Fall 2025 | European, African, and Asian Adventure

Admissions & Financial Aid

Exploring countries in Europe, Africa, and Asia, this voyage gives participants a truly impactful study abroad adventure on our floating college!

Fall 2025

Overview

Sailing with Semester at Sea is a life-changing adventure that takes you around the globe aboard our floating college sharing experiences with a close-knit living and learning community. If you’re interested in joining our Fall 2025 Voyage, here’s everything you need to know about admissions and financial aid.

97%

of voyagers

say SAS was their most significant college experience

42%

of voyagers

spend extended time living abroad after SAS

73%

of voyagers

experience long-term positive impact

22%

of voyagers

go on to work outside the United States

Admissions Requirements

Find your voyager type and click to learn about specific admissions requirements.

Gap Year Students

Recent high school graduates who are interested in sailing before enrolling full-time at an undergraduate institution

Undergraduate Students

Students who are enrolled full-time in a degree-granting program at an accredited 2- or 4-year college or university

Recent College Graduate Students

Students who have recently completed their undergraduate studies and wish to extend their learning

Discover Financial Aid Options to Put the Voyage of a Lifetime Within Reach

Each semester, the Institute for Shipboard Education and Semester at Sea 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. Even students who don’t receive financial aid at their home colleges or universities may qualify for funding assistance through Semester at Sea.

Why Semester at Sea?

10+ Destinations

Experience life in more countries than any other study abroad program.

College Credit

Keep your goals on track and earn up to 15 credits from a top-ranked university.

Shipboard Life

With the ship as your home, you’ll be part of an amazing community of learners.

Global Experience

Become a citizen of the world and develop a comparative understanding of global cultures.

Hear from SAS Voyagers

Before embarking on my SAS journey I had no idea just how intense college courses would be. I am so grateful that I decided to do this program before entering my first year of college. It really provided me with an idea of what to expect in the fall.

My experiences prepared me for life, not just for college. After SAS, I was academically, socially and emotionally more than ready for college…I realized several aspects of my personality, and during SAS, my true personality showed up, and I was exposed to a whole new spectrum of myself…I loved it so much that I came back for another voyage, and I’m positive that I will sail again in future, not just once, but multiple times. MV Explorer is home for me.

One of the most valuable things I took away from my experience was the relationships I made aboard the MV Explorer, some of which I continue to connect with. They were all current college students, and offered me great advice when I began my freshman orientation during the fall after my summer voyage.

We learned a lot [about] how to live with others who are completely different [from each other] and still have respect and a lot of fun together and still hold our friendship until this day.

On SAS, I had the opportunity to feel a bond and closeness with people with whom I wouldn’t have otherwise had a connection. I learned about their lives, their children’s lives, their daily struggles, their most significant times of joy and began to really care. As I traveled, I became more connected not only to the people I met, but all people everywhere. We are all the same and every human life is important.

Ready to Set Sail?

Take the first step on the journey of a lifetime.