Bennington College

Bennington, VT 780 Undergrads 65.3% Grad Rate

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Total Cost

$87,284

Sticker Price

Avg Net Price

$30,947

After Aid

Median Earnings

$38,899

4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$30,947

Peer Midpoint: $20,080.5

Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)$38,899

Peer Midpoint: $60,428

Graduation Rate65.3%

Peer Midpoint: 58.9%

Socio-Economic Diversity

Pell Grant Recipients23.9%

Enrollment Status

Full-Time97.6%

Economic Outcomes

Earn More than HS40.8%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance

44.5%

SAT Avg

1,364

SAT Reading

25th: 703-75th: 750

SAT Math

25th: 588-75th: 653

ACT Composite

25th: 30-75th: 32

ROI Sensitivity Analysis

This analysis tests three cost scenarios (Scholarship, Average Net Price, Full Sticker Price) to show how college costs impact your long-term return compared to the average student and a high school graduate.

Lifetime Value Added (NPV)

Institution Lifetime NPV

Vs Median Peer

Vs HS Grad

Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0

+$359k

-$108k

-$125k

Median Cost$31k/yr

+$248k

-$219k

-$237k

Full Cost$87k/yr

+$45k

-$422k

-$439k

ROI Efficiency Metrics

Break-Even Age

Return on Inv. %

Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0

Never

-∞

Median Cost$31k/yr

Never

-212%

Full Cost$87k/yr

Never

-140%

Analysis Assumptions:

Starting Salary: Estimated from the 4-year post-graduation median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).
Comparisons: "Vs Median Peer" compares to the median student nationwide in a similar level program. "Vs HS Grad" compares to a median high school graduate.
Break-Even: The age at which the college investment net income exceeds the median high school graduate's lifetime earnings.
NPV: Net Present Value of all future earnings minus costs and taxes, discounted at 7.8%.

Social Impact ROINew

Measures the societal return on a donor's investment. Calculated as the incremental pre-tax lifetime earnings vs. HS grad, divided by the tax-adjusted donation cost.

Donor Return-162%

Gov. Pell Grant ROINew

Measures the government's return on Pell Grants via increased tax revenue. Calculated as the portion of incremental lifetime taxes (discounted at 5.4%) attributed to the Pell Grant investment.

Taxpayer Return-107%

Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator with your specific estimates of cost and salary.

Program ROI Analysis

Bachelor's Degrees

Anthropology

BachCIP: 4502

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $46,676

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Architecture

BachCIP: 0402

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $66,914

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Area Studies

BachCIP: 0501

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $56,625

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Astronomy and Astrophysics

BachCIP: 4002

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $68,333

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology

BachCIP: 2602

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $65,466

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Biology, General

BachCIP: 2601

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $57,214

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology

BachCIP: 4228

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $50,523

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Computer Science

BachCIP: 1107

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $107,009

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Dance

BachCIP: 5003

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $39,980

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft

BachCIP: 5005

Median Debt

$26,200

Earnings (4yr)

$23,575

Natl Median: $39,775

Lifetime Value Added

-$371k

East Asian Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

BachCIP: 1603

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $51,642

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Ecology, Evolution, Systematics, and Population Biology

BachCIP: 2613

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $48,842

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Education, General

BachCIP: 1301

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $49,808

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

English Language and Literature, General

BachCIP: 2301

Median Debt

Earnings (5yr)

$25,348

Natl Median: $47,549

Lifetime Value Added

-$359k

Film/Video and Photographic Arts

BachCIP: 5006

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $43,765

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Fine and Studio Arts

BachCIP: 5007

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $41,367

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences

BachCIP: 4006

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $60,190

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Graphic Communications

BachCIP: 1003

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $43,283

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

History

BachCIP: 5401

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $50,680

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities

BachCIP: 2401

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $53,072

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Literature

BachCIP: 2314

Median Debt

$27,000

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $46,173

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Mathematics

BachCIP: 2701

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $69,562

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Music

BachCIP: 5009

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

$26,241

Natl Median: $42,892

Lifetime Value Added

-$347k

Natural Resources Conservation and Research

BachCIP: 0301

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $55,012

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Philosophy

BachCIP: 3801

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $54,455

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Political Science and Government

BachCIP: 4510

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $63,293

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Psychology, General

BachCIP: 4201

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $50,706

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Public Policy Analysis

BachCIP: 4405

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $73,721

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Rhetoric and Composition/Writing Studies

BachCIP: 2313

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $48,471

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics

BachCIP: 1609

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $55,000

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Social Sciences, General

BachCIP: 4501

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $53,366

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Social Sciences, Other

BachCIP: 4599

Median Debt

Earnings (4yr)

Natl Median: $56,812

Lifetime Value Added

N/A

Visual and Performing Arts, General

BachCIP: 5001

Median Debt

$27,000

Earnings (4yr)

$39,958

Natl Median: $41,688

Lifetime Value Added

-$227k

Master's Degrees

English Language and Literature/Letters, Other

MastCIP: 2399

Median Debt

$38,838

Earnings (4yr)

$50,671

Natl Median: $50,850

Lifetime Value Added

-$257k

Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate (for undergraduate programs) or a median bachelor's degree holder (for graduate programs), accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes. Computed over a career to retirement age.

For graduate programs (Master's, Doctoral, etc.), the calculation assumes a starting age of 22 (after undergraduate completion) and does not include the sunk costs of prior degrees. It represents the value added of the graduate degree decision moving forward. These Lifetime Value Added results for graduate degrees should not be compared with those for Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors.