How to Apply for our
Gap Programs

Accepting applications for our spring and fall 2025 semesters. Space is limited, we encourage you to begin this process as early as possible.

ARCC offers eight Gap Semesters throughout the U.S., Africa, Europe, Asia, Latin America and Oceania. All of our gap year programs are designed for students who are engaged, motivated and excited for the new experiences that await them. Whether this means living with a family in a homestay, working in a national park, conducting interviews with local community members, or transitioning and adjusting to cultural norms unfamiliar to them at home, students are often faced with new challenges and opportunities for growth during these semesters. ARCC Gap students should come ready to step outside of their comfort zones and be open to all that lies ahead of them. ARCC goes to great efforts to ensure that our program is the right fit for you. ARCC Gap Semesters are designed for students ages 17–20.

Apply Now

How it works

There are no deadlines to apply. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and programs are subject to availability. 

  • Submit an Initial Application

    Click Enroll Now on the top right-hand corner of any of our web pages. To complete this step, you must submit a $200 non-refundable application fee. While this fee does not guarantee your spot on a program, it does allow you to begin the application process. The date of this initial application and the application fee will be used to prioritize your application ahead of other applications that come in thereafter.

  • Submit the “Detailed ARCC Gap Application” and 2-3 References

    Once your Initial Application is received, a Gap Director will contact you to review the next steps of the application process including:

– Detailed ARCC Gap Application (with some short answer questions and additional info)
– Two References (one based on character, one based on academics) 
– Mental Health Reference Form (for any student who has seen a therapist or other mental health professional in the past four years. Click here to see our Essential Eligibility Criteria). 

All materials included in the Detailed ARCC Gap Application are due 3 weeks from the date of your Initial Application. Reference forms should be passed on to the designated references and emailed to ARCC at [email protected] or faxed to 415-332-2130 by the referrer. Please note that additional references may be required by ARCC at our discretion.

Due to demand, if you are not able to submit all application materials within 3 weeks of your Initial Application, your application may be subject to loss of priority. Please communicate with your Gap Director if you expect that your application materials will be delayed. We are able to make allowances in some cases, but are unable to hold your position in the application order indefinitely.

  • Interview with a Gap Director

    Once the Detailed Application and all references have been received, a Gap Director will email the applicant with a link to schedule your ARCC Admissions Interview via Google Meet. A preview of some of the interview questions will be shared before your interview.

  • Final Decision

    ARCC Gap will offer the applicant a position on the program within two weeks of the interview.

– If offered a position on a fall / spring gap program before June 1st / November 15th, in order to accept your position on the program, a deposit of $1000 is required within one week of the offer. This is applied toward tuition.

– If offered a position on a fall / spring gap program after June 1st / November 15th, 50% of the tuition is due within one week of your offer in order to accept your position on the program.

– If offered a position on a fall / spring gap program after August 1st / January 15th, full tuition is due within one week of the offer.

Your spot is not guaranteed until you have completed all four steps including submission of the appropriate deposit based on your offer date.

Refunds:
All payments are non-refundable upon submission.