Alternative Breaks

• Gain transferrable skills and experience applicable to future personal, professional, and civic endeavors
• Serve as a valuable voice for student involvement and will have an opportunity to help guide the direction of the AB Experience
• High level of responsibility and unique leadership experience leading peers through an experiential education program 
• Organizational experience through experience-planning and coordination 
• Building close relationships within a community of diverse peers, staff and faculty
• Deeper understanding of social issues, root causes, service-learning, social change and social justice concepts 

ELs participate in weekly synchronous trainings  led by the AB Staff & asynchronous trainings on ELMs, which will give you the tools you need to be ready to lead a group of your peers on a transformative experience

Interested students must be willing & able to commit to the full duration of the experience and any pre-trip meetings organized by the trip’s Experience Leaders.

Students will participate in deliberative and reflective dialogues, direct service, and meaningful education, where they will exchange, evaluate, and take action towards different ideas and approaches that challenge specific social, political and economic structures of our domestic & global communities. Direct service with community partners will demonstrate how students can turn their knowledge into action in safe, responsible, and sustainable ways.

The AB program is completely alcohol- and drug-free. Participants will abstain from any alcohol or drug use during all AB related events, activities, and trips.

Step 1: Review the Current Experiences we are offering this year! You will register for the specific trip you want to go on to immeditately reserve your spot. 

Step 2: Sign up for your trip. 

Step 3: At the time of registration, you will be responsible for filling out a Participant Agreement, Liability Waiver, and Health Information forms. 

Step 4: Registration will not be complete until you submit the $75.00 non-refundable deposit OR indicate that you would like to pay the deposit with a payment plan or apply for a scholarship. 

Step 5: Once your complete your registration, your spot will be reserved on the trip that you selected.

Waitlist

If the trip you would like to register for is full, you can indicate that you would like to be on the waitlist. Should a spot open up, students will be contacted in the order that they put themselves on the waitlist. 

Trip costs typically range from $150 - $1500. Program cost is all inclusive of lodging, meals, transportation, and education activities. For the specific cost of each trip visit our Current Experiences page. Scholarships and payment plans are offered on a needs basis.

To keep our program accessible and affordable for all Terps, we do offer scholarships if you are in need of financial assistance in order to participate in the Alternative Breaks Experiences. The option to apply is a part of the registration form for each trip, to ensure that your spot is reserved. 

Based on need, we will be able to cover full or partial experience registrations for students. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, but be sure to apply for the scholarship by the stated deadline, otherwise your spot will be released. 

Trips are open to any undergraduate or graduate student who wants to explore community development, civic engagement, local issues, leadership, and service! 

Alternative Break Experiences are all in-person, though pre-experience meetings can be virtual if that is what works best for each teams’ schedules. Individual trips can vary based on the specific activity and location. Trip descriptions may contain additional or more specific information regarding accessibility. If you have questions or concerns about your ability to participate in any of the experiences, please contact us at alternativebreaks@umd.edu.

Participants are required to pay a non-refundable deposit of $50.00 at the time of registration. If you cannot pay the deposit at the time of registration, you will have the option to select a payment plan or apply for a scholarship. 

Participants will submit the remainder of the trip fees at least one month before their experience departs. If a participant fails to do so, any outstanding charges will be debited to their UM student account.

If a participant needs financial assistance in order to pay for any portion of their AB experience, they should select the option to apply for a scholarship on the registration form.

If a participant does not attend their experience, they will not be able to get a refund for the $50.00 deposit and will be responsible for any other charges already accrued by the AB office on their behalf (i.e. flight reservations, program fees, etc.). In addition, family members, friends, or other individuals contributing to trip expenses will be unable to receive refunds for their donations.

If for some reason, a participant cannot attend your experience, they must let the AB office know immediately and fill out a payment appeal to prevent further charges from being added to your balance.

Staff/Faculty Advisors serve as advisors and mentors for the Experience Leaders by providing guidance and resources through the whole planning process & the experience itself. 

• Alternative Break Experiences will take place during the university's Spring Break:
  • Spring Experiences: March 14 - 21, 2026
• Staff Advisors will be paired with experiences in early Fall 2025 after applying and meeting with AB Staff.
• As staff advisors your commitment will begin several months before your assigned experience. This will include:
  • Staff advisor specific trainings, trainings alongside the co-Experience Leaders, planning/pre-experience meetings with the rest of your AB team, and AB events that are scheduled throughout the year.
• All Staff Advisors' experience expenses are covered in full, including transportation, lodging, and food.
• Pending eligibility to receive overload pay, and dependent on current and evolving university hiring restrictions & approval, AB is able to offer a small overload stipend for taking on this role outside of typical work responsibilities.

• Fill out the application form - open now through July 31, 2025.
  • Full-time UMD Faculty/Staff members are eligible to apply
• Review the Staff Advisor Position Description for information about specific responsibilities and requirements.
• Review the Current Alternative Break Experiences
• Upon completing the application an AB Staff Member will reach out to you to schedule a conversation to get to know you! Staff Advisors will be selected & confirmed on a rolling basis.