Syracuse Gap Year Program

About Syracuse University

Click here to learn more about life and learning at one of America’s most vibrant and pioneering universities.

Greetings from Syracuse, NY USA

browser not supported

Thank you for your interest in the Syracuse Gap Year Program. If you have questions about applying to the program, or about eventual application for fulltime study at Syracuse University or other U.S. universities, please contact me at nmrothsc@syr.edu.

I look forward to hearing from you!

With kind regards,

Nancy Machles Rothschild
Associate Dean
Office of Admissions

Syracuse Gap Year Program

Send us an email to connect with us, and we'll tell you more!

Experience the American Classroom
Without Leaving Home

Available in London and Madrid

Make the most of your gap year by earning academic credit, while also having flexibility and time to travel, work/intern and volunteer. The Syracuse Gap Year Program provides a combination of first-year courses and exciting electives, all transferable to most U.S. universities.

You can take up to three courses (nine credits), enabling you to enhance your academic credentials and explore a variety of career fields. You'll take classes with American undergraduates and experience American culture and the education system.

Available in fall (September-December) and spring (January-April)
Interdisciplinary curriculum
Non-residential program

Academic Program

Qualified students can take up to three classes (nine credits) in the autumn and/or spring at Syracuse University’s centres in London or Madrid. Certain courses enroll Gap Year students only, and follow the format of first-year classes typically required at American universities. Other courses are taken with American undergraduates currently studying in London or Madrid.

Check out a sample list of courses.

Syracuse Gap Year in London

London courses are offered in a variety of fields, including communications, political science, business, art history, and the performing arts. And if you are an aspiring art or architecture student, you may complete a portfolio preparation workshop for a small additional fee. Click here to read a note of welcome from Program Director Meredith Hyde.

Syracuse Gap Year in Madrid

Madrid courses are offered in accounting, marketing and business, biology, communications, history, literature and film, political science, psychology, LGBT and sociology, not to mention a large variety of Spanish language courses, and other content courses taught in Spanish.

Why Choose the Syracuse Gap Year Program?

Enjoy small class sizes and personal attention in the classroom
Experience American university culture and coursework

Advising guidance is offered, a distinct advantage if you decide that an American education may be your best path

Autumn and spring term options allow time for other gap-year activities
Enhance your transcript with accredited coursework
Non-matriculated/part-time status means you’ll be free to apply to other U.S. universities
Gain a global perspective on education, business, politics, international relations, and more
Experience the American educational system with no commitment to enroll in the future

Make the most of your Gap Year.

Apply today.

Gap Year Madrid Campus

Located in the vibrant heart of the city, the Instituto Internacional is the home of SU Madrid. A former private palacio, the Instituto organizes cultural activities for its students, including lectures, concerts,

Gap Year London Campus

Situated in mid-town, between the West End and the City, SU’s London Centre, Faraday House, is on the edge of the Bloomsbury area, London's university quarter. Students enjoy various amenities at the University of London, including first-rate academic library and subsidized student union facilities with gym, pool, and meal options. Faraday House is currently home to Syracuse University's SU Abroad program in London, which has been sending Syracuse University students to London for 40 years.