Facts About a Gap Year
What do colleges think about gap years? What kinds of students are taking them and how will they benefit? Here’s what you need to know.
Colleges Routinely Accept Students Who Take Gap Years
Not only do most U.S. colleges and universities accept gap years, they encourage them. Many of the country’s leading institutions consider students with gap year experience highly desirable. In fact, not once in CIEE’s history of sending students on a gap year abroad has a college refused a participant deferment or retracted financial aid.
Many Serious, Successful Students Take a Year Off Before College
Students in all levels of academic standing take gap years. In the last decade, Harvard College has seen a 33% jump in the number of their incoming students taking gap years. Similarly, MIT saw their number of deferments double from 2009 to 2010.
Students Who Take a Gap Year Regularly Go On to Be Successful in College
The majority of students who take a planned, structured gap year return to college within six months with a reignited passion for learning and the ability to contextualize formal education using their "real-world" experiences.
Safety is a Top Priority in Gap Year Programs
Reputable gap year providers recognize student safety as their top priority. It is through the support and guidance of homestay families, emergency services, and program staff that students have the freedom to explore, learn, and grow independently.
A Gap Year Helps Students Gain Valuable Skills and Focus
Students who take a gap year are more likely to finish college in four years than those who enroll directly after high school. They also have higher GPAs and tend to be more focused: a study by Karl Haigler and Rae Nelson, authors of The Gap Year Advantage, found that 60% of gap year participants said the experience influenced or confirmed their choice of major.
Top