Member Colleges

Sterling College

Founded in 1958 in Craftsbury Common, Vermont, Sterling College is the leading voice in higher education for environmental stewardship and rural place-based education.

The College was among the first colleges in the United States to focus on sustainability. With degrees in Environmental Studies, Sterling College uses education as a force to address critical ecological problems caused by unlimited growth and consumption that is destroying the planet as we have known it. Our mission is to advance ecological thinking and action through affordable experiential learning that prepares people to be knowledgeable, skilled, and responsible leaders in the communities in which they live.

FAST FACTS

The College’s motto is “Working Hands. Working Minds.”

80% of electricity on campus is produced through solar power.

#1 healthiest dining hall in the country, ranked 60% higher than the national average.

Student-to-Faculty ratio is 6:1.

All students living on campus work to help pay for books, housing and meals.

61% of students are Pell Grant recipients.

Tuition, room and board in 2018-19 is 20% less than other private New England colleges.

Sterling College was one of the first liberal arts colleges in the world to focus exclusively on environmental stewardship education.

For four consecutive years, Sterling has received a STARS (Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System) Gold rating from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE).

#11 coolest school in the country as ranked by Sierra Magazine.

21% of the student body are first generation college students.

79% of students come from the Northeast.

Sterling students graduate with 50% less loan debt than the national average.

14,298

Total combined student work hours during the 2016-2017 academic year.

WC

A federally recognized Work College. All students work at campus jobs to help offset the cost of tuition.

30%

of Sterling’s food is grown on campus.

80

The number of hours, on average, that each Sterling student works per semester.

88%

of Work College graduates agree that work program experience was an important way to reduce their college cost.

UNIFIED BY PURPOSE

OUR WORK COLLEGE MEMBERS

There are currently 11 federally recognized Work Colleges, eight are members of the Work Colleges Consortium. These institutions are small, private, liberal arts colleges with modest enrollments that range from about 150 to approximately 1,600 students. Each school is unique and operates the work program in a slightly different fashion. However, “work-learning-service” is a central component of each work college. Student work, coupled with robust academics and a spirit of service, is the common denominator shared by all the work colleges.

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Sterling College

FAST FACTS