Programs typically are five or six nights, with at least 22.5 hours of academic course work plus some extracurricular activities. To keep tuition modest, participants live on campuses or at comparable educational or commercial facilitates.
Meals are wholesome and nutritious institutional fare.
Individuals 55 years of age and older are eligible. A spouse or adult companion need not be 55 to attend. The University of Southern California's Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies on Catalina Island offers upwards of eighteen five-day Elderhostel programs per year. Tuition includes all classes, materials, field trips, room and board, and transportation to Avalon at the end of the program. Programs focus on natural science and environmental studies.