Civic, Liberal, and Global Education
Welcome to COLLEGE!
Learn more about the new first-year Civic, Liberal, and Global Education (COLLEGE) requirement.
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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Former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer ’59 returns to the Farm for plenary talk
from the Stanford Daily.
May 23, 2025
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Course helps students put pluralism into practice
In Citizenship in the 21st Century, Stanford undergraduates broadened their perspective by engaging across political differences.
May 07, 2025
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‘Civic Salons’ engage students on complex issues
Civic Salons are a joint project between COLLEGE and E Pluribus Stanford
March 18, 2025