GAP years could be given the same value as Highers, according to one of Scotland's leading figures in education.
Sir Andrew Cubie said he wanted to see travel abroad placed on the same level as some academic qualifications.
The chairman of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework suggested such a move might increase opportunities for people from different backgrounds and varying talents.
However, teaching unions warned putting gap years on the same level as formal academic qualifications could increase inequality.
The university gap year has been perceived in some quarters simply as an opportunity for rich students to take an extended holiday.
Universities Scotland said any changes to the system should not apply to students on gap years "bumming around Australia".
Sir Andrew, author of the 2010 Cubie Report reviewing university tuition fees, believes the change would help bring together academic qualifications and "wider achievement".
He said he would "absolutely" like to see things such as gap years, volunteering and vocational studies be worth the equivalent of academic qualifications.
He said university bodies could be persuaded to radically alter procedures in a move away from focusing on traditional academic achievement.
It would see people given the same merit for a year abroad as, for example, spending fifth or sixth year at school studying subjects such as maths, chemistry or English.
Project Trust, one of the longest established gap-year organisations in the UK, sends students to voluntary projects in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Volunteers for the Coll-based organisation now complete a level 3 foundation year in global volunteering and citizenship, on the basis of which some have received conditional university offers.
Eilidh Lamont, 19, from Inverness, who volunteered with Project Trust in Ghana for 12 months as a pre-school and primary teacher in 2013/14, said: "Receiving a foundation year in global volunteering and citizenship for completing the Project Trust programme has really made a difference.
"It helped me get my current job and it looks amazing on my CV.
"I am writing my personal statement for my university application and it is a clear and concise way to sum up the hard work I put in."
The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework already applies a points system that allows for comparisons between different qualifications.
Sir Andrew hopes the Framework will encourage young people to follow ambitions that go beyond a "piece of parchment".
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