Vassar College
About
Vassar College is a private liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college became coeducational in 1969. The college offers BA degrees in more than fifty majors. Vassar College's varsity sports teams, known as the Brewers, play in the NCAA Division III as members of the Liberty League. As of 2023, there are close to 2,500 students.
Admissions & acceptance rate
First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.
Graduation rate & outcomes
Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.
Pell equity
Pell and non-Pell students graduate at nearly identical rates — a notably small equity gap.
Program outcomes
Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.
Of 41 Title IV programs, 16 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 25 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.
Pass / fail distribution
- Passing16 · 39.0%
- No Data25 · 61.0%
- Failing0 · 0.0%
Severity spectrum
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.
Debt vs earnings
Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.
Accreditation status & history
Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.
Middle States Commission on Higher Education
Programmatic accreditations · 1
Action history · 2
- Jun 2019Renewal of AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
- Nov 2017Renewal of AccreditationMiddle States Commission on Higher Education
Tuition & cost
What families actually pay, broken down by family income.
Net price by family income
Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.
Federal aid volume & trends
Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.
In AY 2024–25, 589 students received $3.6M in Pell grants, alongside $9.0M in federal Direct Loans.
Pell recipients · 5-year trend
Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25
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.
Student loan default rate
The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.
Of 329 borrowers who entered repayment, 0 (0.0%) defaulted within three years — below the 2.3% national rate.
Default rate vs national, by cohort
* 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.
Academic programs at Vassar College
Top program areas ranked by completions.
Top program families by completions
Enrollment trends & demographics
Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.
Gender split
Race / ethnicity composition
Athletics & Title IX gender equity
How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.
Men vs women · spending splits
Sport-by-sport · 14
Campus safety & crime statistics
Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.
3-year trend
Criminal offenses by type
By location
- On campus29
- Non-campus2
Includes 11 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).
VAWA offenses
Hate crimes by bias
- Race1
- Religion1
Arrests vs disciplinary referrals
Residence-hall fires
- Raymond1 fireOtherDamage $0-$99
- Davison1 fireOther1 injured · 0 deathsDamage $0-$99
- Noyes1 fireA person used some type of burning element (possibly a lighter) to burn letters into a cork bulletin board.Damage $0-$99
- Terrace Apartment 401 fireCookingDamage $0-$99
Student-faculty ratio
Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.
Vassar College vs Peer comparison
The peer institutions Vassar College selected for federal comparison reporting.
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 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SubjectVassar College | 91% | — | 2,462 | $38,182 | Baccalaureate |
Amherst College | 94% | 9.0% | 1,914 | $18,246 | Baccalaureate |
Barnard College | 93% | 8.8% | 3,487 | $39,253 | Baccalaureate |
Bowdoin College | 95% | 7.1% | 1,881 | $20,786 | Baccalaureate |
Bryn Mawr College | 82% | 29.4% | 1,679 | $40,690 | Baccalaureate |
Colby College | 89% | 7.1% | 2,412 | $23,939 | Baccalaureate |
Colgate University | 91% | 13.9% | 3,211 | $29,107 | Baccalaureate |
Connecticut College | 82% | 37.0% | 1,990 | $33,998 | Baccalaureate |
Franklin and Marshall College | 84% | 28.2% | 1,808 | $39,061 | Baccalaureate |
Hamilton College | 91% | 13.6% | 2,031 | $28,314 | Baccalaureate |
Haverford College | 90% | 12.4% | 1,431 | $25,210 | Baccalaureate |
Middlebury College | 91% | 10.7% | 2,803 | $25,934 | Baccalaureate |
Mount Holyoke College | 84% | 36.0% | 2,275 | $29,562 | Baccalaureate |
Oberlin College | 81% | 34.2% | 2,909 | $39,184 | Baccalaureate |
Smith College | 89% | 21.0% | 2,857 | $26,181 | Baccalaureate |
Swarthmore College | 92% | 7.5% | 1,623 | $18,686 | Baccalaureate |
Trinity College | 84% | 29.2% | 2,238 | $35,009 | Baccalaureate |
Union College | 80% | 43.9% | 2,065 | $36,000 | Baccalaureate |
Wellesley College | 92% | 14.0% | 2,407 | $25,008 | Baccalaureate |
Wesleyan University | 93% | 16.5% | 4,011 | $27,888 | Baccalaureate |
Williams College | 94% | 8.3% | 2,164 | $14,852 | Baccalaureate |
| Peer group median | 91% | 14.0% | 2,238 | $28,314 |
Vassar College Institutional Research office
The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.
Through surveys, data, and quantitative analysis, Institutional Research aims to have a greater understanding of Vassar’s resources and demographics. The office oversees the organization of all data and centralized institutional research in order to effectively inform the primary decision makers of the college on such issues as endowment, budget, admissions, financial aid/affordability, and overall assessment of the institution.
Visit IR office page- Biniam TesfamariamDirector of Institutional Research
- Angeli PinolResearch, Data, and Reporting Analyst
Common Data Set (4)
The institution's official annual Common Data Set publications — the most detailed reference for enrollment, admissions, and outcomes.
Reports & documents (5)
Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.
- DashboardDashboardoffices.vassar.edu
- Data definitionK. Definitions – Institutional ResearchThis page from Vassar College outlines various definitions used in institutional research data, specifically for the 2014/2015 academic year. It includes terms related to academic programs, admissions, student services, demographics, financial aid, and other significant aspects of college education. The definitions serve to clarify terms and categories frequently used in institutional reporting and assessment, ensuring consistency and understanding across different data publications.offices.vassar.edu
- DFR reportIPEDS Data Feedback Report 20242024nces.ed.gov
- Factbook2025/26 Vassar College Fact Book2025This page provides access to the Vassar College Fact Book for the academic year 2025/26, offering insights into institutional research data with interactive dashboards and reports. The site is part of Vassar College's Office of Institutional Research, which provides information such as the Common Data Set, Comparative Data, and consumer information in accordance with higher education requirements.offices.vassar.edu
- GlossaryK. Definitions – Institutional ResearchThe 'K. Definitions' from Vassar College's Institutional Research glossary includes a comprehensive list of 109 terms relevant to academic programs, admissions, student demographics, academic calendar systems, and financial aid definitions. This section serves as a resource outlining standardized definitions for use in internal and external reports and provides clarity about various institutional procedures and policies. It also addresses services and support for students such as career services, academic advisement, student demographics, and a detailed breakdown of financial aid terms.offices.vassar.edu
Notable alumni of Vassar College (10)
A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.
- Grace M. HopperComputer Science
- Elizabeth BishopLiterature
- Meryl StreepActing
- Lisa KudrowActing
- Edna St. Vincent MillayPoetry
- Edward AlbeeDrama
- Vera RubinAstronomy
- Mary McCarthyLiterature
- Ethan ZohnTelevision
- Penelope CasasCulinary
Frequently asked questions about Vassar College
Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Vassar College.
What is the graduation rate at Vassar College?
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What is the average net price at Vassar College?
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Who runs Institutional Research at Vassar College?
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