Gen Z doesn’t want to go to college. This startup school wants to fix that—by ditching clubs, sports, and dining halls
Arguably, the most memorable parts of college have nothing to do with education. Participating in clubs, rooting for your team at athletic events, and making friends over food at the dining hall are likely among the fondest memories for alumni of any four-year institution—certainly outranking the hours spent sitting in lecture halls, at the very least. But those anecdotes don’t hold up against…
The Greenway Institute is a new kind of college aiming to revolutionize higher education by eliminating extracurricular activities, on-campus dining halls, and amenities like gyms. This approach is designed to reduce costs and provide students with a more focused, hands-on learning experience. Founded by Rebecca Holcombe, a former Secretary of Education for Vermont, Greenway will open its first campus in Montpelier, Vermont, in fall 2027, focusing solely on engineering.
Greenway's co-founders believe that college has traditionally worked well for some students, but not for others. They aim to create a new model that prioritizes support, mentoring, work-integrated learning, and a tight-knit community. The school plans to charge around $25,000 per year, significantly lower than the current average annual cost of $38,270 for U.S. colleges.
The model also includes a unique work-integrated learning component, where students spend two years in real-world workplaces, earning about $50,000 annually. This income is meant to help students avoid student debt. In their final two years, students are responsible for their own meals and off-campus activities, fostering a sense of independence and responsibility.
To test the effectiveness of this model, Greenway recruited four sophomores from other institutions for a prototype semester in 2025. The students completed projects such as constructing wind turbines and traffic lights. They found the absence of nonacademic amenities, like gyms and sports teams, to be beneficial, as it forced them to collaborate on daily tasks like preparing meals and organizing activities.
Greenway's approach has also strengthened community bonds. Students engaged in local activities like skiing, attending free performances, and volunteering during flood relief efforts. They expressed pride in being part of the Montpelier community and demonstrated that building a strong community does not rely solely on traditional college amenities.
Written by urgent.news from Fast Company's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
