Deep Springs College, in a secluded valley in the eastern California desert, is a highly selective educational institution which has a student body of only 26. The nearest town is 40 miles from campus. Students agree to stay on campus during the full academic term. Drugs and alcohol are strictly prohibited.
The college does not grant bachelor’s degrees but after two years at Deep Springs, a large percentage of the student body transfers to highly selective undergraduate institutions. In the past 10 years, 16 percent of Deep Springs students transferred to Harvard, 13 percent to the University of Chicago, 7 percent to Yale and 7 percent to Brown.
The founder of the college, Lucien L. Nunn made a fortune providing electricity to miners throughout the West. He envisioned a college where young men could learn and govern themselves without the distractions of modern society. Throughout Deep Springs College’s 94-year existence, only men have been admitted. However, the trustees of the school have now voted to admit women.
Tuition at the two-year school is free. But all students are required to work 20 hours a week at the college’s cattle ranch and alfalfa farm.
A timetable for making the transition to coeducation has not been set. But the earliest that women will enroll is the summer of 2013.
