Bennington College vs Williams College

Bennington College and Williams College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Bennington, known for its progressive approach, boasts an acceptance rate of 58%, while Williams, with its rigorous academics, maintains a highly selective 13% acceptance rate. Bennington's student body is diverse, with 49% female, 46% male, and 5% non-binary students, while Williams' student body is more evenly split, with 49% female and 51% male students. Both colleges offer a wide range of majors, with Bennington excelling in the arts, and Williams excelling in the social sciences. With graduation rates of 82% and 96% respectively, both institutions ensure their students are well-prepared for their future endeavors. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these two exceptional colleges and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bennington College	Williams College
Overview
Location	Bennington, Vermont	Williamstown, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	97.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.9%	8.8%
Application fees	$85	$65
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	1,726	12,452
Total number of admissions given out	1,155	1,099
Admitted students who chose to enroll	249	574
Yield rate	21.6%	52.2%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,648	$78,060
Average net price	$35,569	$14,487
Tuition	$58,848	$59,350
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,350 Meal plan: $7,860	Room/dormitory: $7,625 Meal plan: $7,375
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $43,739	52.0% Average amount $52,053
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,083	13.0% Average amount $3,992
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $33,561	2.0% Average amount $3,884

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	771 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%	2,174 Men 48.1% Women 51.9%
Graduate students	113 Men 20.4% Women 79.6%	50 Men 44.0% Women 56.0%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	15.5%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	769	2,045
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	Yes
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	Mathematics and Statistics Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	6:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.8%	93.8%
Dropout rate	7.5%	3.1%
Transferred out	24.8%	1.6%
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	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $109,470 Year 2: $96,183 Year 3: $99,047 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,280 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $91,723 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,217 Year 2: $53,358 Year 3: $63,034 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,948 Year 2: $44,384 Year 3: $48,967 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,036 Year 2: $49,464 Year 3: $44,771 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,993 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $43,402 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,135 Year 2: $40,461 Year 3: $41,065 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,760 Year 2: $34,704 Year 3: $37,587 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,029 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $26,432 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,668 Year 2: $25,525 Year 3: $14,771

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