WELCOME TO THE OUTDOOR ACADEMY!

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We are so excited that you are joining this community of students, faculty, and over 1,300 alumni around the world. There’s a lot to look forward to and a lot to do to get ready for your semester in Pisgah Forest.

You probably have some questions. If so, this page is for you! Here are a few places to start…

I'm looking for the packing list.
What should I bring? How much space will I have? What about gear?
Here you go!
I have some questions.
(or maybe a lot of them!)
Check out this FAQ

Calendars

The Fall 2025 semester will run from August 23 to December 13, 2025. The Spring 2026 semester will run from January 24 to May 16, 2026. Each OA semester includes:

  • An on-campus Orientation Week and orientation backpacking trek
  • “Learning” and “Leading” backpacking treks off campus as well as a week of whitewater canoeing, rock climbing, and camping in Pisgah Forest
  • A mid-semester Campus Visit Day and a Closing Day with campus tours, sessions with faculty and staff, a Craft gallery, and time with the other students and families in your semester.

Here are semester schedule overviews for Fall 2025 and Spring 2026. These calendars will be updated as programming dates are finalized closer to Opening Day. As an example, you can view the filled in Fall 2024 and Spring 2025 semester calendars.

Academic Forms

All incoming students must complete an Academic Course Registration form. Once completed online, the form will send you a pdf to be signed by you and your school. Often it works best to have your sending school advisor, registrar, dean, etc. fill out the form, or to fill it out alongside them.

Fall 2025 Course Registration
SPRING 2026 COURSE REGISTRATION

There are also supplemental forms for students taking: Spanish, Geometry, Algebra II, or Precalculus.

OA’s Curriculum Guide and Community Manual are great resources if you have questions about academic life at OA. Additionally, feel free to reach out to us if there’s anything you’re still wondering about. 

The Community Manual and Curriculum Guide are key documents to help you prepare for your semester:

Health Forms

All health and medical forms can be submitted on SchoolDoc. Once you are enrolled, new sections for each form will appear on your SchoolDoc profile. Questions about those forms can be directed to the OA Medical Coordinator or the Admissions Office.

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LOG IN TO SCHOOLDOC

OA Enrollment Checklist: 

⇒ Sign the Enrollment Agreement (via Docusign) and make your enrollment deposit

⇒ Complete your Academic Forms, with signatures from your school where needed

⇒ Acquire packing lists and submit any requests to borrow outdoor programming gear  

⇒ Use SchoolDoc to complete your health forms and parent/guardian questionnaire 

⇒ Make travel plans and communicate to OA if airport pickup is needed 

⇒ Take a deep breath and do a celebratory dance! You did it! 

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As you’re preparing, remember to take a minute to check in on recent updates from campus: