Bennington, VT · Private · 780 undergraduates · town
Bennington College
Selective
An individualized academic Plan paired with a required Field Work Term every year.
Institutional profile
Well established Solid in academic standing, and solid in student experience.- Admission
- 48% admitted
- Price by income
- Varies across five income ranges
- Completion
- 65.3%
2,825 applicants in the reported year
Compare recent average annual costs by household income
$38,289 median earnings 10 years after enrollment
What sets Bennington College apart
Academic design
The Plan is developed with faculty advisers and a committee, emphasizing inquiry, research, making, collaboration, and communication. Every year also includes a Field Work Term for internships, jobs, entrepreneurial work, or other applied experiences.
Campus pattern
The Vermont campus is small, arts-oriented, and heavily project-based, with January or summer field-work periods repeatedly pulling students off campus into professional settings.
Defining feature
An individualized academic Plan paired with a required Field Work Term every year.
Can I get in?
48% admitted
Start with academic preparation, then show why this particular academic and campus environment fits you.
Recent applicant pool
2,825About 48 in every 100 applicants were admitted.
Academic range
Of admitted students, 17% submitted an SAT, and 6% submitted an ACT. Scores were rare in this class, so the SAT and ACT ranges say more about who volunteered one than about who was admitted.
In the season card
Where your GPA sits in the entering class
The full entering-class GPA distribution for Bennington College, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.
See where I landIn the season card
What Bennington College weighs when it reads a file
See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.
- Course rigor
- GPA
- Test scores
- Essay
- Recommendations
- Extracurriculars
- Demonstrated interest
What moves the application
The evidence that separates a strong file
Show preparation for this curriculum
The Plan is developed with faculty advisers and a committee, emphasizing inquiry, research, making, collaboration, and communication. Every year also includes a Field Work Term for internships, jobs, entrepreneurial work, or other applied experiences.
Make the fit specific
An individualized academic Plan paired with a required Field Work Term every year.
Account for the tradeoff
Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.
How to apply
Rounds, route, and required materials
Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and make the school-specific case concrete.
Check eligibility for a fee waiver
Can I afford it?
Compare annual cost by household income.
Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.
In the season card
Average annual cost by household income at Bennington College
Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.
- $0–30k
- $30–48k
- $48–75k
- $75–110k
- $110k+
Is it worth it?
Completion, debt, and earnings
An individualized academic Plan paired with a required Field Work Term every year.
Degree completion across the reported entering cohort
First-year students who return for year two
And what that comes to against what they earn.
Reported 10 years after enrollment
Academic portfolio
Largest bachelor’s fields
How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.
Literature
Visual and Performing Arts, General
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Dance
Music
What is campus life like?
Bennington College beyond the classroom
The Vermont campus is small, arts-oriented, and heavily project-based, with January or summer field-work periods repeatedly pulling students off campus into professional settings.
A defining academic feature
The Plan is developed with faculty advisers and a committee, emphasizing inquiry, research, making, collaboration, and communication. Every year also includes a Field Work Term for internships, jobs, entrepreneurial work, or other applied experiences.
What shapes an ordinary week
The Vermont campus is small, arts-oriented, and heavily project-based, with January or summer field-work periods repeatedly pulling students off campus into professional settings.
What changes the experience
An individualized academic Plan paired with a required Field Work Term every year.