What Atlantis does

Atlantis, legally operating as St. Mary's Institute for Educational Excellence, LLC and marketed as "Atlantis by CEA CAPA Education Abroad," provides immersive hospital shadowing study abroad programs for U.S. pre-health undergraduate students. Founded around 2006 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the company organizes 1-9 week clinical shadowing experiences during academic breaks across 30+ locations in 10 European countries including Spain, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Hungary. Its core product, the 360 Shadowing program, delivers 60-200+ hours of AAMC-compliant clinical observation, rotating students through multiple medical specialties and exposing them to complex procedures like surgeries in developed European healthcare systems. Programs are conducted in English and bundle housing, meals, insurance, excursions, and 24/7 support into a single program fee.

The business model is direct-to-consumer: students apply through the Atlantis website, pay one-time program fees, and work with the admissions team throughout the process. The company supplements the core shadowing offering with Service-Research Projects (internship-like research engagements at elite healthcare organizations such as Children's National Hospital, Roche, and UNICEF), optional Harvard Medical School HMX online course certification, multi-country program variants, and supporting tools like the SERS readiness calculator. Atlantis monetizes through program fees (pricing not publicly disclosed) with financial aid and financing options available, and has no disclosed external funding, operating under the institutional umbrella of CEA CAPA Education Abroad, one of the largest U.S. education abroad operators.

The go-to-market is sales-led and community-led, combining digital content marketing and university pre-health advisor relationships with alumni-driven referrals from a network spanning 500+ U.S. universities. Atlantis claims strong student outcomes — 97% of alumni reference the program on their medical school applications, 93% progress on AAMC Core Competencies, and alumni have been admitted to 40 of the top 50 U.S. MD programs including Harvard, Stanford, Duke, and Yale. Customer segments extend beyond pre-med to pre-PA, nursing, and graduate public health students, positioning Atlantis as a diversified experiential education provider within the pre-health admissions support market.

Name

Atlantis

Legal name

St. Mary's Institute for Educational Excellence, LLC

Website

https://joinatlantis.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Atlantis provides immersive hospital shadowing study abroad programs for U.S. pre-health undergraduates, offering 1-9 week clinical experiences across 30+ European sites, with supplementary research projects and Harvard Medical School certification.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pre-Health Study Abroad Programs

akta.pro primary industry

Faculty-Led & Custom Group Study Abroad Programs (EDAIAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Structured Gap Year Programs (Multi-Sector & Rotational) (EDAIAGAJ)

Keywords

• Pre-health shadowing programs
• Clinical shadowing abroad
• Study abroad programs
• Medical school preparation
• Experiential healthcare education

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Program Fees: Atlantis generates revenue through program fees charged to participants for shadowing study abroad experiences. Programs include housing, meals, insurance, excursions, hospital shadowing hours, and support services. Financial aid options are available to help students fund participation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Atlantis operates pre-health hospital shadowing study abroad programs for U.S. undergraduate students. Programs run 1-9 weeks during college breaks in European destinations (Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal), providing 60-200+ clinical shadowing hours through physician observation across multiple medical specialties. The company also offers Service-Research Projects at elite healthcare organizations and optional Harvard Medical School HMX course certification.

Product overview

Atlantis offers a unified pre-health clinical shadowing study abroad experience centered on its 360 Shadowing model. The core product is hospital shadowing programs in European destinations (Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal) providing 60-200+ clinical hours over 1-9 weeks, with AAMC-compliant observation of surgeries and complex medical procedures. Complementary offerings include Service-Research Projects (SRPs) for internship-like research experience at elite healthcare organizations, optional Harvard Medical School HMX course credentials, multi-country program variants for enhanced intercultural perspective, and supporting tools like the Shadowing Readiness Score calculator. All offerings target U.S. pre-health undergraduates (pre-med, pre-PA, nursing, public health) seeking clinical experience to strengthen medical/PA school applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 360 Shadowing / Hospital Shadowing Programs Hospital shadowing abroad program for pre-health students offering 60-200+ hours of clinical shadowing over 1-9 weeks in European destinations (Italy, Spain, Greece, Portugal). Students shadow doctors in multiple specialties, typically rotating one specialty per week, with AAMC-compliant observation of surgeries and complex procedures. Programs include housing, meals, insurance, excursions, and 24/7 support.
• Service-Research Projects (SRPs) Full-time internship-like programs where pre-health students work under an Atlantis Project Leader on real projects within elite healthcare organizations such as Children's National Hospital, Roche, UNICEF, and San Matteo Pavia. Students perform data-driven research, develop problem-solving frameworks, and present insights to management.
• Multi-Country Programs Shadowing programs that take place in multiple countries within a single 2-9 week program, allowing students to compare healthcare systems across different European countries and deepen intercultural perspective. Hours are split among locations such as Italy, Spain, and Portugal.
• Harvard Medical School HMX Course Optional self-paced online course offered through Harvard Medical School HMX, with potential to earn a certificate from Harvard Medical School upon completion. Available with select Atlantis programs as a credential-enhancing component.
• Course Credit Support Guidance and assistance for students seeking academic course credit from their home universities for Atlantis program participation. Includes support for internship course registration, independent study arrangements, and credit transfer processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of Atlantis alumni progressed on AAMC Core Competencies for Entering Medical Students
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• San Matteo Hospital (Pavia, Italy)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021San Matteo Hospital in Pavia, Italy was one of the first hospitals to fight COVID-19 in Europe. Atlantis ran Service-Research Projects focused on mental health of healthcare workers during the pandemic. Hospital described student work as 'truly remarkable and invaluable.'
• Harvard Medical School (HMX)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtlantis partners with Harvard Medical School to offer HMX online courses as part of certain programs. Students can earn a certificate from Harvard Medical School upon completion. This partnership provides prestigious credentialing for Atlantis alumni applying to medical school.
• CEA CAPA Education AbroadcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAtlantis is operated by CEA CAPA Education Abroad, a leading organization in the education abroad industry. CEA CAPA provides institutional support, infrastructure, and partnership networks for Atlantis programs.
• Children's National HospitalflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerChildren's National Hospital in Washington D.C., ranked top 10 pediatric hospital nationally, partners with Atlantis for Service-Research Projects. Students analyze childhood health disparities and racial equity in healthcare, delivering data-rich reports and Tableau visualizations. Atlantis and Children's National co-presented at ASPPH 2021.
• RochecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoche, the world's largest pharmaceutical company, partners with Atlantis for Service-Research Projects. Students work on healthcare projects with one of the most elite healthcare organizations globally.
• UNICEFflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNICEF, a United Nations agency and world's largest provider of vaccines, partners with Atlantis for Service-Research Projects. Students contribute to international organization projects focused on child health and humanitarian work.
• ATS InsurbiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerATS Insurbia is a regional health agency in Italy tasked with integrating healthcare services for citizens in its territory. Partners with Atlantis for Service-Research Projects on regional healthcare planning.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Gap Medics: Operates pre-health gap year and hospital shadowing programs abroad for high school and college students—directly overlapping Atlantis's pre-health study abroad positioning.
• Child Family Health International (CFHI): Provides global health education and clinical immersion programs for pre-health and health professional students, targeting a similar applicant pool with comparable intercultural healthcare exposure.
• Work the World: Specializes in healthcare internships and clinical placements abroad for students and graduates, serving the same pre-health and medical student demand with comparable in-country program delivery.
• Projects Abroad: Global volunteer and internship provider with dedicated pre-med, pre-PA, and public health placements abroad, competing for similar prospective student applicants across multiple destinations.
• International Medical Aid: Offers medical mission trips, hospital internships, and pre-health shadowing programs abroad for U.S. undergraduate applicants, directly mirroring Atlantis's experiential pre-med offering.
• Global Pre-Meds: Hospital shadowing and clinical exposure programs designed for pre-med students, with destinations and applicant profile closely aligned to Atlantis's core customer.

Broad incumbents

• CEA CAPA Education Abroad: Atlantis's operating parent and a leading multi-city study abroad provider; offers broader academic study abroad programs but shares infrastructure, distribution, and brand with Atlantis.
• IES Abroad: Large, established study abroad operator offering academic programs across many disciplines and cities; broad incumbent that could expand into pre-health specialty tracks alongside Atlantis.
• CIEE: Major non-profit study abroad organization with a wide portfolio of programs and university partnerships; a broad incumbent whose distribution reach could be redirected toward pre-health offerings.

Emerging players

• Go Elective: Smaller emerging provider of pre-health internships and hospital placements abroad (notably in Africa), competing for a subset of Atlantis's applicants seeking alternative destinations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/joinatlantis
• Facebookfacebook.com/joinatlantis
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/joinatlantis

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Atlantis