Bennington College vs Vassar College

Bennington College and Vassar College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Bennington, known for its progressive approach, boasts a 67% acceptance rate, while Vassar's selectivity is reflected in its 24% acceptance rate. Bennington's student body is smaller, with an undergraduate population of around 600, fostering a close-knit community. Vassar's larger student body of approximately 2,500 provides a more diverse and vibrant campus environment. While both colleges offer a wide range of majors, Bennington emphasizes the arts, while Vassar is known for its strength in the sciences. Bennington's graduation rate stands at 79%, while Vassar's is slightly higher at 86%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional institutions and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bennington College	Vassar College
Overview
Location	Bennington, Vermont	Poughkeepsie, New York
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
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 and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	95.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.9%	20.1%
Application fees	$85	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $65
SAT range	N/A	1420 - 1540
ACT range	N/A	32 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		31.0%
Students submitting ACT score		20.0%
Total number of applicants	1,726	10,884
Total number of admissions given out	1,155	2,193
Admitted students who chose to enroll	249	679
Yield rate	21.6%	31.0%
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	$81,330
Average net price	$35,569	$27,249
Tuition	$58,848	$61,940
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,350 Meal plan: $7,860	$15,710
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $43,739	57.0% Average amount $49,162
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,083	46.0% Average amount $3,729
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $33,561	4.0% Average amount $14,435

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	771 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%	2,516 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%
Graduate students	113 Men 20.4% Women 79.6%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	15.5%	8.4%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	769	2,448
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

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 Foreign Languages and Literatures Social Sciences Ethnic Studies Mathematics and Statistics
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%	92.5%
Dropout rate	7.5%	5.6%
Transferred out	24.8%	2.0%
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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,930 Year 2: $69,535 Year 3: $93,622 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,665 Year 2: $57,995 Year 3: $66,026 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,871 Year 2: $49,683 Year 3: $59,758 Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,233 Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $45,366 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,929 Year 2: $31,670 Year 3: $43,616 International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $40,086 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,522 Year 2: $35,600 Year 3: $38,666 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,708 Year 3: $38,274 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,008 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $36,733 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,175 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $35,465

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