Applications Now Open for Ralston College’s MA in the Humanities
News 15th September 2025
A bold new class of American students will make up Ralston College’s fifth graduating cohort.
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Hold a Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
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Have a strong record of academic achievement, and
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Demonstrated evidence of sustained, focused, first-rate intellectual work
“Ralston College was founded on the clear conviction that students can be liberated from the narrow confines of the present and the many uncertainties of the future, when they have sure access to the greatest works of the past. When approached with curiosity, sincerity, and an open mind, the humanities offer an infinite resource to help every individual flourish on their own terms."
The Ralston student community is remarkable for its courage and camaraderie. Beyond their collective embrace of a rigorous and robust curriculum–an experience for which Ralston College is well known—students have founded many clubs and societies to channel their passions, for sport, singing, music, drama, cooking, language learning, and beyond.
Who can apply to Ralston College?
Previous graduating classes have included students from 49 American states with prior academic and professional experience in the realms of arts, science, mathematics, engineering, music, psychology, and criminology.
Their undergraduate degrees have been granted by a wide range of universities—national, international, public, and private–and include several Ivy League institutions such as Yale and Columbia.
In addition to a record of strong academic achievement, successful applicants to Ralston College have shared:
- An ambition to reflect deeply on fundamental questions
- A readiness to read and think for long hours
- A willingness to question one’s own assumptions, and to engage with the thoughts of others in a spirit of intellectual charity and good faith
What is student life like at Ralston College?
Each year, the Ralston College MA is governed by a theme that provides a pathway across disciplines and through time, stretching from classical antiquity to our present age. The theme of the 2026–27 curriculum is “Beauty”, which will serve as a thread to guide students’ engagement with the dozens of works of literature, philosophy, art and archaeology that they study. More deeply, though, the College’s commitment to beauty serves as the guiding light to how it approaches the very mission of fostering an intellectual society.
Throughout each term, students live in a tight-knit community—whether on a small bay on the island of Samos in Greece or on the College’s campus in historic Savannah. There they learn to speak, listen and read Ancient and Modern Greek together, share meals, and pursue common interests such as sport, painting, acting, and musical performance.
Who teaches at Ralston College?
At the heart of Ralston College’s Master’s program is the ability for students to have direct access to, and long-form conversations with, world-class academics.
The curriculum is taught by faculty and lecturers with degrees from the universities of Cambridge, Princeton, Yale, Cornell, Emory, Notre Dame, The Courtauld Institute of Art, Strasbourg and the Warburg Institute at the University of London. Students also enjoy lectures from dozens of visiting scholars and renowned musicians from around the world, in addition to excursions throughout Georgia’s Lowcountry, as well as an annual student-led academic Symposium.
Students are welcome to attend Ralston College’s many public events and lectures, including its annual Sophia Lectures which, since the launch of the series in 2022, have welcomed well-known scholars to explore the perennial questions of philosophy as they bear on the meaning and value of modern life.
In 2025, the Sophia Lectures were delivered by renowned evolutionary biologists and the hosts of the DarkHorse Podcast, Brett Weinstein and Heather Heying. In 2024, the Sophia Lecturer was the celebrated psychologist, philosopher and public intellectual Dr Iain McGilchrist. The inaugural Sophia Lectures, delivered in 2023, were by the distinguished philosopher from the University of Cambridge, Dr Douglas Hedley, who discussed his series in conversation with President Stephen Blackwood. All Sophia Lectures were welcome guests among student activities throughout their respective stays in Savannah.
How much does Ralston College cost?
The College has a strong scholarship program to ensure that applicants’ individual financial means will not be a barrier to entry. All admitted students are eligible for partial or full scholarships to cover tuition and living costs.
Tuition for the program is $60,000, which will cover accommodation and most meals in Term I in Greece. The College estimates that, in Savannah, room and board for a single student costs about $16,000.
What does the application process entail?
Submitted applications, including a 500- to 1000-word response to an essay question, will be reviewed by the Ralston College faculty.
Those selected for a 25-minute panel interview by the College’s faculty will receive an email from a coordinator assigned to each application to answer questions and provide status updates as appropriate.
Applicants who advance to the final stages will be required to submit references, as well as additional documents to corroborate the details of their submission.
About Ralston College
Ralston College’s campus in Savannah is the headquarters for its student residence, faculty and administrative staff.
Founded in 2010, and admitting its first class in 2022, Ralston College is a private, 501(c)(3) institution of higher education.
The College has been authorized for operation and awarded degree-granting powers by the State of Georgia, as well as having been awarded candidacy for accreditation by the New England Commission of Higher Education.
Ralston College is devoted to freedom of thought and speech, has no political or religious affiliations, and does not accept government funds.
Its mission is to revive the conditions of a free and flourishing culture by providing transformative, rigorous education in the humanities.
In addition to its degree program, the College has welcomed thousands of guests to its many free public lectures and concerts. To date, the College’s podcasts and online lectures–also available for free–have reached millions.
Humanities
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Spend a year in dialogue with life's most searching questions in an open-minded community in Greece and then beautiful Savannah.
