Deep Springs College

Deep Springs College

Deep Springs is a private, alternative college in Deep Springs, California, in the United States. A two-year college, the institution currently aims for a student body size of 26, though the number is occasionally lower. After completing two years at Deep Springs, students may elect to receive an associate's degree, although this rarely happens in practice. Most continue their studies at other universities, out of which two-thirds go on to earn a graduate degree, and over half eventually earn a doctorate.

From its inception in 1917, the college has been all-male, until its board voted, in Fall 2011, that it will begin accepting female students in the summer of 2013. There are currently active legal challenges to the Trustees' action, disputing their power to circumvent the terms of the Trust.

Deep Springs is in Deep Springs Valley in Inyo County, California near the larger Owens Valley and about 25 miles (40 km) over mountain passes from the nearest town, Dyer, Nevada, and 45 miles (72 km) from the nearest town of significant size, Bishop, California. The official name of the institution is "Deep Springs College." It was founded under the name "Deep Springs, Collegiate and Preparatory." Deep Springs was one of a few remaining all-men's liberal arts colleges in the United States, but efforts to persuade the trustees to approval of going coed finally succeeded in the fall of 2011.