529 Plans, AmeriCorps & College Credit
Stay on Track: Earn College Credit While You Travel!
Through our partnership with Western Colorado University (WCU), and through their Extended Studies program, you can stay on track and earn college credit while you travel. You may also use your 529 College Savings Plan or AmeriCorps Education Award to pay for the Winterline Global Skills nine-month Gap Year Program.
We recommend that you contact your school prior to credit registration and payment to verify it will accept these transfer credits.
WCU will offer credit for the following sections of the Global Skills nine-month Gap Year Program.
ROE 297 Introduction to Outdoor Education, 2.5 credits; $315
ROE 297 Wilderness First Aid, 0.5 credits; $60
BUAD 297 Innovation and Project Planning for Life, 3 credits; $375
ENVS 297 Special Topics: Tropical Land and Marine Environments, 3 credits; $375
Three weeks after you’ve completed these sections, you must submit the assignment described in the WCU packet to WCU for final grading.
Anyone can register – you do not have to be a current WCU student.
Getting Started
Step One
Complete and submit the application for the Winterline Global Skills nine-month Gap Year Program. Be sure to inform our Admissions department that you intend to use your AmeriCorps Education Award or 529 College Savings Plan.
Step Two
Upon acceptance to the Winterline Global Skills nine-month Gap Year Program, review the WCU Extended Study page, then download, complete, sign, and submit the WCU Winterline Global Education Registration Packet to WCU. Please note that the packet must be submitted no later than 30 days prior to the date tuition is due at Winterline.
Step Three
After submitting the registration packet and receiving confirmation that WCU has received it, submit payment to WCU including the fees for both your WCU credits and your Winterline tuition. Detailed payment instructions are included in the packet.
Questions? To learn more about using your 529 Savings or AmeriCorps Education Award to support Winterline tuition, contact us at Admissions@winterline.com or call us at 888-737-4226.
For questions about college credit and the 529 and AmeriCorps process, the quickest way to reach the Western Outdoor Programs staff is at outdoorprograms@western.edu.