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Fall 2026 scholarship opportunity

Interest closes Friday, August 14

Fall 2026 · Austin, Texas

Ask about a full-ride scholarship for LeapYear.

LeapYear is a nine-month, in-person Christian gap year in Austin for high school graduates.

Tell us how to reach you. We’ll share current scholarship availability, explain what an award covers, and show you the fastest way to apply. Students and parents can both use this form.

I am
Interested cohort

We’ll only use this information to follow up about LeapYear scholarships.

You’ll grow in faith, take on real responsibility, and test possible careers before choosing what comes next.

Scholarships for Fall 2026 Several full-ride scholarships are available

A full-ride award covers the full LeapYear program. Housing and ordinary living expenses are separate. Additional merit- and need-based aid is available.

Scholarship interest closesFriday, August 14

Scholarships are awarded on a rolling basis, so earlier interest helps. Interest closes Friday, August 14, and final decisions will be made by then.

A LeapYear student in conversation with mentors around an outdoor table
Year One · Conversation around the table

LeapYear students have deferred admission to

  • Stanford
  • Purdue
  • Texas A&M
to spend a year here before college.

Why LeapYear

After high school, big decisions come quickly.

LeapYear gives you nine months to build a life with God while you try real work and take responsibility alongside people who know you well.

You’ll leave with convictions you’ve begun to live and a next step backed by experience.

The question running through the year Who are you becoming?

Get scholarship details

The arc of the year

The year starts with close support. By spring, you’re leading the way.

As your judgment grows, so does your freedom. Each phase gives you more ownership of your time, work, and decisions.

A LeapYear student mapping career ideas during a workshop
Career Design turns your questions into work you can test.

  1. Foundations · August–December

    Story

    Who am I? Whose am I? What story am I living in? You build the habits and relationships the year will require. You study the Christian story, learn to lead your attention, and complete closely guided career experiments.

  2. Exploration · January–March

    Role

    Where do I fit? What is mine to do? As the structure loosens, you choose questions to investigate, meet practitioners, lead your peers, and turn curiosity into action.

  3. Application · April–May

    Action

    How will I show up from here? By spring, you manage your time against real milestones. You finish a signature project, build a portfolio, and present what you learned at Showcase.

One year, three strands

Spiritual formation, leadership, and career design shape the same year.

Each strand changes how you move through the others. A question about work becomes a question about identity. A leadership challenge exposes a habit. A conviction becomes something you act on.

  • Spiritual Formation

    You’ll study the Christian story, wrestle honestly with its claims, and build practices that connect faith to the choices you make.

  • Leadership Foundations

    You’ll start by leading your own time, attention, habits, and commitments. Then you’ll take responsibility for people and work that matter.

  • Career Design

    You’ll meet people doing work that interests you, try pieces of that work yourself, and use what you learn to choose your next direction.

What it looks like

You’ll spend the year doing real work with real people.

Books and discussions matter. So do the moments when another person is counting on you to finish the job.

Known, loved, and stretched

Community

You share the year with a close cohort and full-time program director. People notice when you show up, pull back, or are ready for more.

Personal attention

Coaching

A coach helps you notice patterns, make sense of experience, and own your next step.

Shared points of return

Retreats

Retreats open the year, deepen your cohort, create room for discernment, and help you notice how you are changing.

Evidence before commitment

Career Design Sprints

You follow a vocational curiosity into conversations, site visits, and hands-on experiments. Every sprint ends with something learned or made.

Responsibility with stakes

Leadership Challenges

Plan and fund an international service experience with your team, then carry it out together.

Lives worth learning from

Exemplar Experiences

Host dinners, visit workplaces, and learn from people whose work and character belong in the same conversation.
LeapYear students gathered around a conference table during a Career Design Intensive
A Career Design Intensive gives students tools they use throughout the year.
A LeapYear student serving a meal during a community service experience
Leadership Challenges put responsibility in a student's hands.
LeapYear students in a small group coaching conversation
Coaching and retreats give students room to name what they are learning.
Get scholarship details

“Before my gap year I realized that you need to be surrounded by great people and have structure in your life in order to flourish. LeapYear has given me both and I truly feel like I am flourishing.”

Sawyer V.LeapYear student

A real option for this fall

You could be in Austin with the Fall 2026 cohort.

The cohort arrives August 24. You’ll start with clear rhythms, high expectations, and people committed to knowing you well. Over nine months, you’ll take more ownership of your time, work, faith, and direction.

If you can picture yourself here, ask about scholarships now. If you’re a parent, you can ask on a student’s behalf. We’ll explain what each award covers and what to do next.

Get scholarship details
Program
9 months, in person
Location
Austin, Texas
Cohort begins
August 24, 2026
Full-ride awards
Several full-ride awards
Award covers
The LeapYear program
Paid separately
Housing and living expenses
Interest deadline
Friday, August 14
Decisions
Rolling now

Good questions

Questions worth asking before you apply.

Where and when does LeapYear take place?

LeapYear is an in-person, nine-month program in Austin, Texas. The Fall 2026 cohort begins August 24. You’ll need to be present for coaching, intensives, spiritual formation, and community events.

Who is a good fit for the Fall 2026 cohort?

LeapYear is for you if you’ve graduated high school, are ready to take ownership of your life, and want a year of Christian formation, real responsibility, and career exploration before your next major commitment.

What does a full-ride scholarship cover?

A full-ride award covers the full LeapYear program, including assessments, the kickoff retreat, intensives with industry leaders, coaching, spiritual formation, career design support, community events, program materials, and alumni access. Housing and ordinary living expenses are separate.

What if college is already part of the plan?

You can still consider LeapYear. Many students request a deferral after accepting admission. LeapYear students have deferred admission to Stanford, Purdue, and Texas A&M; each college sets its own policy.

How long does the application take?

Most students finish the application in less than an hour. It covers basic information and a few written responses so the LeapYear team can get to know you.

How are scholarships awarded?

LeapYear has several full-ride scholarships available for Fall 2026, plus additional merit- and need-based aid. The team is awarding scholarships on a rolling basis and will finalize awards Friday, August 14. Submit the interest form by August 14 to be considered.

Fall 2026 starts August 24

See if you qualify for a scholarship

Several full-ride scholarships are available, with additional merit- and need-based aid. Tell us you’re interested by Friday, August 14.

Get scholarship details