Liberal arts college
#3 Best colleges in VermontBennington College
Bennington, VT · Private nonprofit · 4-year
Your real cost
Average price after aid $30,947 a year
Median debt at graduation: $26,000 (all students)
Estimate your own price · the college’s net price calculator
Rankings
Where this college places on our top lists. Lists are worked out from official data and our own research; places in the top quarter of each list are shown. See every list
In America
- Colleges with the biggest discount off the sticker price in America#44 of 690
- Best small colleges in America#71 of 906
- Best colleges for business in America#156 of 1,563
- Best colleges for education in America#141 of 1,318
- Best colleges for communications and journalism in America#133 of 1,238
- Best colleges in America#235 of 1,829
Show 16 more
- Best colleges for psychology in America#185 of 1,418
- Best test-optional colleges in America#203 of 1,481
- Best colleges for biology and pre-med in America#188 of 1,358
- Best colleges for English in America#178 of 1,283
- Best colleges for history in America#185 of 1,247
- Colleges with the most faculty per student in America#105 of 704
- Best colleges for art and design in America#178 of 1,187
- Best colleges for mathematics in America#190 of 1,215
- Best colleges for chemistry in America#189 of 1,162
- Best colleges for music in America#175 of 1,063
- Best colleges for political science and pre-law in America#184 of 1,116
- Colleges that spend the most on teaching in America#119 of 704
- Best colleges for computer science in America#134 of 750
- Colleges with the highest graduation rates in America#369 of 1,829
- Most selective colleges in America#152 of 683
- Best colleges for economics in America#181 of 788
In Vermont
Academic Excellence
Each measure counts for the share shown.
- Graduation rate 35% of scoreThis measure counts for 35% of the Academic Excellence score.71%
- First-year retention 20% of scoreThis measure counts for 20% of the Academic Excellence score.82%
- Entering students' test scores 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.SAT 1,364 · ACT 31
- Student-to-faculty ratio 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.9 to 1
- Instructional spending per student 15% of scoreThis measure counts for 15% of the Academic Excellence score.$23,573
Bars show points on each measure’s scale. How Academic Excellence is computed.
Source: College Scorecard (College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026))
What families pay, by income
Average yearly price after grants and scholarships, for students who receive federal aid.
| Family income | Price after aid |
|---|---|
| Up to $30,000 | |
| $30,001–$48,000 | |
| $48,001–$75,000 | |
| $75,001–$110,000 | |
| Over $110,000 |
Full cost of attendance before aid: $87,284 a year.
Use the college’s net price calculator for your own estimate.
Cost and value
Federal data: what families pay after aid, what graduates earn, and what they owe.
| Undergraduate students Fall enrollment (IPEDS) | 776 |
|---|---|
| Men and women College Scorecard, fall 2023 | Men 27% · Women 73% |
| First-generation students College Scorecard | 13% |
| Total students | 867 |
| Average net price (per year) After grants and scholarships, for students receiving federal aid | $30,947 |
| Cost of attendance (per year) | $87,284 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $26,000 |
| Graduation rate First-time, full-time students finishing within 150% of normal time | 71% |
| Borrowers paying down their loans within 3 years College Scorecard, within 3 years | 74% |
| First-year retention | 82% |
| Median earnings 10 years after entry | $38,289 |
| Admission rate | 45% |
| Application fee IPEDS, 2023–24 | No application fee |
| Typical rent HUD fair market rent, FY2026 | About $1,142 a month for a one-bedroom |
| Students receiving Pell grants | 25% |
| Average SAT | 1364 |
|---|---|
| SAT reading & writing | 703–750 |
| SAT math | 588–653 |
| ACT composite | 30–32 |
| Test policy | Considered but not required |
Value: Solid (how it’s computed)
Sources: College Scorecard · IPEDS College Navigator · Net price calculator
College Scorecard, most recent cohorts (data release 06/10/2026); IPEDS 2024-25 directory and institutional characteristics; fall 2023 enrollment.
Earnings by major
Median earnings of bachelor’s graduates a few years after finishing, by major (College Scorecard).
| Major | Median earnings |
|---|---|
| Visual and performing arts | |
| Music | |
| Theatre |
Also offered (no earnings published yet): Agricultural Production Operations, Anthropology, Applied mathematics, Architecture, Area studies, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians, Biochemistry, Biological and physical sciences, Biology, Botany/Plant Biology, Broadcasting, Chemistry, Clinical and counseling psychology, Communication studies, Community Organization and Advocacy, Computer science, Computing and information science, Cultural Studies/Critical Theory and Analysis, Dance, Data Science, Design, East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Ecology and evolutionary biology, Economics, Education (general), Electromechanical technology, English, Entrepreneurship, Environmental Design, Ethnic and gender studies, Experimental psychology, Family and human development, Film and video, Fine arts, Foods, Nutrition,, Geography, Geology and earth science, Global studies, Graphic communications, History, Interdisciplinary studies, International relations, Journalism, Liberal arts, Library Science and Administration, Linguistics, Literature, Managerial economics, Mathematics, Museology/Museum Studies, Natural resources and conservation, Neuroscience, Other communication, journalism, and related programs, Other english language and literature/letters, Other foreign languages, literatures, and linguistics, Other psychology, Other social sciences, Other visual and performing arts, Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution, Philosophy, Physical Sciences, Physics, Political science, Pre-law and legal studies, Psychology, Public Policy Analysis, Public health, Religious studies, Romance languages, Social sciences, Sociology, Software and media applications, Writing and rhetoric.
What students study most
Share of bachelor’s degrees by field, first majors in 2023–24 (IPEDS).
| Field | Share of degrees |
|---|---|
| Visual and performing arts | |
| English | |
| Foreign languages | |
| Social sciences | |
| Natural resources |
Campus life
| Setting | Town |
|---|---|
| Part-time undergraduates | 2% |
| Undergraduates aged 25 and older | 6% |
| On-campus room and board (per year) | $19,108 |
| Study abroad | Offered |
| Students per faculty member | 9 to 1 |
| Undergraduates registered with the disability office | About 27%IPEDS, 2023–24 |
| Disability services | Visit the office’s pageThe college’s own page |
| Faculty who are full-time | 41%College Scorecard, fall 2023 |
| Endowment per student | $48,627IPEDS, 2023, per student |
| Nearest airport with airline service | Albany International Airport (ALB)About 31 miles away · about 1 hour by car |
| Nearest major airport | Bradley International Airport (BDL)About 73 miles away |
| Town population | 9,245Census, 2020–2024 |
| Nearest city of 250,000 people or more | BostonAbout 120 miles away · about 3 hours 45 minutes by car |
| Typical weather | 23°F in January · 69°F in JulyNOAA, 1991–2020, from Bennington Morse St Airport, VT |
Federal data (IPEDS and College Scorecard).
Campus safety reports
On-campus crimes reported in 2024, per 1,000 students.
| Category | This campus | U.S. rate |
|---|---|---|
| Rape | 57.17 | 0.07 |
| Robbery | 0.00 | 0.01 |
| Aggravated assault | 0.00 | 0.04 |
| Burglary | 2.16 | 0.08 |
| Motor vehicle theft | 0.00 | 0.15 |
Numbers reflect what each campus reported. They differ with campus size and how reporting is done, so compare with care. U.S. rate: total reported offenses divided by total students at every institution in the report.
Questions families ask
- What is Bennington College’s Compass Score?
- Excellent (grade A-). It ranks in the top 13% of rated colleges. The grade comes from outcomes (40%: graduation, retention and earnings), entering students (40%: test scores and selectivity), cost (15%: debt and price after aid) and teaching (5%: class size), all from federal data.
- How much does Bennington College cost after financial aid?
- The average net price is $30,947 a year for students who receive federal aid, after grants and scholarships. What your family pays depends on income; the college’s net price calculator gives your own estimate.
- How hard is it to get into Bennington College?
- Bennington College admitted 45% of applicants in the most recent federal data.
- How do Bennington College’s graduates do?
- 71% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years; the median earnings of former students ten years after entry are $38,289; the median federal debt at graduation is $26,000.
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About this school’s data
- IPEDS unit ID 230816
- Carnegie classification: Baccalaureate college (arts & sciences)
- Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education (U.S. Department of Education DAPIP)
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