Bennington College

Overview

Rankings

• #7 Most Test-Optional-Friendly Colleges

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Bennington College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

Based in Bennington, Vermont, Bennington College reviews applications selectively. The acceptance rate runs near 45%. Admitted students typically arrive with an average SAT score near 1,364. The graduation rate is roughly 69%.

Acceptance Rate

45%

Retention Rate

82%

SAT Average

1364

SAT Range

1291–1403

ACT Range

30–32

Full-Time Faculty

41%

Faculty Salary (mo)

$10,055

Student–Faculty Ratio

9:1

Diversity Index

0.56

First-Gen Students

13%

Applicants

2,801

Admitted

1,269

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2024-25

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Bennington College is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds.

Submitted SAT

10%

of enrolled freshmen

Submitted ACT

4%

of enrolled freshmen

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Bennington College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Bennington College is $66,262, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $30,947. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $18,480 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $26,000 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition

$66,262

Out-of-State

$66,262

Avg Net Price

$30,947

Median Debt

$26,000

Pell Grant Rate

25%

Federal Loan Rate

50%

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Bennington College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Graduate Outcomes

Is Bennington College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Bennington College report median earnings of $38,289, a figure worth comparing against the cost of attendance before enrolling.

6 Years After Entry

$24,711

8 Years

$39,270

10 Years

$38,289

Debt-to-Earnings

0.68x

Earning > $25K

40%

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Bennington College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Bennington College is a measurable contributor to upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 0.93%, in line with strong performers nationally. About 9.1% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 10.2% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $99,200, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate

0.93%

Bottom 20% → Top 20%

Success Rate

10.2%

If bottom 20% get in

From Bottom 20%

9.1%

Share of students

Parent Median Income

$134,778

today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Federal Grants

$2,135,762

Investment Income

$-7,772,500

Top Programs

The fields Bennington College awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

• Visual & Performing Arts 46% $25,664 early-career
• English & Literature 18% $26,097 early-career
• Biology & Biomedical 6%
• Social Sciences 3%
• Computer Science & IT 2%
• Psychology 2%
• Communications 2%
• Physical Sciences 2%

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.