BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

Bennington College

Bennington, Vermont·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·New England·bennington.edu
6-yr Graduation
71%
-2.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
927
peer median 1,542
Avg net price
$31,918
+$1.6k vs Baccalaureate
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
2,996
2,996 candidates competed
Admitted
1,334
44.5% acceptance rate
Enrolled
154
11.5% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
71%-2.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
61%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
71%
Full-time retention
82%

Pell equity

10.0pp gap
Pell recipients
63%
Non-Pell
73%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 10.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 58 Title IV programs, 2 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 2 fail. 54 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
58
Passing
2
3.4% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
2
3.4% of portfolio
Fail rate
3.4%
+2.8pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

58programs
  • Passing2 · 3.4%
  • No Data54 · 93.1%
  • Failing2 · 3.4%

Severity spectrum

Critical
2
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
1
Safe
0
No data
54

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

4
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-32.3%
$23,575 vs $34,808
Music
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
-24.6%
$26,241 vs $34,808
English Language and Literature/Letters Other
Master's Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+2.4%
$50,671 vs $49,483
Visual and Performing Arts General
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+14.8%
$39,958 vs $34,808

Near the line (±5%)

Programs within five points of the pass line, one cohort year from flipping.

1
English Language and Literature/Letters Other
Master's Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+2.4%
+$1,188

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

3
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
115%
$27,000 debt · $23,575 earn
English Language and Literature/Letters Other
Master's Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
72%
$36,597 debt · $50,671 earn
Visual and Performing Arts General
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
68%
$27,000 debt · $39,958 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1935Next review Jun 2030

Action history · 2

  1. Apr 2020Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education
  2. Mar 2010Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$18,950
$30–48k$18,334
$48–75k$26,325
$75–110k$30,794
$110k+$43,365

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$31,918
+$1,550vs Baccalaureate median $30,368
Federal loans
49.4%
In-state tuition
$64,644
Out-of-state
$64,644

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 249 students received $1.5M in Pell grants, alongside $4.9M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
249
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$1.5M
$1,533,674 total
Direct Loans
$4.9M
836 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.6M
341 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.2M
385 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$668K
50 loan awards
Parent PLUS$1.4M
58 loan awards
Grad PLUS$8K
2 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 170 borrowers who entered repayment, 3 (1.7%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.7%
-0.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
170
Defaulted
3
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
2.7%
2017
4.2%
2018
2.0%
2019
1.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Bennington College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs137
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

218 total completions
01Visual/Performing Arts
8237.6%
02English Language
7132.6%
03Foreign Languages
146.4%
04Social Sciences
146.4%
05Public Admin
104.6%
06Psychology
73.2%
07Natural Resources
73.2%
08Biological Sciences
52.3%
09Computer Sciences
41.8%
10Multi/Interdisciplinary
41.8%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
927
12-mo unduplicated
943
Undergraduate
831
Graduate
112

Gender split

Men
31%292
Women
69%651

Race / ethnicity composition

White
63.1%
Non-resident
13.6%
Hispanic
10.5%
Two or more
5.1%
Black
3.4%
Unknown
2.2%
Asian
1.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
6.82
6 offenses · 880 students

3-year trend

8.762 yrs ago3.391 yr ago6.82Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
16
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
3
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
4
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
5

Criminal offenses by type

Burglary
3
Fondling
2
Rape
1

By location

6total
  • On campus6

Includes 3 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
1
Dating violence
0
Stalking
1 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Religion2
  • Gender identity1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs06
Liquor031

Residence-hall fires

  • bingham1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • perkins1 fire
    CookingDamage $0-$99
  • Paran Creek1 fire
    Hazardous productDamage $100,000-$249,999

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
9.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
61

Bennington College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Bennington College selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectBennington College
71%927$31,918Baccalaureate
Saint Michael's College
73%84.5%1,323$30,033Baccalaureate
Middlebury College
91%10.7%2,803$25,934Baccalaureate
Hampshire College
54%75.3%844$25,810Baccalaureate
Wheaton College
73%67.7%1,785$30,934Baccalaureate
Bates College
90%13.3%1,760$30,703Baccalaureate
Peer group median73%67.7%1,542$30,368

Frequently asked questions about Bennington College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Bennington College.

What is the graduation rate at Bennington College?

Bennington College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 71% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Bennington College?

Bennington College reports a total enrollment of 927 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Bennington College?

The average net price at Bennington College is $31,918 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Bennington College?

Bennington College's yield rate is 11.5%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Bennington College located?

Bennington College is located in Bennington, Vermont 05201-6003.

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