Institute For Shipboard Education

The best transformational study abroad world program on a ship for 100 days for college students, gap year students, faculty, staff & life long learners! Come join us & give!

SAS provides a life changing experience for students, faculty, staff, and lifelong learners. The organization (ISE) is ethical and transparent. I sailed as an academic administrator. Wonderful experience!

I sailed on Semester at Sea back in 1985 and it was the best experience I have ever had. Truly the best experience I had during college!

SAS is a fabulous international educational experience! Where else can you literally see the world and study courses towards your college degree. The experience formed the foundation for my international career and I am excited to give back to this amazing program so others can benefit from this experience!

This is a fantastic program that I have been honored to be a part of as a volunteer and former staff member. I am still in touch with the students, faculty, staff and crew who I sailed with; people who were truly invested in learning about the world, cultures, environment and people. To this day I have deep conversations that continue to inform how I explore and live life in a rich way. The fiscal responsibility of this non-profit as well is outstanding, and one of their current big bets is access to education and to this experience, with a robust scholarship program.

Semester at Sea was one of the most transformational experiences in my life. I've always been curious about the world but this program took my curiosity and appreciation for different cultures and experiences to another level, and profoundly impacted many of my personal and professional decisions.

Semester at Sea creates environments in our organization that enhance global learning, understanding and interconnectedness.

SO happy this program made it through a challenging COVID era - they need donors to ensure the program lives on for future generations.

This program changed, informed and continues to inform my life! I sailed as a student in 2000. I am especially impressed by how well the organization managed its money and its people to navigate the pandemic and emerge so well. I am pleased and proud to donate and believe my funds are in good hands and better the future of global citizens.

ISE, which manages the Semester at Sea program, is a first-class organization. Consider Semester at Sea for a study abroad program. Or, sail as a lifelong learner, an adult paying passenger, and let the college students keep you young again!

ISE is an incredibly effective program that prepares students to be global citizens. Their stewardship of resources is transparent and highly professional. As a donor I have been extremely well treated and the staff is always responsive. I can’t recommend this program highly enough!

Love the program and what it offers to students who sail. I sailed for one week as a guest and had the experience of a life time.

I love Semester at Sea! The program changes lives and the alumni change the world!

Best educational experience ever. Life changing and transformational global experience! Best bang for your buck! A must do as a student or life long learner!

Semester at Sea does a great job of stewarding donations. The program expands the worldview of students and creates global leaders.

The goal of shipboard education is great. I do not have first hand experience with the current management, but they seem to work hard on the ever present financial challenge of running an expensive and extensive program.

When I was an on board undergraduate student in 1967, the experience was outstanding and opened new possibilities for me. For that experience I'd rate it Five Stars. My current medium rating is only because I don't have recent experience other than as a donor and recipient of its newsletters.

If you are interested in educational travel, stay away from “Enrichment Voyages.” They use the ship that normally runs the Semester at Sea program (MV Explorer). There are some very good lectures on board when you are at sea, but the Enrichment Voyage policy is to raise as much money as possible to support other programs. In other words, the goal is to “enrich” their coffers but not necessarily your brain. They push cheap sweet drinks, at high costs on board, sell logo items at high prices and offer shore programs that are mostly shopping trips, with minimal educational value. You learn very little on shore trips that would help you to tell one port from another. Management has not trained the ship staff in respectful behavior towards senior citizens. For example, they confiscated distilled water necessary for a medically essential CPAP machine (then days later, reluctantly sold the person a bottle of distilled water for $15). The staff response to a request of a lip-reader to face him and speak slowly was for them to yell at him. My recommendation for senior citizens and serious learners: Consider travel with any other educational travel program but Enrichment Voyage. They were wonderful some years ago, but now they are fundraising and marketing to bargain hunting, escapist, “Groupon” tourists and highlighting many mindless “fun” activities, which are entertaining – if that is what you want.