Before your externship starts, we will work with you on the professional development needed to prepare for your externship.

Internships and externships are very similar in that they are time-limited jobs that provide purposeful, short-term work experience in a professional setting. Externships are typically shorter in duration than internships, are generally unpaid, and are intended to give students a short but meaningful professional experience that can aid in their path to career.

The cost of the program in $7,995. Students may opt to earn up to 18 semester credits for their work in our program through a partnership with Portland State University, and there is an additional cost of $1,700 for this academic coursework. This administrative fee is set by Portland State University and the Gap Year Association, and it covers enrollment in special student status at Portland State, grading, and registrar costs.

No, but we take care to match our participants with one of our coaches based on a number of factors, the most important of which is impact potential. 

Our coaches are enormously skilled and enjoy working with young people with diverse interests. It doesn’t happen often, but if the match between participant and coach is not proceeding well we’ll intervene, and if the situation is untenable we’ll match you to a new coach.

We look to match our participants with a coach based on the potential for learning outcomes. Our coaches are working professionals who are working in a variety of fields, many of which will be relevant to the interests to an individual student. Coaches share professional savvy from their own work experiences and help contextualize that for the participants they advise based on the interests of the individual. For instance, a skill we focus on in the program like negotiation would be applied differently for a participant interested in entrepreneurship versus another participant focused on the performing arts. It isn’t just about learning the skills; coaching adds the depth and insight and perspective of working professionals that show how those skills can be applied with professional etiquette. Some of the companies at which our coaches are employed full-time include Google, Lyft, University of California San Francisco, Airbnb, Fire Capital Management, Newsela, Coach, Zapier, PopEd - The Education Studio, Story Count, Foundry College, Diversibility, Tesla, and Microsoft.

Yes, you’ll be able to choose from a variety of virtual volunteer options to select one that matches your interests most closely.

Yes, academic credit can be earned by those wishing to do so. Students have the option to earn up to 18-quarter hours (12-semester credits) of college credit through Portland State University via a partnership with the Gap Year Association (GYA). Students interested in earning academic credit for their gap experience at Year On will be enrolled in a non-degree seeking student status at Portland State University where they’ll choose from more than a dozen courses specifically designated for participants in gap year programs like Year On. All coursework can be completed remotely. Assignments include reading, journaling, and writing, and there is a significant amount of flexibility in terms of how you can tailor your focus of study within each course. Since Portland State University is an accredited institution through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, coursework completed at PSU is widely accepted throughout the country at both public universities and private institutions. To ensure that PSU credit will successfully transfer and not interfere with a deferral plan, we encourage students to contact their college or university’s admissions office directly.

Possibly, and only if you’re planning to earn academic credit. According to current federal guidelines on 529 plans, funds can be withdrawn without penalty to pay tuition and fees at any postsecondary educational institution with a federal school code. Portland State University’s federal school code is 003216. However, It’s always best to consult your 529 plan manager and a licensed financial planner before making any financial moves with your tax-advantaged college fund.