This special issue addresses the significance, challenges, and transformative potential of out-of-classroom learning for holistic student development in higher education, with particular attention to the global South. It includes six articles from regions such as South Africa and Mauritius, covering diverse contexts and disciplines, from engineering and teacher education to music, psychotherapy and student-led initiatives. Together, these contributions examine the impact of experiential, co-curricular, and community-based learning on student engagement, belonging, well-being and academic success, especially in resource-constrained and post-pandemic settings. Framed within the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, the issue underscores that intentional, relationship-rich, and context-sensitive out-of-classroom experiences are vital to fostering equitable, meaningful and sustained student development.