Academics
Majors and faculty
The most popular major is Dance, General (13% of graduates). 9 students for every faculty member, fewer than at 84% of colleges. 41% of faculty are full-time. Spends $23,573 a year on instruction per student.
Most popular majors
176 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates
The top 5 programs account for 52% of graduates; 36 programs in 17 fields awarded at least one.
- Dance, General 50.030113% 22
- General Literature 23.140112% 21
- Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 50.050110% 18Graduates in this field earn $23,575 4 years out
- Visual and Performing Arts, General 50.01019.7% 17Graduates in this field earn $39,958 4 years out
- Music, General 50.09017.4% 13Graduates in this field earn $26,241 4 years out
Fastest-growing field: English, 13% → 18% of graduates since 2014–15 (32 graduates in 2024–25).
Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)
Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.
Top-earning majors here
By earnings 4 years after completion
Visual and Performing Arts, General$39,958 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $20,809
4 years after completion$39,958National median: $41,688Below typical4 years out, Pell: Too few graduates to report · Non-Pell: $17,778(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)
Median federal debt: $27,000 · 63 graduates, two most recent years combined
Music$26,241 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: Too few graduates to report
4 years after completion$26,241National median: $42,892Below typicalMedian federal debt: Too few graduates to report · 29 graduates, two most recent years combined
Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft$23,575 4 yrs out
1 year after completion: $16,579
4 years after completion$23,575National median: $39,775Below typicalMedian federal debt: $26,200 · 42 graduates, two most recent years combined
Literature$18,152 1 yr out
1 year after completion: $18,152
4 years after completion: Too few graduates to report
Median federal debt: $27,000 · 51 graduates, two most recent years combined
Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.
The college also reports 8.9 to 1 in its Common Data Set (746 students, 84 faculty).
Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.
$90,496
9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.
Spending and endowment
Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other private nonprofit colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable.
Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;Bennington College Common Data Set 2023–24, Fall 2023;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)