provided direct insight and experiences in both my academic studies areas.

Chapman College didn't give me any direct assistance, it was up to me to request the transfer, maintain my grades and to complete the requirements of the program.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

You will be overwhelmed with new sights, smells, cultures, religions, and people. Write a daily journal, it will help you process what you experienced and understand the intangible gifts that you receive from participating in this opportunity.

Take Frisbees, balloons, and hard candy, the local little kids you will meet will be a lot of entertainment.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

While on board the ship, classes everyday with the exception of an occasional Sunday off. While in port, no classes but expect to participate in In-Port Practicas. I averaged one to two per port. They are part of the learning experience. You are required to take 12 to 16 units. I took 14.5. Three classes every day with the 4th class every other day. Then you spend another three to four hours everyday and on Sunday's studying and writing.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

I had no "fears", but lots of apprehensions. Simply put, this was the first time I was totally responsible for my actions. There was no parachute to rescue me if I screwed up. When traveling with girls, I took on the added responsibility of looking out for someone else. It is is safe to say I grew up a lot during these four months. You can say this was a coming of age experience. Also, crammed into a ship with 600 other people you mostly just met is a learning experience in patience, respect, adapting. If you couldn't learn these three things in the first couple of days of a hundred plus day voyage, you were pretty much left out.

Write and answer your own question.

Rule one, keep all your senses in max absorption mode. You will see, smell, hear, and feel many new things. Show respect for those with different beliefs, customs, religions, and cultures. Don't be selfish. But most of all; be respectful.

Also, if you think this is a 4 month party, Don't waste your time and money and more over, don't become a burden or distraction on those that are truly trying to learn something to make a difference in themselves and hopefully others.

I would have gladly seen those that thought the four months as a floating party would have been left somewhere, mostly from the first port of departure.

I would do this again in a heart beat too. It is on my bucket list to redo.

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Karla Correll

Job Title
Assistant Director of Admission
Karla sailed on Semester at Sea Summer 2010 as a student for University of Colorado - Boulder. In 2012, she started in admissions at the Institute for Shipboard Education.
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What is your favorite travel memory?

How do you pick a favorite travel memory???

I have endless stories that I could talk about for days, but I will never forget a homestay in Turkey, where the family I stayed with opened their home to me and taught me all about their lives, customs, and culture. The mother in the house was just learning English and we sat over long dinners telling stories of our lives, families, and travels and we would pause every once in awhile to ask her son to translate a few words for each other. It was an amazing experience that I truly felt I was part of someone's life on the other side of the world from me and is something I will never forget.

Which destination is most underrated? Conversely, which is most overrated?

I don't believe in overrated or underrated countries purely because everyone sees places differently, but I do believe that what you put into it is what you get out if it. If you just look at the surface of a country and don't get to know the history, or the culture, or the geography, you are missing out on a huge part of the place you are seeing. Some of the places I enjoyed traveling to the most were the countries I least expected and really had amazing histories, cultures, and friendly people.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

Passion and deep institutional knowledge are the biggest factors in the success of Semester at Sea. Most, if not all, of the ISE/Semester at Sea staff are alumni of the program and know how life changing it can be and that passion is put in each day they work there.

Each and every employee believes in the program and the mission of Semester at Sea, and that ships can carry more than cargo, they can carry ideas. They believe that for over 50 years, Semester at Sea has taught students that the world is their classroom and helped students turn into global citizens.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

At any job, just like any opportunity, you have the ability to get out as much as you put in. I have been very fortunate to be surrounded by hard working people that encourage going above and beyond and allowing for creative and new solutions. With the world changing and technology improving every day, it creates unique challenges, but also great opportunities to get more done from other locations or change something to work more efficiently. With easier and faster access to all corners of the world, the opportunities are endless.

What unique qualities does your company possess?

Semester at Sea is unique in so many ways, but the employees unwavering passion and dedication to the program are unique to any other company I have ever seen. The ability to travel to the ship for embarkation and disembarkation is also very unique. Many companies you do not get to meet their students or customers.

With Semester at Sea, you get to work with the students from admission, preparation, watch them succeed on the voyage, and see them hold their head high as they walk off the ship at the end of a life changing semester. There is nothing more rewarding than that.

Professional Associations

The Forum on Education Abroad Logo
Institute of International Education Logo
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