BENNINGTON COLLEGE Q-3

One College Dr.
Bennington, VT 05201
Tel: (802)442-5401; 800-833-6845; Admissions: (802)440-4312; Fax: (802)447-4269; E-mail: admissions@bennington.edu; Web Site: http://www.bennington.edu/

Description: Independent, comprehensive, coed. Awards bachelor's and master's degrees. Founded 1932. Setting: 550-acre small town campus with easy access to Albany. Endowment: $9.6 million. Educational spending 2002-03: $11,147 per student. Total enrollment: 795. Faculty: 87 (64 full-time, 23 part-time). Student-undergrad faculty ratio is 9:1. 773 applied, 68% were admitted. 23% from top 10% of their high school class, 62% from top quarter, 87% from top half. Full-time: 635 students, 67% women, 33% men. Part-time: 7 students, 71% women, 29% men. Students come from 45 states and territories, 18 other countries, 95% from out-of-state, 0.3% Native American, 3% Hispanic, 1% black, 1% Asian American or Pacific Islander, 6% international, 2% 25 or older, 95% live on campus, 3% transferred in. Retention: 80% of 2003 full-time freshmen returned. Academic areas with the most degrees conferred: visual/performing arts; English; social sciences and history. Calendar: semesters plus winter work term in January and February. ESL program, services for LD students, accelerated degree program, self-designed majors, independent study, distance learning, double major, part-time degree program, co-op programs and internships. Off campus study at School for Field Studies, Williams College, Southern Vermont College, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Study abroad program.

Entrance Requirements: Options: Peterson's Universal Application, Common Application, early admission, early decision, deferred admission, international baccalaureate accepted. Required: essay, high school transcript, 2 recommendations, interview, SAT I or ACT. Entrance: very difficult. Application deadlines: 1/1, 11/15 for early decision. Notification: 4/1, 12/1 for early decision.

Costs Per Year: Application fee: $50. Comprehensive fee: $35,910 includes full-time tuition ($28,030), mandatory fees ($740), and college room and board ($7140). College room only: $3820. Part-time tuition: $900 per credit.

Collegiate Environment: Orientation program. Drama-theater group, choral group, student-run newspaper, radio station. Social organizations: 26 open to all. Most popular organizations: kiterary magazine, Amnesty International, Campus Activities Board, film society, student newspaper. Major annual events: Ben Belitt Lecture, Sunfest, Spring Ball. Student services: health clinic, personal-psychological counseling. Campus security: 24-hour emergency response devices and patrols, late night transport-escort service. 610 college housing spaces available; 572 were occupied in 2002-03. Freshmen guaranteed college housing. On-campus residence required through senior year. Option: coed housing available. Crossett Library plus 2 others with 128,413 books, 6,155 microform titles, 250 serials, 40,219 audiovisual materials, an OPAC, and a Web page. Operations spending 2002-03: $504,589. 61 computers available on campus for general student use. A campuswide network can be accessed from student residence rooms and from off campus. Staffed computer lab on campus.

Community Environment: Situated on 550 acres in the foothills of Vermont's Green Mountains, Bennington College is a short drive from some of the region's top ski resorts. The College is four miles from the village of Bennington and one mile from North Bennington. Twenty miles to the south is Williamstown, MA, and the Berkshires, home to the nationally renowned museums The Clark Institute and MASSMoCA, while featuring such esteemed performing arts venues as the Williamstown Theatre Festival, Jacob's Pillow, and Tanglewood. Twenty miles north is Manchester, VT, and its fine restaurants and shopping, as well as a state-of-the-art ice skating rink. Approximately 40 miles to the west is Albany, NY, which provides numerous amenities as well as rail transportation to Boston, New York City, and elsewhere. Local historical sites include the Bennington Museum, Bennington Battle Monument, and Old First Church, where poet Robert Frost is buried.