Our mission – journeys of discovery that spark bold solutions to global challenges. Semester at Sea integrates multiple-country study, interdisciplinary coursework, and hands-on field experience for meaningful engagement in the global community.
Over a 100-day voyage on a shipboard campus, students are offered a wide variety of coursework from 20 – 25 fields of study that are integrated with relevant field classes in 10+ countries, allowing for an experiential, comparative education that is truly global.
Students can earn 12-15 academic credits from Colorado State University during the voyage, which will transfer back to your home institution.
Global Experience
Unlike traditional study abroad programs, you will gain a comparative understanding of international cultures and the critical issues facing our world.
Academic Benefits
Earn college credits toward your degree while engaging with world-class faculty in an intensive live-learn environment on our ship and in destinations around the world.
Career Enhancement
Semester at Sea offers unique benefits for your post-college job search, from improved leadership skills to an invaluable global perspective on the challenges of tomorrow.
Personal Transformation
Semester at Sea participants begin as college students and return to their home campus as confident citizens of the world, ready to embark on a life of learning and adventure.
Five $20K HBCU Scholarships available for Fall 2024!
Fellows will be required to participate in a seminar to present your research project idea, and write (with the support of our communications team) three (3) blog articles throughout their voyage so that we may follow the progress of the project.
You should apply if you just have a love for HBCUs, your HBCU or those around the world! Everybody should do Semester at Sea because it offers an experience– whether it be learning, travel, or just a new global perspective in a way that no other institution, externship, internship, or job can do. Semester at Sea is the perfect fit for that.
January 05 — April 20
Germany Ghana India Kenya Malaysia Morocco South Africa Spain Thailand Vietnam
September 09 — December 22
France Ghana Hong Kong India Mauritius Morocco Netherlands South Africa Spain Thailand Vietnam
Semester at Sea was truly the two most influential semesters of my undergraduate degree. Having sailed the first time as a gap year student, I had no idea what to expect. The hands-on and tangible learning experiences are something that I later found were unmatched on a typical college campus and were one of the things that brought be back for round two. While the itinerary was initially the most attractive part of the program, I can say with certainty the shipboard community is the glue of the program. The connection, friends, and (ship) families that I made during my voyages are something that still sticks with me to this day!
My journey began back in 2020 when I expressed interested in Semester at Sea. I am very grateful that when I decided to apply my university had just created a partnership with SAS. The global education office advisors (Brooke and Ellen) were so supportive , they helped me get in contact with SAS admissions office. I set my sight on the Spring 2022 voyage and the process was so exciting, Holly who is part of SAS team, was extremely patient with me. I might have called a dozen times a week with questions and she helped lift so much weight off my shoulders. The application didn’t take very long to fill out. Besides filling out personal information, I got to expression my passion for the program and share how it would improve my global knowledge through an essay. Other steps included getting recommendation letters at my university which I am thankful to have gotten from my professors and advisors. My final step was to place a top three cabin preferences. The process was seem very scary but it is much simpler than most might think and the SAS team is there every step of the way to answer questions and address concerns. The kindness I received reassured me that this program was a great fit for me. I am glad I got to be part of the Spring 2022 voyage.
I learned so much about the world, but also myself as I immersed myself into countless cultures. As I navigated each country, I realized things about myself like how I prefer to have at least one meaningful conversation each day or that I enjoy learning as much of a language as I can wherever I am. I think those small steps create real connections with locals and friends around me. Semester at Sea will always have a large piece of my heart and I carry the values I gained on my voyage with me every day.
Semester at Sea will give you the best friends of your life. From spending nights playing cards on Deck 9 to watching movies with freinds in your cabin, life at sea will give you amazing memories. It gave me the best friends I have ever had and am so grateful to SAS for giving me this amazing community of people.
Because of the unique situation we are in while traveling at sea, I was able to connect with my peers on a much deeper level than I ever would have been able to back at my home institution or anywhere else. Being on the ship together in the middle of the ocean, we were able to have deep, meaningful conversations that weren’t able to be interrupted by cell phones or Internet! I became closer to my classmates and friends on the ship than I was to my other friends back at school.