Deep Springs College

Deep Springs College

Type	Private junior college
Established	1917
Founder	L.L. Nunn
Accreditation	ACCJC
President	Andy Zink
Dean	Ryan Derby-Talbot
Total staff	30 (approximate)
Students	26 (approximate)
Location	Deep Springs , California , U.S. 37°22′26″N 117°58′48″W / 37.3739°N 117.98°W / 37.3739; -117.98
Campus	Rural
Website	deepsprings.edu

Deep Springs College (known simply as Deep Springs or DS) is a private junior college in Deep Springs, California. With the number of undergraduates restricted to 26, the college is one of the smallest institutions of higher education in the United States.^[1] In L. Jackson Newell's 1982 assessment of Deep Springs College, he states that it "ranks second among the nation's institutions of higher learning with respect to the aptitude of the students it admits".^[2] Though it offers an associate degree, most students transfer into a four-year college after completing their studies. Those enrolled pay no tuition and are given room and board.

Founded in 1917 as Deep Springs, Collegiate and Preparatory, it was originally a men's college backed by funding from L. L. Nunn, a lawyer and businessman. Nunn envisioned an unorthodox form of education that combined academic rigor, manual labor, and self-governance. Located in a geological depression, its campus is situated within a cattle ranch with the aim of providing a secluded environment away from urban life so undergraduates may focus on their studies and leadership ability. The college is primarily maintained and self-governed by students, becoming a coeducational institution in 2018.

The college's alumni include Rhodes and Truman Scholars, two Pulitzer Prize recipients, three MacArthur Fellows, and winners of an Emmy and Lawrence Award, among multiple academics and congressmen.