We bring together young intellectuals on unique paths and teach them the skills they’ll need for success, however they choose to define it.
Marlboro was founded in 1946 on the basis of a simple yet ambitious idea: that smart, motivated students can make decisions for themselves, and design a college education that meets their unique needs.
Since our first day of operation on a small farm in southern Vermont, Marlboro has always run on a community-governance model. Every member of the college community has a say in what happens here, whether we’re maintaining the miles of wilderness trails that surround us or adding a group tutorial to the course list for the coming semester.
Our faculty pass along knowledge with mutual respect and high standards. Classes of less than 10 students are the norm, and undergrads are treated more like colleagues than students.
As an independent, not-for-profit college rooted in progressive education, Marlboro offers an antidote to the conformity and conventional thinking that characterize many education environments.
How do you define success?
Brad Heck ’04 Awarded Thriving Communities Project Grant
A faculty member in film/video studies, Brad will create a virtual tour of Vermont landscapes affected by climate change.
Alumni Revel in Home Days
Attendees came from as far away as Texas and California, and spanned over 50 graduation years from 1968 to 2019
Radically traditional
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A selection from the college's historic Lilian Farber photo collection adorns the lobby of the Serkin Center for the Performing Arts. -
Not all visitors to Marlboro’s campus are human, or are interested in the humanities. -
Marlboro’s president, Kevin Quigley, holds forth at Town Meeting. Don't worry everyone gets their chance to speak. -
You won’t believe how beautiful Marlboro looks in the fall. (The other three seasons are tied for second.) -
The dining hall is the nerve center of Marlboro’s campus—it’s the location of Town Meeting, it’s where we eat (obviously), and it’s also a primary study spot and group meeting place.
Education, unbounded
During your time at Marlboro you’ll dig deep, make connections across areas of study you’re passionate about, and produce original research unlike anything you’ve attempted before.
No matter what you study, a Marlboro education is structured so you’ll graduate with three skills fundamental to success: the ability to write clearly, to collaborate across differences, and to lead ambitious projects from concept to reality. We call it the Marlboro Promise, and it drives everything from our academic offerings to our community events.
Independent thinkers and doers
Marlboro graduates chart unconventional paths, driven by intellectual curiosity and an impulse to question the status quo.
About 75 percent of our students go on to graduate school. Marlboro alumni also have the flexibility to create fulfilling careers across a lifetime. You can find them making an impact in government, science, education, the arts, and as entrepreneurs of all kinds.