Deep Springs College: A Unique Experiment in Higher Education

Deep Springs College, often referred to simply as Deep Springs or DS, stands as a distinctive institution in the landscape of American higher education. Founded in 1917 by L. L. Nunn, it is a private junior college located in Deep Springs, California. What sets Deep Springs apart is its commitment to a unique educational model that combines academic rigor, manual labor, and student self-governance. With an enrollment limited to approximately 26 undergraduates, it is one of the smallest colleges in the United States. While it offers an associate degree, the majority of students transfer to four-year colleges to complete their bachelor's degrees.

The Vision of L.L. Nunn

Deep Springs College was the brainchild of L. L. Nunn, a business magnate who amassed his wealth through the construction of alternating current power plants in the Western United States. Nunn envisioned an unorthodox approach to education that would cultivate not only intellectual prowess but also a strong work ethic and a sense of civic responsibility. After building power plants across North America, he devoted his wealth and influence to developing new forms of education.

Nunn's career began in Telluride, Colorado, a small mining town where he operated a diverse set of businesses including several gold mines. Upon realizing the importance of electricity for mining, he used his assets to start what would become the Telluride Power Company. To staff his company, Nunn devised a unique in-house education system. Bright and hardworking young men were recruited to receive extensive training for free so that they could take leadership roles at the plants. Each student would begin by taking coursework in addition to their daily jobs. Education soon eclipsed business as Nunn’s primary concern. In 1909, he established the first Telluride House to provide room and board for his pupils earning degrees at Cornell University. The Telluride Association was formally constituted to administer the house. Nunn had discovered in the American west, where small towns were largely autonomous, that self-governance could foster individual virtues. Thus, he incorporated the idea of self-governance into the Telluride Association. Both the Telluride Association and the house at Cornell continue to operate today. His final project was to found an independent college that would prepare students for a “life of service to humanity” through a three-part program of liberal arts, student self-governance, and labor. After considering a number of possible locations, Nunn purchased a cattle ranch in eastern California that would become the campus of Deep Springs College.

The Three Pillars of Deep Springs

The educational program at Deep Springs is built upon three core principles: academics, student self-governance, and manual labor. These pillars are not merely ideals but are integrated into the daily lives of students, shaping their educational experience and fostering a sense of responsibility and community.

Academics

Deep Springs College is a two-year liberal arts program where students literally shape their own education. While there are writing and public speaking requirements, "there are no majors or concentrations, and students are encouraged to explore a variety of topics in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences." Students are expected to bring a high level of preparation and engagement to their classes, which are generally constructed around seminar-style discussion and often have fewer than eight participants. The academic rigor and work ethic required to get into Deep Springs is well-known, and mandatory public speaking and writing studies serve to further prepare students for life beyond college.

Student Self-Governance

The Student Body is responsible for many aspects of running the College, admitting students, hiring faculty, and reviewing student and faculty performance. Since Nunn had discovered in the American west, where small towns were largely autonomous, that self-governance could foster individual virtues, he incorporated the idea of self-governance into the Telluride Association.

Labor

Each student also labors roughly twenty hours each week. The Labor Pillar is an integral part of a Deep Springs education, and all students must work twenty hours a week in an assigned role, building a sense of dedication to community and a strong work ethic that translates to the real world. As students learning to be citizens of the world, many eventually go on to “a life of service” following the completion of a degree.

A Secluded Location

Located in Deep Springs Valley, a geological depression nestled between the White and Inyo mountain ranges, the college's campus is situated within a 32,000-acre (13,000 ha) cattle ranch. The nearest sizable town is Bishop, California, and the closest commercial airport is in Las Vegas. This physical isolation is integral to the Deep Springs experience, providing a secluded environment away from the distractions of urban life, allowing undergraduates to focus on their studies and leadership development.

Deep Springs is isolated within Deep Springs Valley, a geological depression between the White and Inyo mountain ranges, with the nearest sizable town being Bishop, California, and the closest commercial airport being in Las Vegas. With the college's campus consisting primarily of its 32,000-acre (13,000 ha) ranch, its physical isolation plays a central role in the educational experience. Deep Springs used to have a direct telephone line crossing the White Mountains, but difficult maintenance made service unsustainable. The line was replaced in the 1980s by a wireless radio link connecting to the Bishop central office. Because the radio signal is relayed using a repeater station high in the White Mountains, and because the first relay out of Deep Springs Valley does not have line of sight, the system is subject to outages caused by high winds and inclement weather. Previously, the college's Internet connection was an unusually slow 14.4 kbit/s data channel multiplexed into the radio link.

Life at Deep Springs

Life at Deep Springs is "a whirlwind of activity, from labor to class to meals to labor again to meetings to a few precious hours of sleep." To thrive at Deep Springs, "one has to learn how to enjoy people, work, and engagement." Students value the "natural beauty of the desert" and often enjoy hiking in their downtime. Typical conversation topics among students commonly include "what work needs to be done, what decisions need to be made, [and] which classes are most interesting." Or, as one student succinctly describes it, "Sunsets. Hegel. Welding. Jane Austen." Students say that while some people may "find such a lifestyle stressful and unsustainable, we find it meaningful and valuable." Although "life can be intense," students do let loose, albeit in unique ways. Deep Springs does not offer tours or visits to the general public or to prospective applicants.

Admissions and Financial Aid

Between twelve and fifteen students are admitted each year. Each receives a full scholarship; the college covers the costs of tuition, room, and board for every student offered admission. In exchange, Deep Springs students are expected to dedicate themselves to lives of service to humanity. The full-scholarship for tuition, room, and board is awarded automatically to all admitted students, regardless of financial need, country of origin, or any other considerations. For international students, the application process is like the application process for domestic students, with one major exception: If an applicant has not attended an English-speaking secondary school or college, we ask for proof of English proficiency through the TOEFL, the IELTS, Duolingo, or other equivalent exam.

For the first part of the application, we will ask you to write several essays, describe your extra-academic interests and activities, and submit your grades. Test scores are not required, but applicants may still submit them. (The Deep Springs CEEB/SAT/AP/TOEFL code is 4281; the ACT code is 0252). All students traveling to campus for their interviews will need to have a COVID vaccination. The second round consists of more essay writing, submission of letters of recommendation and official transcripts, and a visit to the college. Over 3-4 days, you will be expected to labor with students, listen in on classes and have an interview. Interviews are conducted by the Applications Committee-a group of students, staff, and faculty who are responsible for choosing the next incoming class. Decisions are released in April and students who are admitted begin class at the beginning of July.

Transfer students who have not completed a four-year degree are welcome to apply. There are no special deadlines or processes for transfer students, but they must submit transcripts from their college-level careers in addition to secondary school transcripts.

The Move to Coeducation

The possibility of coeducation had been debated by the Deep Springs community since the 1960’s. In the 1990s, the school's leadership debated transitioning the college to be coeducational. Whereas many women in the Telluride Association advocated for the change, a large portion of the school's alumni wished to keep its status as a men's college. Though the board of Deep Springs voted against making any change in 1994, in 1998 the college accepted a $1.8 million low-interest loan from Telluride under the condition that Deep Springs would begin admitting women by 2019. In 2011, the college's trustees voted to begin accepting female students in the summer of 2013 but became embroiled in legal challenges which were lodged against the trustees' action. The challengers disputed the authority of the college's board to change the admissions policy and included an injunction preventing the college from accepting female students until at least the 2018-2019 academic year. On April 13, 2017, the California Court of Appeal ruled that the college could admit women. The Deep Springs Board of Trustees voted in 2011 to begin admitting women but a legal challenge was brought by the two dissenting trustees. After more than five years of litigation, the California Supreme Court resolved the issue with a ruling in June, 2017, permitting the college to proceed with plans for admission of women as students.

Alumni and Legacy

Despite the small number of admitted students, Deep Springs disproportionately produces members of academia with the majority of graduates going on to receive doctorates. Alumni include multiple scholars, professors, authors, scientists, and members of government. The college's alumni have been awarded Rhodes and Truman Scholarships, three MacArthur "genius grants", two Pulitzer Prizes, one Emmy award, and one E. O. Lawrence Award, among other honors. Since Nunn’s death in 1925, the college has evolved while maintaining many tenets of his original vision. Alumni have gone on to become leaders in a number of fields, some receiving MacArthur Grants, Pulitzer Prizes, and Truman and Rhodes Scholarships.

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Since Deep Springs is a two-year school, most everyone transfers to a more typical four-year institution, and even though some take a year or two to travel or volunteer after their time at Deep Springs, ultimately, more than 95 percent of students complete a bachelor’s degree and more than half go on to receive graduate and terminal degrees. Of the recent years of students leaving Deep Springs, the most common schools transferred to included Yale, Brown, Stanford, and the University of Chicago.

The League of Nunnian Schools

Since the founding of Deep Springs in 1917, four other Nunnian institutions have come into existence. Each is built around the three pillars of Labor, Academics, and Self-Governance. While their approaches vary, each is oriented towards the development of their students’ moral characters in addition to their minds. Together with the Telluride Association, founded in 1911, these compose The League of Nunnian Schools. The League aims to support existing and developing Nunnian projects in America and around the world. Nunn’s model has been adopted or adapted by several other colleges, and may be considered as one of the primary influences for the “microcollege” movement. An expanding list of colleges that can be grouped into this movement is maintained by Thoreau College. Some are specifically inspired by L.L. Nunn’s vision, others are striking out in new directions.

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