Oberlin College vs Bennington College

Oberlin College and Bennington College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Oberlin, with an acceptance rate of 32%, boasts a diverse student body, with 48% identifying as students of color. Bennington, with a lower acceptance rate of 28%, has a smaller student body, with 40% identifying as students of color. Oberlin's popular majors include music, history, and environmental studies, while Bennington's strengths lie in visual and performing arts, literature, and social sciences. Oberlin's graduation rate stands at 86%, while Bennington's is slightly lower at 82%. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these colleges' similarities and differences, and find the institution that best aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bennington College	Oberlin College
Overview
Location	Bennington, Vermont	Oberlin, Ohio
Campus setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	4-1-4
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%	34.3%
Application fees	$85	Undergraduate: $100 Graduate: $100
SAT range	N/A	1338 - 1460
ACT range	N/A	30 - 34
Students submitting SAT score		34.0%
Students submitting ACT score		22.0%
Total number of applicants	1,726	10,597
Total number of admissions given out	1,155	3,639
Admitted students who chose to enroll	249	864
Yield rate	21.6%	23.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Not required	Required
Recommendation letters	Required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$80,648	$73,914
Average net price	$35,569	$44,689
Tuition	$58,848	$59,384
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,350 Meal plan: $7,860	Room/dormitory: $8,858 Meal plan: $8,996
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $43,739	93.0% Average amount $34,607
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,083	34.0% Average amount $5,142
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $33,561	4.0% Average amount $4,519

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	771 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%	2,942 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%
Graduate students	113 Men 20.4% Women 79.6%	11 Men 72.7% Women 27.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	15.5%	11.1%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	Town: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	769	2,694
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures English Language and Literature Public Administration and Social Service	Visual & Performing Arts Social Sciences Foreign Languages and Literatures Ethnic Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	10:1	9:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.8%	82.3%
Dropout rate	7.5%	17.3%
Transferred out	24.8%	N/A
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	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,028 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $101,858 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,721 Year 2: $41,205 Year 3: $56,067 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $21,275 Year 2: $21,508 Year 3: $32,173 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $19,045 Year 3: $28,960 Area Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $19,436 Year 2: $16,345 Year 3: $26,082 Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $22,771 Year 3: $22,024 Music (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,910 Year 2: $19,531 Year 3: $19,799 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,902 Year 2: N/A Year 3: N/A Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $16,622 Year 2: $18,771 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $16,992 Year 3: N/A

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