Bennington College vs Skidmore College

Bennington College and Skidmore College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Bennington, known for its progressive approach, boasts a low acceptance rate of 34% and a student body that is predominantly female (70%). Skidmore, with a slightly higher acceptance rate of 38%, attracts a more gender-balanced student body. While Bennington excels in the arts, with popular majors in visual and performing arts, Skidmore offers a wider range of programs, including strong business and pre-professional offerings. Both colleges boast impressive graduation rates, with Bennington at 82% and Skidmore at 86%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' unique strengths and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bennington College	Skidmore College
Overview
Location	Bennington, Vermont	Saratoga Springs, New York
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Small
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	90.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.9%	30.6%
Application fees	$85	$65
SAT range	N/A	1270 - 1440
ACT range	N/A	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score		26.0%
Students submitting ACT score		11.0%
Total number of applicants	1,726	11,176
Total number of admissions given out	1,155	3,419
Admitted students who chose to enroll	249	719
Yield rate	21.6%	21.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,648	$68,266
Average net price	$35,569	$31,553
Tuition	$58,848	$59,064
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,350 Meal plan: $7,860	Room/dormitory: $9,500 Meal plan: $6,568
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $43,739	59.0% Average amount $43,391
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,083	39.0% Average amount $4,879
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $33,561	4.0% Average amount $26,954

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	771 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%	2,686 Men 40.8% Women 59.2%
Graduate students	113 Men 20.4% Women 79.6%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	68.4%
International students	15.5%	9.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	769	2,188
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	New York Mississippi Connecticut New Jersey California

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures English Language and Literature Public Administration and Social Service	Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Visual & Performing Arts Education Foreign Languages and Literatures
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	8:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.8%	83.6%
Dropout rate	7.5%	3.5%
Transferred out	24.8%	12.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	English Language and Literature/Letters, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,354 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $33,127 Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $14,867 Year 2: $17,950 Year 3: $15,066 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: N/A Literature (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,202 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $15,302 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,599 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,572 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $67,188 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $50,235 Year 2: $43,575 Year 3: $56,001 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $41,193 Year 3: $43,062 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,416 Year 2: $36,668 Year 3: $40,557 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,722 Year 2: $32,563 Year 3: $39,834 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $18,677 Year 2: $26,933 Year 3: $37,589 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,585 Year 2: $20,682 Year 3: $30,907 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,359 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,085 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Neurobiology and Neurosciences (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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