• 16- 19 year old students who are:

  • Interested in science, the outdoors, nature, agriculture, local community engagement, and working landscapes

  • Curious about the world around them, how it works, and how to make it better

  • Fans of playing outside

  • Not afraid of getting their hands dirty

Sterling College’s style of learning is unlike the typical high school and college experience. While the terms, "experiential" and “field-based learning” get thrown around a lot, at Sterling, these terms are our ethos. We truly immerse ourselves in this practice. If we want to learn about plants, we go out to the forest to find them, touch them, and see where they live. If we want to learn about farming, we head out to our working farm on campus to see how things run. We learn with active minds, active bodies, and dirty boots. 

All of this happens in the stunning Northeast Kingdom — the most rural, remote, and rugged region of Vermont. You’ll have an incredible educational experience and tons of fun as we adventure in boats, bikes, and all over our on-campus trail network. Take a few weeks this summer to explore natural science outdoors on a college campus, make friends from around the country, and create memories you’ll keep forever.

Students will live on Sterling’s 130-acre campus in our college dorms. They’ll receive the full experience of a Sterling College student— taking class sessions with our expert faculty, participate in campus chores, eat delicious food grown right on our farm, and take advantage of our on-campus rock wall, trail network, and outdoor gear room.

Students will stay in our on-campus dorms and be paired with a roommate for the session. They will have an in-house Community Advisor (similar to a Resident Advisor) for non-class and overnight time, as well as the support of our Student Life team. Sterling’s intentionally small community means students will quickly be on a first name basis with not only the program staff, but every member of faculty, staff, and undergraduate students on campus.

• All-inclusive Program Fee: $3,500

  • This includes room and board, instructor and staff time for Environmental Field Studies and character development sessions, all gear/equipment rental needs, and transportation for all off-campus programming.
    

• Deposit: $500

  • A non-refundable deposit of $500 must be paid at time of program registration, with full balance due on June 15th, 2026. The deposit will be deducted from the balance. 

Program Scholarships and Stipends

Program Scholarships— Affordable access to high quality education is a cornerstone of Sterling College. While program fees are in line (and even below!) many similar programs, we recognize that this may not be financially feasible for some families.

• Vermont Local Scholarship (One Available)— $1,000

  • All students who are full time Vermont residents are eligible to apply.

• Out of State Merit Scholarship (Two Available)— $500

• Travel Stipend— Students traveling from outside of Vermont to participate in the program may be eligible for travel stipends to cover some of the costs to get to Craftsbury Common, Vermont.

• Please indicate on your application if you wish to be considered for a scholarship or travel stipend.

• Dual enrollment: For Vermont students, you will work with your school counselors to apply for Dual Enrollment Vouchers through the Vermont Department of Education. As long as you haven’t already used your 2 allotted vouchers on other college courses, the state will pay for you to earn 3-credits in this course. Students must earn a passing grade in the course in order to receive credit. If a student has used already used their two Dual Enrollment credits, they can still get credit for the program by paying $1,000.

• Sterling Reduced-cost Credit Enrollment: For out-of-state students interested in earning college credit through this course, Sterling is offering a reduced cost tuition rate of $1,000 for 3 college credits. Simply select this option on your enrollment form to elect to participate. Students must earn a passing grade in the course in order to receive credit.