What is COLLEGE?
COLLEGE is more than just shorthand for the first-year Civic, Liberal, and Global Education requirement: it signals the purpose of the courses, and a vision for what a college experience can be. Going to college is not just about acquiring the ability to make a living, but about exploring what makes living worthwhile. It’s also about developing the skills that empower and enable us to live together: in our own communities, in a diverse nation, and in a globally connected society.
Four programs offer courses to fulfill the COLLEGE requirement:

COLLEGE Courses
Take two courses in different quarters. Choose from a selection of courses on liberal education, civic engagement, and global perspectives.

Education as Self-Fashioning (ESF)
Offered only in Autumn quarter, ESF is a combined seminar, writing section, and lecture, fulfilling both WR1 and one quarter of COLLEGE.

ITALIC
Year-long, immersive residential program focused on the arts; fulfills multiple requirements including COLLEGE. Students both practice and study art, but previous art experience is not necessary.

Structured Liberal Education (SLE)
Humanities-focused yearlong residential program fulfilling multiple requirements including COLLEGE: a liberal arts college experience within the research university.
COLLEGE in the News
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COLLEGE prepares students for a lifetime of inquiry
The Stanford Report followed the Why College? seminar taught by Provost Presis Drell
January 12, 2023
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How Stanford’s Why College course took one student on an unexpected journey
from the Stanford Report
January 11, 2023
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Dual investments strengthen COLLEGE—Stanford’s reimagined curriculum for first-year students
From the Office of Development
January 09, 2023