Whitman College vs Bennington College

Whitman College and Bennington College, both esteemed liberal arts institutions, offer distinct educational experiences. Whitman, nestled in Walla Walla, Washington, boasts a higher acceptance rate (73%) compared to Bennington's selective admissions (29%). While Bennington's student body is predominantly female (70%), Whitman's gender distribution is more balanced. Both colleges excel in different areas; Whitman is known for its strong sciences and environmental studies programs, while Bennington is renowned for its arts and social sciences offerings. With Whitman's higher graduation rate (84%) and Bennington's lower student-faculty ratio (8:1), prospective students are encouraged to explore the detailed comparison table to discover which college better aligns with their academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bennington College	Whitman College
Overview
Location	Bennington, Vermont	Walla Walla, Washington
Campus setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
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
Students retention rate	84.0%	89.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	66.9%	59.0%
Application fees	$85	$50
SAT range	N/A	1295 - 1455
ACT range	N/A	29 - 33
Students submitting SAT score		21.0%
Students submitting ACT score		19.0%
Total number of applicants	1,726	5,155
Total number of admissions given out	1,155	3,039
Admitted students who chose to enroll	249	477
Yield rate	21.6%	15.7%
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	$71,982
Average net price	$35,569	$35,627
Tuition	$58,848	$55,560
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,350 Meal plan: $7,860	Room/dormitory: $6,080 Meal plan: $7,720
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $43,739	91.0% Average amount $30,781
Students receiving federal student loan	60.0% Average amount $5,083	42.0% Average amount $4,853
Students taking out private loans	4.0% Average amount $33,561	2.0% Average amount $14,105

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	771 Men 35.5% Women 64.5%	1,559 Men 43.9% Women 56.1%
Graduate students	113 Men 20.4% Women 79.6%	N/A
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	65.0%
International students	15.5%	10.2%
Campus local/setting	Town: Distant	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	769	886
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Washington California Oregon Colorado Minnesota

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	67.8%	88.7%
Dropout rate	7.5%	1.6%
Transferred out	24.8%	8.0%
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	Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,596 Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $64,407 Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $43,330 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,051 Year 2: $22,999 Year 3: $41,844 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,549 Year 2: $27,584 Year 3: $39,355 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $18,868 Year 3: N/A Political Science and Government (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,472 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: N/A Film/Video and Photographic Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A

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