THE BASICS

What is Greenway Institute?

Greenway Institute is a better model for undergraduate education that integrates hands-on, project-based learning with real-world work experience. We are taking a “greenfield” approach to building a college by throwing out everything that isn’t working to design something that meets the needs of our students, industry, and the world.

Why "Greenway"?

The name reflects both our commitment to starting from scratch ("green") and the idea of a more direct and practical educational path ("way") — one that leads to meaningful careers, not just credentials.

Who is Greenway for?

Did you wish your teachers would stop lecturing and let you start solving problems? Are you curious about how things work and want to make a positive change in the world? Greenway is for you, even if you don’t see yourself in engineering, or higher education in general, today. Greenway is built to be more affordable, engaging, and effective so that a wider range of young people can choose it.

Nearly every college says it does hands-on, project-based education. What's different about Greenway?

While many colleges claim to be hands-on, students often only get that experience in junior/senior capstone projects, or off campus in internships. Greenway is putting the values of hands-on, real-world experience at the center of our new model so that it’s available to everyone from day one.

Is Greenway public or private? Non-profit or for-profit?

Greenway is a private, nonprofit 501(c)(3) institution. 

LOCATION

Where is Greenway located?

Our founding campus is in Montpelier, Vermont - the capitol of the Green Mountain State.

Why Vermont?

Vermont has a long history of incubating world-class ideas, from John Deere to Burton to BETA Technologies. It is also a rural state where participation in higher education is dropping, causing rippling economic and social effects. Greenway’s first campus is poised to tap into the immense talent that is currently not being served by higher education and boost a struggling economy with graduates that are ready to make a positive difference on day 1 - an outcome that we expect to export across the country as we scale.

PROGRAM

How is the Greenway model structured?

Our 4-year program will include:

• 2 years of hands-on, residential, project-based learning.

• 2 years of paid, work-integrated learning with academic credit and high-touch faculty mentoring.

Is this like a co-op program?

No. Unlike traditional co-ops, work at Greenway will be fully integrated into the curriculum. Students receive academic credit, continuous support, and mentorship alongside their jobs.

Sounds really practical, but I don’t see how it leads to a bachelor’s degree in engineering. Is Greenway a technical school?

No, Greenway will be offering a 4-year bachelors degree in engineering. We think that higher education in general has a lot to learn from technical schools — they do a great job at teaching hands-on skills in real-world contexts. We’re learning from their strengths and applying it to a new context here at Greenway.

Are you teaching traditional engineering courses like calculus and physics?

No. We’re redesigning our curriculum from the ground up—replacing lectures with projects, and outdated theory with real-world applications. Our curriculum reframes engineering as a process, rather than just a body of knowledge. We emphasize learning to learn, personal growth, and thinking critically over specific content. Greenway engineers are prepared to ask not only “Can we build it?” but also “Who is it for? What are the consequences? What is the right thing to build?”

Is the program residential?

Partially. Students live on campus for the collaborative, project-based years, forming a close-knit learning community. In the two years of work-integrated learning, students work off-campus with partner organizations while receiving faculty support remotely and during periodic campus residencies.

Will Greenway be accredited?

Yes, we will seek ABET and NECHE accreditation for our engineering program. This process takes four years — and the clock starts the moment our first class walks through the doors. Two of our founders went through this process previously at other institutions, so they bring the know-how to help us navigate this complicated process successfully.

FINANCES

How much does it cost to attend?

We project a sticker price of no more than $100,000 total for all four years.

How can students afford that?

Students earn approximately $100,000 over two years of paid, work-integrated learning—meaning $0 in net tuition for most students.

Do students take on debt?

Our goal is that no student graduates with debt. We provide a pathway where students earn while they learn, and we are raising significant scholarship funds to support early cohorts.

SCALING FOR IMPACT

Will Greenway stay small?

No. In fact, this is going to be big. We are starting in Vermont, but we aim to expand to 20+ campuses and serve 10,000 students per year nationwide—bringing this model to scale and making an impact on U.S. engineering education.

What's your timeline?

In Fall 2027, we will launch our four-year undergraduate program at our first campus in Vermont. After a period of program refinement, we will begin to scale to additional campuses nationwide.

GETTING INVOLVED

This all sounds great. How can I support you?

We are currently inviting founding donors to support scholarships, faculty recruitment, and campus expansion. Learn more.