Quad

Head-to-head

Beacon
Bennington

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Bennington's grants cover 61% of its full price on average, vs. 31% at Beacon

    Aid generosity
  2. 2

    Beacon's yield is 27 pts higher than Bennington's

    Yield rate
  3. 3

    Bennington costs about $14.6K less per year on average than Beacon ($34,220 vs. $48,868, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  4. 4

    Bennington grads earn $8.9K more ten years out than Beacon's ($38,289 vs. $29,420)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  5. 5

    Beacon has 7 pts more first-gen students than Bennington (19% vs. 13%)

    First-generation students
  6. 6

    Bennington has 1.5× as many undergrads as Beacon

    Undergrads

The shape of each school

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

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

Beacon admits 43%, Bennington 45%; Beacon's yield is higher, at 39%.

Acceptance rate
Beacon43%
Bennington45%
Quad's selectivity
  • BeaconSelective
  • BenningtonVery selective
SAT middle 50%Axis 1200–1600
BeaconTest-blind
Bennington
1291–1403
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • BeaconGPA and school record required
  • BenningtonRigor very important52%

Who's on each campus

Bennington has 1.5× as many undergrads as Beacon and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
Beacon506
Bennington780
Pell Grant share
Beacon24%
Bennington25%

Majors and faculty

Anthrozoology leads at Beacon, and Dance at Bennington; Bennington has 9 students per faculty member to Beacon's 12.

Students per faculty member
Beacon12 to 1
Bennington9 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • BeaconAnthrozoology24%
  • BenningtonDance, General13%

What each costs

Bennington costs about $14.6K less a year than Beacon on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
Beacon$48.9K
Bennington$34.2K
Aid generosity
Beacon31%
Bennington61%

What each pays off

Bennington's former students earn more, a median $38.3K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
Beacon$29.4K
Bennington$38.3K
Graduation rate
Beacon63%
Bennington65%

How each has changed

Applications grew at Bennington, which got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • BeaconNot enough data
  • BenningtonGrowing+172%
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: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;Bennington College Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2023About 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