Bennington College vs Mount Holyoke College

Bennington College and Mount Holyoke College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Bennington, known for its progressive approach, boasts a 67% acceptance rate, while Mount Holyoke, a historically women's college, maintains a more selective 34% acceptance rate. Bennington's student body is diverse, with 47% identifying as students of color, compared to Mount Holyoke's 40%. Both colleges excel in the arts, with popular majors including visual and performing arts, but Bennington also offers unique programs in dance and writing. Mount Holyoke's strengths lie in the social sciences, with popular majors in economics and political science. While Bennington's graduation rate stands at 79%, Mount Holyoke's is slightly higher at 84%. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these exceptional colleges and determine which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bennington College	Mount Holyoke College
Overview
Location	Bennington, Vermont	South Hadley, Massachusetts
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	84.0%	91.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.9%	52.3%
Application fees	$85	Undergraduate: $60 Graduate: $50
SAT range	N/A	1300 - 1510
ACT range	N/A	31 - 35
Students submitting SAT score		24.0%
Students submitting ACT score		11.0%
Total number of applicants	1,726	3,971
Total number of admissions given out	1,155	2,077
Admitted students who chose to enroll	249	608
Yield rate	21.6%	29.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Not required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,648	$73,438
Average net price	$35,569	$29,218
Tuition	$58,848	$56,300
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,350 Meal plan: $7,860	Room/dormitory: $8,320 Meal plan: $8,260
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $43,739	100.0% Average amount $30,351
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,083	42.0% Average amount $4,906
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $33,561	7.0% Average amount $4,982

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	771 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%	2,220 Men 0.1% Women 99.9%
Graduate students	113 Men 20.4% Women 79.6%	122 Men 13.1% Women 86.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	15.5%	23.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	769	2,171
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Mississippi New York California Connecticut Florida

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures English Language and Literature Public Administration and Social Service	Social Sciences Education Foreign Languages and Literatures Biological and Biomedical Sciences Visual & Performing Arts
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	10:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	New England Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.8%	85.0%
Dropout rate	7.5%	2.9%
Transferred out	24.8%	11.9%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	English Language and Literature/Letters, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,354 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $33,127 Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $14,867 Year 2: $17,950 Year 3: $15,066 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $21,964 Year 3: N/A Literature (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,202 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $15,302 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,599 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A	International Relations and National Security Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,377 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $46,206 Education, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,986 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $46,152 Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,150 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $44,038 Anthropology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,925 Year 3: $37,403 Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,356 Year 2: $36,852 Year 3: $35,497 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $34,113 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,168 Year 2: $30,409 Year 3: $33,868 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $30,295 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $24,035 Year 3: $30,137 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,160 Year 2: $28,598 Year 3: $29,034

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