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What Is the EcoLeague?

The  is a consortium of colleges that are leaders in experiential, place-based, ecological, and sustainability-focused liberal arts learning, climate change action, and sustainable operations. The member colleges offer semester-long student exchanges in which you can immerse yourself in experiential learning in diverse bioregions and communities across North America and abroad. Dickinson students have participated in EcoLeague semester exchanges to enrich their majors by studying and working with students and faculty members in the places that are home to the EcoLeague colleges as well as to explore fields of study not available at Dickinson.

The EcoLeague member schools include:

•  (Anchorage, Alaska)
•  (Bar Harbor, Maine)
•  (Carlisle, Pennsylvania)
•  (Sarasota, Florida)
•  (Prescott, Arizona)
• (Canton, New York)

Dickinson students who participate in an EcoLeague exchange pay tuition to Dickinson and room, board, and other fees to the host college where they go to study. Students who receive financial aid to attend Dickinson are eligible for financial aid to participate in an EcoLeague exchange. Course credits transfer readily as general credits toward your Dickinson degree. Approval is needed for courses count toward a Dickinson major and distribution requirements.  

Areas of Study

While the EcoLeague Colleges have strengths in environment and sustainability related fields, they also offer excellent courses in a many other fields. Whatever your major(s) at Dickinson, you can find courses that can help you advance your educational goals.

At you can study marine and environmental sciences, sustainability studies, outdoor studies, environmental public health, community and place-based education, Alaska Native governance, business administration, counseling psychology, health sciences, and creative and professional writing.

offers a cross-disciplinary program in human ecology that includes courses in biology, climate change and energy, community planning, farming and food systems, field ecology, literature and writing, marine science, sustainable business, visual arts and design, and other fields of study.

has 40 academic programs spanning natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities. Programs include, for example, anthropology, art and art history, biology and marine biology, data science, environmental studies, philosophy, psychology, urban studies, and Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish languages.

At , students pursue undergraduate degrees in six interdisciplinary areas of study that include Adventure Education, Arts and Letters, Cultural and Regional Studies, Education and Teacher Preparation, Environmental Studies, and Human Development. Within these areas, students can take courses in adventure education, agroecology, conservation biology, cultural and regional studies, Latin American studies, peace studies, psychology, counseling psychology, visual arts, women’s studies, and other fields.

offers 47 majors and 41 minors. Their curriculum includes a wide array of environmentally themed courses across many disciplines, outdoor leadership experiences, and unique experiential learning opportunities focused on the North Country region of New York, including the Adirondacks and the St. Lawrence watershed, as well as east Africa through their Kenya Semester Program and shorter-term summer courses.

Learn More

To learn more about student exchange opportunities at EcoLeague member colleges:

• Fill in our form.
• Explore the EcoLeague website: .
• Click the links in the previous section to learn about the member colleges.
• Email Professor Jorden Hayes, Associate Professor of Geosciences and Dickinson’s EcoLeague Faculty Representative at hayesjo@dickinson.edu to request a meeting. 

Eligibility and Application Process

Dickinson students are eligible to apply to participate in an EcoLeague exchange if they are:

• In good academic standing and have a GPA of 2.6 or better and
• In good financial standing with no outstanding fees.

Interested students should speak with their academic advisor about the suitability of an EcoLeague exchange for their academic goals and with Professor Jorden Hayes, Associate Professor of Geosciences and Dickinson’s EcoLeague Faculty Representative, for information about the EcoLeague member colleges.

To apply, Dickinson students need to complete (i) the EcoLeague application form and(ii) Dickinson’s Center for Global Study & Engagement (CGSE) online application in Studio Abroad.  

The applications require:

• A two-page essay describing how the EcoLeague experience fits into your academic career plans and what you hope to gain from the experience.
• Approval from your academic advisor
• Approval from the Registrar, Student Accounts, and Financial Aid offices (when applicable) confirming your understanding and eligibility to participate.

Deadlines for application:

• October 15 for a spring semester exchange.
• March 15 for a fall semester exchange.

Start  to fill out the EcoLeague application.
Go  to complete the Dickinson CGSE Studio Abroad portion of the application.

For assistance with the application process, students may contact the EcoLeague Consortium Director, Brady McCartney, by emailing him at coordinator@ecoleague.org or Professor Jorden Hayes at hayesjo@dickinson.edu.