• Undergraduate
    • Ecology
    • Environmental Humanities
    • Outdoor Education
    • Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems
    • Wilderness Field Program
    • Wendell Berry Farming Program
  • Continuing Education
  • EcoGather
  • Admissions and Aid

Apply

Sterling College » Admissions and Aid » Apply

"I'm so glad that my passion finally led me to Sterling. Here, I feel like I can really connect to the community in different ways, which is unique in the college world." -- Gina Basiliere, ‘17

Scroll Down

Apply Now for Spring 2023 & Fall 2023 | Read More

  • Institutional COVID Updates
  • About Sterling
    • At a Glance
    • Accreditation
    • Mission and Vision
    • Our Leadership
    • Strategic Initiative
    • Creative Style Guide & Policies
    • Sustainable Sterling
    • Sterling Timeline
    • Employment
  • Admissions & Aid
    • Transfer Applicants
    • Veterans
    • International Applicants
    • Visit Sterling!
      • Visit Campus
      • Accommodations
    • Financial Aid & Scholarships
      • Scholarships
      • Net Price Calculator
      • Work College
    • Tuition, Room & Board
  • Academics
    • Find your program
      • Ecology
      • Environmental Humanities
      • Outdoor Education
      • Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems
      • Self-Designed Major
      • Climate Justice Minor
      • Draft Animal Power Systems Minor
      • Education Studies
      • Natural History Minor
      • Natural Resources Conservation Minor
    • Faculty
    • Rian Fried Center
    • The Foundation of Sterling’s Curriculum
    • Course Catalog
    • Academic Calendar
    • Graduation Requirements
      • Senior Year Research Projects
    • Advising
    • Brown Library
  • Wilderness Field Program
  • Wendell Berry Farming Program
  • EcoGather
  • Continuing Education
  • Life at Sterling
    • Work College
    • Community
    • Safety and Security
    • The Sterling Kitchen
    • The Farm
    • Student Activities
    • Athletics
    • Health & Wellness
    • Residence Halls
  • For Alumnx & Supporters
    • Outcomes
    • Sterling Timeline
    • Job Board
    • Alumnx Resources & Stories
  • Parents & Families
  • Make A Gift
  • Online Store
  • More
    • Contact Sterling
      • Office Directory
    • Directions
    • News & Events
    • The Blog
    • Corporate Foundation and Government Relations
    • Intranet

Yes!  Let’s Make It Happen

We are delighted that you have decided to apply for admission to Sterling College. Your application will be reviewed with great personal care, and you are encouraged to contact us throughout the process to discuss your application and your interest in ecological thinking and action.

  • Sterling College is a proud member of  The Common Application.

After you submit your application, an admission counselor will contact you to schedule an interview. We encourage you to connect with us at every stage of the application process. Please feel free to reach out by phone or e-mail if you have questions, want more information, or simply want to share what advancing ecological thinking and action means to you.

  • Information about Safety and Security at Sterling College (Clery Act).

Sterling College Online Application

Apply Now for Spring 2023 & Fall 2023 with Common App


Place-Based-Ecology

Students heading into class in the Cedar Swamp as part of our place-based Ecology curriculum.

$500

Visit Sterling College and we will reimburse you up to $500 for travel expenses if you decide to enroll full time. So save your receipts!

Trustees Emeriti

David Behrend ’60
Susan C. Bryant
Marvin Brown, Alumni Parent ’85
Lewis Cohen
George J. Hill, M.D., D.Litt., Alumni Parent ’85
Jackson Kytle, Ph.D.
Peter Albert McKay, J.D. ’63
Virginia de Ganahl Russell
Mark Schroeder, Ph.D.

Sterling College Admissions Deadlines

Admission Deadlines

We can’t wait to get to know you. Our admission counselors are your personal guides to the college application process. If you miss a deadline, have questions about part of…

Sterling College Admission Policies

Admission Policies

Sterling College is a community in which people of all backgrounds and identities can feel at home, where differences are embraced and where individuals take responsibility for furthering the dignity…

Sterling College Sustainable Food Systems Gallery

Financial Aid & Scholarships

Cultivating Access Choosing to go to college is one of the most important events in a student’s life. Sterling College is committed to make this transformative education accessible. We do…

  • Moxie Mehegan

    Dean of Admission & Financial Aid

  • photo of Financial Aid Officer Barb Stuart, standing and smiling in front of a colorful garden and a spruce tree in summertime

    Barb Stuart

    Director of Financial Aid

  • Weylin Garnett

    Admission Counselor

Open
Regardless of your flock - at Sterling College we look out for each other! That's what being part of the community is all about! #WhereSmallisBetter
71 0
Open
The Ecology Essentials for Everyone course is essential for anyone looking to understand how the world really works – with or without us humans. You'll develop a strong understanding of ecological principles, scientific thinking, and how to live more lightly on the Earth. Register today! Link on bio.
20 1
Open
These days, it seems that everyone has a better, purportedly more sustainable way to farm: organic agriculture, carbon-farming, regenerative agriculture, climate-smart agriculture, permaculture, and sustainable intensification. As alternatives to synthetic and extractive forms of industrial agriculture abound, it can be tough to tell which have real promise and which are green-washed nonsense (or worse). 

Agroecology – an approach that blends natural and traditional science with a set of farming practices and a social movement –  stands out among the alternatives. It fundamentally trusts farmers to work with nature to develop their own approaches that produce food while maintaining ecosystem integrity and avoiding depletion. 

Our self-paced online course in agroecology is designed to empower farmers, gardeners and agriculture professionals alike - providing an invaluable understanding of agricultural sustainability and food movements for those who strive for social justice.

Link on bio.
60 1
Open
The present climate and ecological emergencies are a global problem that requires immediate action. We must work together to find solutions that will help to mitigate these crises. Enroll into Climate + Change self-paced and online.  Starting at $49!  Link on bio.
26 0
Open
Ivy Manner's Senior Year Research Project was entitled 'Ecological Building & Design' where she designed and built an outhouse from scratch, including felling, extraction, sawing, and building.
284 9
Open
New issue of our annual publication, Terrain, has dropped.  Take a read, link on bio.
41 0
Open
Sterling offers more than just undergraduate degrees.  We are quickly building a host of online curriculum for learners of all ages and levels.  Co-created by communities, consulting scholars, and Sterling College educators, EcoGather intersects community, practitioner, and academic insights without privileging any one over the others.  The resulting courses are accessible to and enriching for varied learners at all stages of adult life.  Check it out at : http://ce.sterlingcollege.edu . EcoGather - education that makes sense in a world that does not.
51 0
Open
Countdown is on until our Southwest Field Semester starts!  February 6th!
55 0
Open
Scenes from this year's Winter Expedition ❄️

 photo credit: Ryan Conners
96 0
Open
These days, it seems that everyone has a better, purportedly more sustainable way to farm: organic agriculture, carbon-farming, regenerative agriculture, climate-smart agriculture, permaculture, sustainable intensification. As alternatives to synthetic and extractive forms of industrial agriculture abound, it can be tough to tell which have real promise and which are green-washed nonsense (or worse). 

Agroecology – an approach that blends natural and traditional science with a set of farming practices and a social movement –  stands out among the alternatives.  It fundamentally trusts farmers to work with nature to develop their own approaches that produce food while maintaining ecosystem integrity and avoiding depletion. 

Developed by conservation leader and applied researcher Britt Basel, this Agroecology course provides learners with a nuanced understanding of agroecology’s many facets. The course materials, which include carefully selected readings, resources, and recorded lectures, are enriched with practitioner interviews and exercises that encourage immediate application. 

This course is designed for learners of all ages and backgrounds and is priced at $249.  Link on bio.
96 0
Open
Anonymous online review: "Sterling is an experience. It is not like your normal college where you get a bunch of textbook work. Being a work college, you have the opportunity to learn work ethics and skills through the work program and through some classes. It is for those who want to put the work in. The college is off the beaten track and thus relies on its student body to be there for each other be it for keeping paths open or picking potatoes. Also being such a small school, you can step into classes that help broaden your overall knowledge and help you become a better steward of the environment you live in.

From my time there I learned how to work and that from hard work comes celebration. I found my passion for outdoor education and made life long friends. I learned skills that are older than me, that help me in my daily life.

All in all, Sterling gave me a challenge that led to me becoming a well rounded person both in work and education."
50 1
Open
The kitchen is the keystone of Sterling College. All students are part of Sterling’s sustainable food systems, through farming, cooking, and eating. The curricular system and the kitchen are inextricably linked. So when we say that at Sterling everyone has a seat at the table, we mean it literally.

There is nothing institutional about cooking or eating at Sterling College. The College prides itself on local, healthy food made with love. Everyone at Sterling is part of that equation. The kitchen is cooperative and collaborative, students have a say, and dialog is welcome.
164 11
  • Apply
  • Give
  • Inquire

Additional
Resources For:

Info For

  • Students
  • Admitted Students
  • Parents & Families
  • Alumnx
  • Faculty & Staff
  • Board of Trustees
  • Veterans
  • Contact Sterling
  • Employment
  • Directions
  • Site Map
  • Policies
  • Calendar
  • The Blog

Sterling College
PO Box 72
Craftsbury Common, VT 05827
(802) 586-7711

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.

Sterling acknowledges that the land on which we gather—places now known as Vermont and Kentucky—are the traditional and unceded territories of several indigenous peoples: the Abenaki in the North and the Shawnee, Cherokee, Chickasaw, and Osage people to the South. We also learn in-and-from a range of landscapes that belong to other indigenous peoples.

As we seek deep reciprocal relationships with nature, we respect and honor the place-based and cultural wisdom of indigenous ancestors and contemporaries. Words of acknowledgement and intention are just a first step. We must match them with acts of respect and repair.

Copyright 2023 Sterling College

Memberships & Affiliations