Private nonprofit · College
Vassar College
Poughkeepsie, New York · Large suburb
- 18.6%
- Admit rate
- $39,343
- Avg net price
- 91%
- Graduation rate
- $71,366
- Median earnings
Vassar College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Poughkeepsie, New York (large suburb setting), enrolling 2,444 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Vassar College's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 18.6%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1450–1550
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 4.00
Enter a test score to see where you land against Vassar College's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Vassar College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Poughkeepsie, New York
Poughkeepsie is a city in and is the county seat of Dutchess County, New York, United States. In 1788, the Ratification Convention for New York State included Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and George Clinton. The Hudson Valley Renegades is a minor league baseball team affiliated with the New York Yankees. The team is a member of the South Atlantic League, and play at Dutchess Stadium in the nearby town of Fishkill. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Bachelor's
- Nearest big city
- 56 miles to New Haven, CT
- To the ocean
- 26 miles
- Nearest airport
- 17 miles to New York Stewart (SWF)
How Vassar College compares
More selective than 96% · #10 most selective of 137 in New York
Higher than 95%
Higher than 96% · #7 of 159 in New York
Higher than 93%
Higher than 84% · #35 of 133 in New York
Cheaper than 5% · #141 cheapest of 153 in New York
Lower than 82%
Lower than 92%
Larger than 63%
Percentiles compare Vassar College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in New York.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,38657%
- Men1,05843%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White54%
- Black3.8%
- Hispanic14%
- Asian12%
- Other or multiracial17%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 2,444
- Student–faculty ratio
- 7 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 19%
- First-generation students
- 14%
- Students over 25
- 1%
- Median family income
- $71,194
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $122,283
- Endowment
- $1,300,989,120
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 686 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From New York28%
- Other U.S. states65%
- International7.7%
A national draw — only 28% of first-years come from New York; 64% arrive from other states.
8% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 18.6%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1450–1550
- SAT average
- 1494
- SAT reading
- 730–770
- SAT math
- 720–780
- ACT composite
- 33–35
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 4.00
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $71,030
- Room & board
- $18,240
- Books & supplies
- $900
- Total cost of attendance
- $87,419
- Average net price
- $39,343
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 91%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 84%
- First-year retention
- 95%
- Transferred to another college
- 5%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $49,177
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $71,366
- Median debt at graduation
- $18,625
- Students with federal loans
- 39%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 88%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 2,455
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 100%
- Application fee
- $65
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III without football
- Varsity athletes
- 556 (281 men · 275 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (14)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 7.8 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 42
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 16
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (2,462 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$14,126/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Vassar College discounts heavily: 57% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $51,757. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 679 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $71,366
- Typical debt at graduation
- $18,625
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 26%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 65%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.6 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $3,866 (6%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 83°F
- Winter low
- 19°F
- Annual rain
- 47.2″
- Annual snow
- 57.9″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Poughkeepsie, NY US station (3.1 mi from campus).
What Vassar College graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Vassar College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Vassar College side by side →
Wesleyan University
Middletown, Connecticut · Small city · 15 mi to Hartford
- Students
- 3,067
- Admission
- 16%
- Net price
- $30k
- SAT
- 1501
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $74k
Rhode Island School of Design
Providence, Rhode Island · Midsize city · < 1 mi to Providence
- Students
- 2,084
- Admission
- 19%
- Net price
- $51k
- SAT
- 1473
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $68k
University of Richmond
University of Richmond, Virginia · Midsize city · 6 mi to Richmond
- Students
- 2,980
- Admission
- 22%
- Net price
- $31k
- SAT
- 1497
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $76k
Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vermont · Distant town · 32 mi to Burlington
- Students
- 2,738
- Admission
- 11%
- Net price
- $31k
- SAT
- 1508
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $76k
Bates College
Lewiston, Maine · Small city · 31 mi to Portland
- Students
- 1,760
- Admission
- 13%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1468
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $69k
Hamilton College
Clinton, New York · Midsize suburb · 37 mi to Syracuse
- Students
- 2,030
- Admission
- 14%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1506
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $78k
Colleges near Vassar College
Dutchess Community College
Poughkeepsie, NY · Public · Associate · 3,824 students
Marist University
Poughkeepsie, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 5,182 students
Dutchess BOCES-Practical Nursing Program
Poughkeepsie, NY · Public · Certificate · 81 students
Culinary Institute of America
Hyde Park, NY · Private nonprofit · Associate · 3,011 students
State University of New York at New Paltz
New Paltz, NY · Public · Bachelor's · 6,086 students
Mount Saint Mary College
Newburgh, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,148 students
Orange Ulster BOCES
Newburgh, NY · Public · Certificate · 74 students
Ulster County Community College
Stone Ridge, NY · Public · Associate · 1,341 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.














