Bennington College
Bennington, Vermont · Private Nonprofit · 44.5% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 26/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Bennington College scores 26 (Below Benchmark). The cost stack is steep: $66,262 in tuition, $30,947 net price, $123,788 over four years. The outcomes data is harsh: $28,500 average 6-year earnings, median $38,289 at 10 years, and an 80.2-year payback period that effectively means earnings never recoup the cost on standard discount assumptions. The debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.912, and the earnings premium subscore is 9. The flip side is that Bennington's completion rate is 71.2%, repayment rate is 80.5%, and the institution attracts a self-selected population of writers, performers, dancers, and visual artists who attend for the pedagogy (Bennington's signature Field Work Term, narrative evaluations, and faculty-as-working-artists model), not for labor-market outcomes. The Scorecard earnings figure undersells the eventual creative-economy trajectories of many Bennington alumni, but the federal numbers are what they are, and prospective families should weigh them honestly.
How Bennington College scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score26/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Bennington College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $66,262/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $66,262/yr |
| Average net price | $30,947/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $123,788 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $38,289 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $28,500 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,000 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $276 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 71.2% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 780 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $66,262/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $30,947/year, or roughly $123,788 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $18,480/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $44,625/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,000, which works out to about $276 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($28,500) and comes to 0.91, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $18,480 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $18,012 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $22,336 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $25,508 |
| $110,001+ | $44,625 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $18,480 net, and the $30,001-$48,000 bracket actually pays slightly less at $18,012, a small inverted-bracket flag that almost certainly reflects sampling noise rather than policy. For Pell-eligible students, the aid is meaningful but the $73,920 four-year cost is still very heavy against $28,500 in early-career earnings.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-$75,000 band pays $22,336 and the $75,001-$110,000 band pays $25,508. Bennington's aid curve flattens through middle income and effectively concentrates the discount on lowest-income households. Middle-income families effectively pay a premium for the Bennington pedagogy that the post-graduation earnings curve will not service.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Households above $110,000 pay $44,625 net, up from $25,508 in the $75-$110K bracket. Bennington's pricing assumes wealthy families pay the bulk of sticker. For families who can self-fund, the school's distinctive pedagogy may justify the cost; for those who cannot, this is the bracket where parent PLUS debt becomes structurally risky.
Earnings by Major
Top 4 most popular majors at Bennington College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Literature | $18,152 | F |
| Visual and Performing Arts | $39,958 | F |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft | $23,575 | F |
| Music | $26,241 | - |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Literature
Literature graduates 31 students with $18,152 in 1-year earnings (4-year data not reported) and a 1.487 debt-to-earnings ratio against $27,000 of debt, earning an F grade. Even with the assumption that literature graduates pursue editorial, teaching, or graduate-school paths that pay better mid-career, the undergraduate-only outcome is structurally weak. Bennington's writing program is celebrated, but the wage data is what families should plan around.
Visual and Performing Arts
Visual and Performing Arts is Bennington's largest reported cohort at 29 graduates. Earnings climb from $20,809 at year one to $39,958 at year four, but the 1.298 debt-to-earnings ratio still earns an F. The pattern is consistent with portfolio careers that take time to consolidate: gallery work, freelance commissions, and adjunct teaching that gradually scale. The undergraduate years of debt service are the hard part.
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft
Drama graduates 19 students with $16,579 in 1-year earnings, $23,575 at year four, and a 1.595 debt-to-earnings ratio earning an F. This is the most cautionary program at Bennington by the data: debt is 60% larger than first-year pay, and 4-year earnings barely cross the $23K threshold. Theater careers do exist after Bennington, but the Scorecard view of the first four post-degree years is unflattering. Students should plan to minimize borrowing for this pathway.
Music
Music graduates 14 students. The Scorecard cohort is small enough that earnings and debt are partly suppressed: only the $26,241 4-year earnings figure is reported. The pattern at Bennington is consistent across the arts: high completion rate, strong faculty pedigree, weak early-career earnings, and a long-tail mid-career trajectory that the 4-year-post-degree window does not capture. Treat this as a vocational program that requires non-debt funding.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 79.4% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 80.5% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 85.1% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 87.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Bennington College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 44.5% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 588-653 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 703-750 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 30-32 |
| Enrollment | 780 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 25.3% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $10,055 |
Bennington admits 44.5% of applicants, putting it in moderately selective territory. SAT mid-ranges are notably skewed: math 588-653 but reading 703-750, with ACT composites of 30-32, reflecting the strong verbal and humanities orientation of the applicant pool. The 71.2% completion rate is healthy and confirms that Bennington's admissions process is selecting students who are matched to the unconventional academic model. Test-prepared writers and artists fare best.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bennington College (this school) | 26 | $30,947 | $38,289 |
| Middlebury College | 86 | $31,483 | $76,310 |
| Champlain College | 49 | $35,860 | $58,386 |
| Warner University | 28 | $19,748 | $46,086 |
| Be'er Yaakov Talmudic Seminary | 25 | $4,543 | $17,360 |
| Drury University-College of Continuing Professional Studies | 24 | $10,566 | $40,694 |
Who Thrives Here
Bennington fits the specific student who wants a small, immersive, project-based undergraduate experience in the arts and humanities and who has either family resources or a clear acceptance of the long-tail creative-economy career path. Strong fits include writers, dancers, theater makers, and visual artists with a portfolio and a vocation. Weak fits include students whose families would borrow heavily and students unsure about an arts pathway; the earnings data is unforgiving.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Bennington College scores 26/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $30,947 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $38,289 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What it has going for it: its 71.2% graduation rate. What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.91 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,000 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $28,500 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.91. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Bennington College: Common Questions
Is Bennington College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Bennington College scores 26/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $30,947 a year after aid against $38,289 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Bennington College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $30,947 a year, or roughly $123,788 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Bennington College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $38,289 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Bennington College?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at more than 50 years for Bennington College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Bennington College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,000, against average earnings of $28,500 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.91. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Bennington College?
The six-year graduation rate is 71.2%, at or above the 64% national average for four-year schools (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.