Deep Springs College is a US liberal arts college in the Moyave Desert. The programme lasts two years and there is no tuition fee. All students are expected to be heavily involved on the ranch. Students spend at least 20 hours a week working with the cattle or in the garden. Every seven weeks they are given a new work position. The guiding principles of Deep Springs College are effort, self-determination and community service. Work and learning at the college is designed to teach students both the possibilities and the limitations of democratic processes. The basic rules at the college include abstaining from alcohol and drugs. During the school year, students are not allowed to leave the valley where the ranch is located. Committees of students and teachers decide on the areas of application, study structure and content, evaluation and communication with the outside world. Positions to be filled, such as treasurer, fire chief and archivist, are also decided jointly. Every Friday evening there are discussions lasting several hours. Each year, 12 to 15 students are accepted. Between 6 and 15% of applicants are accepted, making Deep Springs one of the most selective colleges in the US. The college has only been accepting women since 2018.

School practice that offers students the opportunity to be part of a community where they can learn, work, be in nature and understand the limits of democratic processes in a self-determined way. The nature of learning is designed to promote intellectual understanding and humane action.

Testing democratic processes and their possibilities as well as limits in everyday life / At the same time, all students and teachers are in direct contact with nature

Lucien Lucius Nunn