For Parents

As a parent of a prospective (or current) Gutenberg student, you undoubtedly have many questions about the institution that will guide your student for four years. Our whole website is designed to answer those questions. In the Frequently Asked Questions section below, however, we have tried to briefly answer those questions that may be at the top of your list. Below the FAQs are links to areas of the website that may be most pertinent to you as a parent. Please feel free to contact the office if you have questions that are not addressed here or elsewhere on the website.

FAQ

Gutenberg does not offer majors. All students graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in the Liberal Arts.

With the changing market and technological advancements, there is an increasing need for generalists. A generalist is someone who has broad knowledge about many subjects and can use that knowledge to develop a sense of the big picture. A generalist can interact and make decisions about complex multifaceted issues across disciplines. A generalist can think outside the boxes that specialists are confined to. Generalists excel in management, cross-disciplinary communication, and business solutions. They are innovative and philosophically grounded, making them exceptionally valuable to employers. Many specialists are available to employers because this path appears to be the most beneficial. However, employers see the need for well-trained generalists, and they are having a hard time finding them. Gutenberg students are trained as generalists. We have seen many students who have excelled in businesses and other fields, leaving behind the specialists who are limited to their specialty.

As one would expect from a generalist degree, graduates of Gutenberg College undertake a wide variety of jobs. This webpage has a list.

Many graduates of Gutenberg have pursued specialized fields, such as law, medicine, finance, and computer technology. Every specialty is accessible to Gutenberg graduates. It should be noted that it is much easier for a generalist to specialize in a career than for a specialist to go back and learn the kinds of skills a student gains at Gutenberg.

The particular educational degrees and course work varies widely in specialized fields. In many cases, students require one or more years of extra education that a student with a specific major would not require.

However, students who receive a Gutenberg degree stand out and are more likely to advance in the workplace after the first few years of employment. At that point, the generalist skills become highly advantageous.

Students who thrive at Gutenberg are:

  • Curious about ideas and the flow of history
  • Self-disciplined
  • Emotionally and socially mature
  • Kind and thoughtful listeners
  • Self-aware
  • Eager readers
  • Excited about classic literature
  • Interested in language and how communication works
  • Seeking to live a life that integrates faith, learning, and meaning
  • Looking to ground their practices in deep understanding

Gutenberg tuition is currently $15,000 per year. For those students who live on campus, the residence program is $6,000 for the academic year. For more information click here.

Gutenberg does not accept federal financial aid. Colleges and universities have become dependent on the various sources of federal money. Few would survive even a year if the government were to withdraw all aid. The threat of stopping federal funding came to public attention when President Trump attempted to influence Ivy League universities. The presidency will shift again someday, and the government may leverage federal dollars to impose new requirements on conservative institutions. To the extent that universities and colleges depend for their existence on a rapidly changing political situation, their missions are vulnerable.

Because Gutenberg College’s educational goals challenge national norms, it is important that it remain untethered from government funds. Thus we do not take federal or state financial aid or grants, even though we are authorized to do so. The government cannot threaten us with a withdrawal of funding.

Gutenberg College offers financial aid in the form of grants, scholarships, and Gutenberg-administered loans. We are committed to making it possible for every student who desires to attend the college to do so. We will partner with the student and his or her family to make the financial picture work.

Many students work while attending Gutenberg. Because of the time-consuming nature of the program, we recommend that students work no more than 10 hours per week.

The Gutenberg curriculum is divided into four years. Students who maintain good academic standing nearly always graduate at the end of four years.

Gutenberg is accredited by the Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS). TRACS is a national accrediting institution, fully recognized by the US Department of Education. Find more details here.

There are no residential requirements while attending Gutenberg College. However, we believe that being part of the residential program significantly enhances the student’s experience and education.

While Gutenberg does not provide extracurricular activities, they are readily available to students in the Eugene area—an advantage of living in a college town like Eugene.

The educational model at Gutenberg resembles an apprenticeship, which is fundamentally relational. Therefore, classes are small by design, ranging from 3-10 students per freshman class.

  • Faith is a journey. Gutenberg is a non-denominational Christian college rooted in the Protestant Reformed tradition. We believe that each human being’s journey of faith must be worked out with God in fear and trembling and that no tradition can do a student’s believing for him. Therefore, each human being must decide how he will respond to God, and each human being must be existentially committed to that response. Gutenberg sees the life of faith as an ongoing process of striving and repenting rather than a one-and-done claim of faith. Gutenberg does not make unrealistic claims about how students will turn out when they graduate—that is between them and God, not them and a college.
  • The Bible. Instead of teaching a doctrinal position, Gutenberg teaches students how to read the Bible.
  • Church-going. Gutenberg encourages church attendance but leaves students to discipline themselves with regard to participation in faith communities beyond the school.
  • No propaganda. Gutenberg avoids religious-sounding propaganda.
  • Pursuit of truth. The Gutenberg faculty believe that what the Bible teaches is true but that non-Christians can also make valid observations about culture. We strive to listen for truth wherever it is to be found, whomever the speaker, in whatever age. We resist the temptation to judge and dismiss an entire author because his or her worldview and conclusions diverge from the Bible. While we read many works that critique biblical Christianity, all those authors are made in the image of God. We approach these authors seeking to dignify their God-given humanity and listen with humility while prizing biblical authority.

Education is fundamentally about practice, and the most important kind of practice is how we relate personally to our learning and educational community. Because Gutenberg is small, students come to grips with the most important kind of practice: learning how to love their neighbor in challenging discussions.