HMI Semester:
A Semester of Learning and Adventure in Colorado
HMI is akin to a college study abroad program, but for high school juniors and seniors. Students spend a full academic semester on our campus and return to their home schools invigorated about education, connected to nature, and experienced in leadership.
Four Months in Colorado & Utah
Three Wilderness Expeditions
Rigorous Honors & AP Classes
Students who attend the HMI Semester complete a full course-load of honors and AP-level classes in order to reintegrate smoothly into their home academic environments. They live on our campus surrounded by curious and ambitious peers in sustainable, off-the-grid cabins. Unique to HMI, students spend five weeks of the semester backpacking and skiing in the mountains of Colorado and the canyons of Utah. In their remaining years of high school and beyond, our alumni consider their semester away at HMI one of the most important and formative periods of their lives.
A typical HMI Semester is...
30 – 40
High School Students
23
States Represented
26
High Schools Represented
33%
Public School Students
28%
Students of Color
34%
Students Receiving Financial Aid
Who should apply?
- High school sophomores and juniors interested in spending a semester at HMI the following year.
- High-achieving students–HMI is not a wilderness therapy or rehabilitative school.
- No previous outdoor experience is required to participate–only an interest in spending extended periods (10-18 days at a time) outdoors in wilderness settings.
- Approximately 30% of students receive financial aid; HMI aid packages can include free outdoor gear rental and cover flights to and from Colorado.
The HMI Semester is selective; we accept high-achieving, academically-oriented students looking to make the most of their high school experience. Our students come from diverse backgrounds and attend public and private schools across the United States and abroad.
Our sending schools
Since 1998 students from hundreds of high schools have attended HMI. Use the map to see if your high school has sent students before, or work with your school to be the first student to attend HMI.
Eight member schools have made significant commitments to HMI by allowing financial aid to travel with their students who participate in the HMI Semester.
Are you a high school administrator/teacher interested in building a partnership with HMI? Learn how to become an HMI sending school.
Parent testimonial
