Why Carpe Diem?

We offer expertly designed programs.

Extending to 5 continents and 19 countries, Carpe Diem Education provides semester and year-long programs for students ages 17-22. Our gap year programs challenge perspectives, embolden critical thinking, and inspire a greater sense of self through enhanced global perspectives. Balancing hard work with fun-filled adventure; finding laughter in the midst of serious inquiry; we discover the depths of our humanity together.

We meet each student where they're at and engage them.

We believe that students learn best when fully immersed and engaged in local communities, languages, and cultures. Our small student groups travel off the beaten path to provide authentic cultural exchange, meaningful challenge, and transformative experiences. Read more about our approach to gap year education here.  

We are an inspired team of educators and leaders.

We believe in the power of international education, learning through service, and community engagement. Our Overseas Educators are certified in Wilderness First Aid, dedicated experiential educators, and experienced world travelers. Our PDX Headquarter staff will help you every step of the way.

We value diversity and inclusion.

We provide substantial support to our non-profit partner, Carpe Mundi, as a means to make the gap year experience more accessible to a diverse audience. Learn more about our diversity and inclusion plan.

We value education and accessibility.

We're not only able to offer college credit and the ability to use 529 funds, we also offer various scholarships in our continued efforts to make the gap year experience accessible to a wider, more diverse population.  We are the primary partner of our sister nonprofit, Carpe Mundi, and through our summer sister organization, Global Routes, work annually with Summer Search students and others similarly oriented.

We believe that climate change is real.

We hear each semester how impacted our local contacts are by climate change, whether each circumstance can be scientifically connected to "Climate Change" or not, the lived impacts are noted by our contacts.  We do our best to show students real opportunities through volunteer projects, that educate about adaptive solutions to real problems on their travels.  However, as an organization we recognize that we have a massive carbon footprint if by air travel alone, and our single greatest net-positive influence is the education we facilitate for each of our students; and each person in our community. As an organization, we work to minimize the carbon footprint on each program; live by policies that incentivize green choices; add core climate change curricula into each program; invest in volunteer projects that are effective in real climate change impacts; inspire real conversations; and ultimately work to drive political change so great ideas matter at the scale required.  See our Sustainability page here.

We maintain the highest standards in the gap year industry.

Carpe Diem is accredited by the Gap Year Association (GYA), a nonprofit organization that is recognized as setting the standard for the gap year industry for risk management, responsible community engagement, and educational value. Since becoming one of the first organizations to pass the GYA’s rigorous set of 125 standards in 2014, Carpe Diem Education has continued to be a leader in gap year program safety, quality, and integrity.

We are committed to being the "right fit" for our students, and we are transparent in disclosing any commissions paid for any relevant referrals so students have the right to weigh their own sources.