Goddard College

Now in our 149th year, Goddard College operates exclusively on a low-residency model. Students stay on campus for just eight days at the start of each semester. There are two semesters a year, Spring and Fall. The rest of the semester, students work from home or elsewhere, and send packets documenting their studies every three weeks to their advisors. This approach allows for tremendous flexibility, since a student could engage in internships or apprenticeships throughout her/his time at Goddard. For instance, a student could spend a semester learning about sustainable agriculture by working on a farm in New Zealand, and sending packets from there. Semester plans are designed by the students themselves in collaboration with their respective faculty advisors. There are no courses in a conventional sense, and no standardized test scores are necessary to apply for admission. Our philosophy is to respect our students as adults who are capable of designing their own programs of study with some guidance and oversight to ensure rigor. The objective is to optimize learning by putting the student at the center of the process, instead of being the terminal recipient of an externally imposed curriculum. We exist to provide a democratic and holistic learning alternative to conventional institutions. Goddard established the first low-residency degree program in the country in 1963, and adopted the low-residency model exclusively in 2002. In addition to our beautiful main campus on the former site of a working farm in Vermont, our MFA and BA programs are also offered in Port Townsend, Washington, overlooking Puget Sound. The BA and MA Education programs (non-licensure) are offered at our site in Seattle for community-based educators. Goddard is fully accredited by NEASC.