Quad

Head-to-head

Mount Holyoke
Vassar

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Mount Holyoke costs about $11.5K less per year on average than Vassar ($44,439 vs. $55,985, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  2. 2

    Vassar grads earn $12.9K more ten years out than Mount Holyoke's ($71,366 vs. $58,418)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    Mount Holyoke's grants cover 48% of its full price on average, vs. 36% at Vassar

    Aid generosity
  4. 4

    Vassar is 1.8× more selective than Mount Holyoke

    Acceptance rate
  5. 5

    Vassar graduates 8 pts more of its students than Mount Holyoke (92% vs. 84%)

    Graduation rate
  6. 6

    Mount Holyoke has 5 pts more first-gen students than Vassar (19% vs. 14%)

    First-generation students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

Vassar admits 21%, Mount Holyoke 38%; Mount Holyoke's yield is higher, at 31%.

Acceptance rate
Mount Holyoke38%
Vassar21%
Quad's selectivity
  • Mount HolyokeVery selective
  • VassarHighly selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1300–1600
Mount Holyoke
1380–1530
Vassar
1460–1520
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • Mount HolyokeSchool record and prep program required
  • VassarRigor and GPA very important

Who's on each campus

Vassar is a bit larger than Mount Holyoke (2,444 vs. 2,169 undergrads); Mount Holyoke has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Mount Holyoke2.2K
Vassar2.4K
Pell Grant share
Mount Holyoke22%
Vassar19%

Majors and faculty

English Language and Literature leads at Mount Holyoke, and Research and Experimental Psychology at Vassar; Vassar has 7 students per faculty member to Mount Holyoke's 9.

Students per faculty member
Mount Holyoke9 to 1
Vassar7 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • Mount HolyokeEnglish Language and Literature, General8%
  • VassarResearch and Experimental Psychology, Other7%

What each costs

Mount Holyoke costs about $11.5K less a year than Vassar on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Mount Holyoke$44.4K
Vassar$56K
Aid generosity
Mount Holyoke48%
Vassar36%

What each pays off

Vassar's former students earn more, a median $71.4K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 80% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Mount Holyoke$58.4K
Vassar$71.4K
Graduation rate
Mount Holyoke84%
Vassar92%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • Mount HolyokeGrowing+63%
  • VassarGrowing+60%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:Mount Holyoke College (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;Vassar College (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;Vassar College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;Vassar College Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024;Vassar College Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2019About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why