12 Open Curriculum Colleges in 2025

If you're interested in going to school and designing your own course of study, attending colleges with an open curriculum can make that possible. But what does this mean, exactly? And which schools offer this opportunity?

Keep reading as we explore some top open-curriculum colleges and answer your questions about them. We'll also provide some general information defining open curriculum and explaining its key features.

What Is an Open Curriculum College?

Before we discuss our list of open-curriculum colleges, let's define open curriculum. The simplest definition is that open-curriculum colleges have few or no required courses.

Most schools require students to take specific general education courses, also known as distribution requirements, especially during their first year. Open curriculum schools count most or all of their courses toward degree requirements, so students can generally choose to take whatever courses interest them before deciding on a major.

This allows students to design their own academic pathways, often under the personalized guidance of an academic advisor. Interdisciplinary learning and self-driven course selection are often key features of open curriculum programs.

While universities with an open curriculum may not have general education requirements, students in specific degree programs may have to meet core curriculum requirements. This simply means they will have to take specific courses to fulfill the requirements of their chosen degree; aside from these courses, they will typically have the freedom to choose whatever courses interest them.

12 Colleges With an Open Curriculum

Colleges without general education requirements are a great option for students interested in taking control of their own education. Read on as we explore some of the top schools in the U.S. with an open curriculum.

1. Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University is a private school in North Carolina with average yearly tuition ranging from $38,650 to $64,758 depending on the level of study. It offers an open curriculum option that exceptional students can apply for any time throughout their academic careers.

The program gives students some added flexibility in choosing the courses they take and is a highly competitive study option. Students both in and out of the open curriculum program can pursue a variety of majors, including accounting, religious studies, and classical languages.

2. Amherst College

Amherst College is a liberal arts school located in Massachusetts. It offers students a chance to truly explore their interests during their academic journeys by having no core curriculum or distribution requirements.

The school offers 42 majors in areas like anthropology, history, and environmental studies. Students can explore these areas through more than 400 individual courses available each term. Tuition at the school costs around $67,280 a year on average.

3. Grinnell College

Grinnell College, located in Iowa, is another private liberal arts college with an open curriculum. The school has just one required course sequence, a first-year tutorial and first-year experience; aside from these, students can design their own areas of study from the more than 500 available courses.

Students pay an average of $64,862 per year in tuition and can explore a variety of major and concentration options. Areas include art history, computer science, and sociology.

4. Smith College

Smith College is a private school in Massachusetts that boasts only one required course: a writing intensive that all students must complete in their first year. Aside from this requirement, they are free to take any courses they want as they pursue their chosen major.

Degree programs include American studies, dance, and economics, and students can choose to mix and match concentrations according to their interests. Average tuition costs around $61,260 to $61,568 per year.

5. Wesleyan University

Wesleyan University is a liberal arts school in Connecticut costing about $66,716 to $67,316 per year in tuition. It offers an array of flexible and customizable degree programs in fields like archaeology, mathematics, and film studies.

Through the school's open curriculum, students design their own programs and take a blend of courses in three different areas of study. Students develop critical thinking skills as they determine which courses to take and how to best use their educational experiences for their future career goals and interests.

6. Hampshire College

Hampshire College is another private school in Massachusetts offering an open curriculum. Students attending this school typically pay about $56,630 in tuition each year.

The school provides a highly unconventional way of learning, allowing students to design their own majors around questions and topics that interest them. Students progress through their self-directed studies in three yearly divisions (rather than semesters), create portfolios and presentations, and receive narrative evaluations from engaged professors rather than traditional grades.

7. Evergreen State College

Evergreen State College is a public liberal arts school in Washington and one of the few public schools offering an open curriculum option. Highly affordable tuition costs about $8,999 to $12,402 per year.

Students at this school typically design their own majors, as there are no general education or core requirements and all courses count toward a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Students can choose areas of emphasis or choose from several predesigned paths, but most simply create their own when attending this school.

8. New College of Florida

New College of Florida is a public liberal arts school costing just $6,916 to $9,555 a year in average tuition. Students work closely with academic advisors to create personalized educational paths each semester, typically combining traditional classes, tutorials, lab experiences, and independent study projects.

Students can choose from more than 50 majors in areas like biopsychology, creative writing, and public policy. Each program culminates in a senior capstone project that lets students showcase their individuality.

9. Sarah Lawrence College

Sarah Lawrence College is a private school in New York that costs $34,418 to $63,678 per year on average. Majors are diverse and include theatre, geography, and physics.

Students in these programs must take courses from three of the four broad areas of study as they design their own educational path. They combine courses and concentrations from these different areas to create self-designed majors that are uniquely theirs.

10. Bard College

Bard College is another private school found in New York that offers an open liberal arts education. Students typically pay between $41,770 and $63,612 per year for this education.

Students complete three required courses during their first year, along with a variety of electives. These courses and electives help them explore various areas and prepare them to personalize their own education as they progress through their studies. Majors include architecture, literature, and philosophy.

11. Bennington College

Bennington College is a private school in Vermont costing anywhere from $24,617 to $64,644 per year on average depending on your level of study. Students at this school design their own fields of study by combining various flexible courses.

These courses are available either in three-week, seven-week, or full-term formats. Students can pursue personalized majors in education, environment, music, and more.

12. Hamilton College

Hamilton College is located in New York and costs about $65,740 a year to attend. This liberal arts school features majors in data science, psychology, and medieval and renaissance studies, among many others.

The school does not have any general education or core curriculum requirements, allowing students great flexibility in the courses they take. Students must complete courses in writing, reasoning, physical education, and their chosen major; otherwise, they can choose to take whatever courses interest them.

FAQs About Schools With an Open Curriculum

If you still have questions about pursuing a self-directed educational experience, you're not alone. Keep reading as we answer some frequently asked questions you may be wondering about.

Are Open Curriculum Colleges Harder Than Traditional Colleges?

The answer to this question depends on the student. Some learners thrive with freedom, preferring to explore a variety of interests and not be tied to a set program. Other students prefer more structure and would do better in traditional degree programs. Whether or not you find an open curriculum college hard or easy will depend on your own unique learning style.

Do Open Curriculum Schools Have Prerequisites?

Some colleges with an open curriculum may have prerequisite requirements, especially for specific degree programs. However, this will vary from school to school. Check with the admissions department at your school of choice to find out about any applicable course requirements, including prerequisites or core classes you'll need to take.

What Majors Work Best in an Open Curriculum?

Some fields of study are more well-suited for open curriculum learning than others. Open education works well for options like liberal arts, interdisciplinary studies, and self-designed majors, all of which allow for a great degree of flexibility within the coursework. Open curriculum is far less common for structured fields like engineering or pre-med.

Explore Colleges and Universities

If you're ready to design your own program at an open curriculum college, explore the schools featured on Learn.org. Reach out to any of the colleges today to find out more about their curricular opportunities and to choose the right option for you.