Goddard College

Overview

Enrollment

320

Goddard College overview
Location	Plainfield, Vermont
Online	goddard.edu
School Type	Private 4 Year
Setting	Distant Rural

Goddard College overview
Size	Small
Status	Non-profit
On Campus Housing	Yes
Level of Study	Undergrad/Graduate

Goddard College, located in rural Plainfield, Vermont, operates as a low-residency institution on a former sheep farm comprising 425 wooded acres. Founded in 1938 as an experimental educational institution, Goddard pioneered the concept of individualized study and learner-designed education, allowing students to develop their own study plans in consultation with faculty advisors. The college offers progressive undergraduate and graduate programs in areas such as creative writing, psychology, education, and sustainability, with students attending brief residential sessions while completing most coursework remotely from their home communities. The historic campus features a mix of 19th-century farm buildings and mid-century modern architecture, including the distinctive Greatwood Manor House and the former Clockhouse, which now serves as a writing center. Students attend intensive eight-day residencies at the beginning of each semester, with housing provided in dormitories and converted farm buildings during these periods.