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Vassar College, New York

Overview of Vassar College

Vassar is located in Poughkeepsie, New York (a small city). The school is a private, not-for-profit institution. The highest degree level offered by Vassar is the Master's degree.

Areas of Study

The range of program offerings available from the school is especially impressive compared to its number of students. Vassar is known for its programs in science, music, mathematics, art studies, drama and performing arts, photography and commercial art, therapy and counseling, liberal arts, and conservation and resource management.

Vassar Selectivity

The school does not offer open admission. Vassar admitted just 29% of applicants in 2005. Three quarters of students in 2005 had SAT verbal scores of at least 660. Half of math SAT scores of accepted students fell between 650 and 720. Many applicants are from out of state, an indication of the quality or special character of the school.

Faculty

The school maintains a faculty/student ratio (full-time) which is better than most colleges. Vassar has a tenure system for senior faculty. The full-time faculty at the school is well-paid, which often goes with faculty quality.

Student Body

Vassar had 2,378 enrolled students in 2005.

Student Life

Full-time students are the norm at the school. Vassar has a residential or campus feel. The school offers dorm rooms to a higher percentage of its students than do most colleges. Vassar values student athletics, and belongs to the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Vassar

Vassar College
124 Raymond Ave
Poughkeepsie, NY 12604
General Phone: (845) 437-7000
Admissions Phone: (845) 437-7300
Financial Aid Phone: (845) 437-5320
http://www.vassar.edu

Vassar Programs and Degrees (2005)

Vassar awarded degrees in these major categories in 2005:

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Liberal Arts338English, political science, economics, history, sociology, urban studies, anthropology, international relations, ...
Therapy And Counseling72psychology, cognitive science
Science55biology, science and society, chemistry, geology, biochemistry, astronomy, physics
Photography And Commercial Art38film studies
Religion And Philosophy36philosophy, religion, Jewish studies
Drama And Performing Arts28drama
Art Studies26art studies
Medicine26neuroscience
Mathematics16mathematics
Conservation And Resource Management15environmental studies
Music11music
Computer Science And Engineering9computer and info science

Number of programs and degrees for Vassar in 2005:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree67048

Vassar Student Body

In 2005, Vassar had a total enrollment of 2,378 students (2,346 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class (2005):

GroupPercent
Men42%
Women58%
Full-Time100%
Part-Time0%

More details are available, using 2004 data:

Students By Class (2004):

GroupPercent
Undergraduate100%

Racial Diversity (2004):
RacePercent
White76%
Black5%
Hispanic5%
Asian8%
American Indian0%
Other Races0%
(Foreign Students)4%

Students by Age (2004):

AgePercent
Under 181%
18-1945%
20-2144%
22-249%
25-291%
30-340%
35-390%
40-490%
50-640%
65+0%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence (2004):
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
New York23%
California11%
Foreign countries7%
Massachusetts7%
New Jersey6%
Pennsylvania6%
Connecticut5%
Maryland4%
New Hampshire2%
Illinois2%
Maine2%
Vermont2%
Virginia2%
Florida2%
Washington2%
Texas2%
Wisconsin1%
Minnesota1%
North Carolina1%
Ohio1%
Colorado1%
Rhode Island1%
Georgia1%
Nevada1%
New Mexico1%
Louisiana1%
Oregon1%
Arizona1%

Vassar Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2004):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time95 %

Vassar Room and Board (2005)

Vassar offers campus housing for 2,139 of its 2,346 (full-time) students.

(Please refer to our profile of Poughkeepsie, New York for details about the area surrounding the campus.)

The school does not offer students a meal plan.

Vassar Admissions and Selectivity (2005)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total6,3141,80329%65036%
Men1,94774638%27337%
Women4,3671,05724%37736%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal660740
SAT Math650720
ACT Composite2832

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Rankrecommended
High School Recordrequired
College Prep Programrequired
Recommendationsrequired
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT93%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT22%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required

Admissions Phone Number: (845) 437-7300

Vassar Expenses and Financial Aid (2005)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 33,800
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 33,800
Room and board$ 7,900
Room charge$ 4,190
Board (meal plan) charge$ 3,710
Books and supplies$ 860
Other expenses$ 940

Financial Aid:
Vassar participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 289500)

Financial Aid Phone Number: (845) 437-5320

Vassar Faculty

Vassar has a tenure system for faculty.

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2004):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year47$112,64837$103,327
Associate professoracademic year47$77,55036$74,236
Assistant professoracademic year38$62,64443$59,543
Instructoracademic year5$51,9928$45,643
Lectureracademic year3$65,6303$54,623
All faculty totalacademic year140$84,119127$75,472

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Vassar Athletics

Athletic Conferences (2005):

SportConference
BasketballUpstate Collegiate Athletic Association
BaseballUpstate Collegiate Athletic Association
TrackUpstate Collegiate Athletic Association

Vassar Degree Programs (2005)

ART STUDIES
Art/Art Studies, General

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer and Information Sciences, General

CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Environmental Studies

DRAMA AND PERFORMING ARTS
Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General

LIBERAL ARTS
African Studies
American/United States Studies/Civilization
Ancient Studies/Civilization
Ancient/Classical Greek Language and Literature
Anthropology
Asian Studies/Civilization
Chinese Language and Literature
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
French Language and Literature
Geography
German Language and Literature
History, General
International Relations and Affairs
Italian Language and Literature
Japanese Language and Literature
Latin American Studies
Latin Language and Literature
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities, Other
Medieval and Renaissance Studies
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Political Science and Government, General
Russian Language and Literature
Social Sciences, Other
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature
Urban Studies/Affairs
Women's Studies

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics, General

MEDICINE
Neuroscience

MUSIC
Music, General

PHOTOGRAPHY AND COMMERCIAL ART
Film/Cinema Studies

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY
Jewish/Judaic Studies
Philosophy
Religion/Religious Studies

SCIENCE
Astronomy
Biochemistry
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Chemistry, General
Geology/Earth Science, General
Physics, General
Science, Technology and Society

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Cognitive Science
Psychology, General

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Vassar Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Vassar Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
% of students from other states
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%Vassar % of students from other states
Student SAT scores
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%Vassar Student SAT scores
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 3%Vassar Dorm rooms per full-time student
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(vs. all colleges)
Top 3%Vassar Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. all colleges)
Top 4%Vassar Salaries of full-time faculty
Selectivity (based on % of applicants accepted)
(vs. all colleges)
Top 5%Vassar Selectivity (based on % of applicants accepted)
% of degrees in drama and performing arts
(vs. all colleges)
Top 7%Vassar % of degrees in drama and performing arts
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 8%Vassar Number of degree programs
% of degrees in mathematics
(vs. all colleges)
Top 9%Vassar % of degrees in mathematics
% of degrees in liberal arts
(vs. all colleges)
Top 9%Vassar % of degrees in liberal arts
% of degrees in art studies
(vs. all colleges)
Top 10%Vassar % of degrees in art studies
% of degrees in photography and commercial art
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 15%Vassar % of degrees in photography and commercial art
% of degrees in conservation and resource management
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 15%Vassar % of degrees in conservation and resource management
% of degrees in religion and philosophy
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 16%Vassar % of degrees in religion and philosophy
% of degrees in science
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 18%Vassar % of degrees in science
% of degrees in music
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 19%Vassar % of degrees in music
% of degrees in therapy and counseling
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 20%Vassar % of degrees in therapy and counseling
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Grants credits for AP courses
Career counseling
Career placement services
Student employment services
On-campus day care
Remedial classes for students
Option to study abroad
Offers campus housing
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Tenure system for quality teaching
NCAA athletic conference member

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