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Vassar College

Vassar College

Vassar College is a private, coeducational, liberal arts college located in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. It was established in the year 1861. The campus spreads across an area of more than 1200 acres. The college offers major degrees in over 50 varied fields of study. Students are also offered opportunities for studying abroad in countries such as China, England, France, Spain, and Russia, among others. The student body has an impressive number of international students representing over 45 foreign countries.

Vassar College’s athletics department fields more than 20 men's and women's sports teams. They compete in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). They are nicknamed the Brewers and participate in sports such as lacrosse, rowing, soccer, volleyball, and basketball.

Overview of Vassar College

Vassar is located in Poughkeepsie, NY (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, mathematics, art studies, drama and performing arts, photography and commercial art, and liberal arts.

Vassar Selectivity

The school does not offer open admission. Vassar admitted just 30% of applicants in 2007. Three quarters of students in 2007 had SAT verbal scores of at least 660. Half of math SAT scores of accepted students fell between 640 and 710.

Faculty

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

Student Body

The school had 2,451 enrolled students in 2007.

Student Life

Full-time students are the norm at Vassar. The school has a residential or campus feel. Vassar offers dorm rooms to a higher percentage of its students than do most colleges. The school 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
http://www.vassar.edu

Vassar Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Liberal Arts343English, economics, political science, history, urban studies, international relations, anthropology, sociology, ...
Therapy And Counseling64psychology, cognitive science
Science47biology, biochemistry, physics, chemistry, science and society, astronomy, geology
Art Studies26art studies
Religion And Philosophy26philosophy, religion, Jewish studies
Photography And Commercial Art20film studies
Medicine18neuroscience
Drama And Performing Arts16drama
Conservation And Resource Management11environmental studies
Mathematics9mathematics
Media9mass communication
Music9music
Computer Science And Engineering7computer and info science

Number of programs and degrees for Vassar in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree60548

Vassar Student Body

In 2007, Vassar had a total enrollment of 2,451 students (2,424 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men38%
Women62%
Full-Time100%
Part-Time0%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate100%
Graduate0%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White74%
Black5%
Hispanic6%
Asian9%
American Indian0%
Unknown0%
(Foreign Students)6%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 181%
18-1947%
20-2143%
22-248%
25-290%
30-340%
35-390%
40-490%
50-640%

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

ResidencePercent
New York25%
California11%
Massachusetts9%
(International Students)9%
New Jersey8%
Connecticut6%
Pennsylvania5%
Texas3%
Maryland2%
Illinois2%
Florida1%
Vermont1%
Ohio1%
New Hampshire1%
Oregon1%
Kentucky1%
Virginia1%
Arizona1%
Rhode Island1%
Maine1%
Missouri1%
South Carolina1%
Wisconsin1%
Minnesota1%
Oklahoma1%

Vassar Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time96 %

Vassar Room and Board (2007)

Vassar offers campus housing for 2,390 of its 2,424 (full-time) students. Freshmen are required to live on campus.

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

The school does not offer students a meal plan.

Vassar Admissions and Selectivity (2007)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total6,0751,82930%67037%
Men1,77670740%25636%
Women4,2991,12226%41437%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal660740
SAT Math640710
SAT Writing650740
ACT Verbal2931
ACT Math2931
ACT Composite2931

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 SAT91%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT27%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required

Vassar Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 38,115
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 38,115
Room and board$ 8,570
Room charge$ 4,570
Board (meal plan) charge$ 4,000
Books and supplies$ 860
Other expenses$ 1,020

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

Vassar Faculty

Vassar has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured9775
Non-tenured, but on tenure track3127
Non-tenured and not on tenure track3627

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year48$125,72138$112,974
Associate professoracademic year52$87,26039$84,287
Assistant professoracademic year45$65,95138$65,717
Instructoracademic year4$59,5009$57,028
Lectureracademic year15$56,3025$66,167
All faculty totalacademic year164$89,161129$84,663

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

Vassar Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

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

Vassar Degree Programs (2007)

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
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

MEDIA
Mass Communication/Media Studies

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

Vassar Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Vassar Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Dorm rooms per full-time student
(vs. all colleges)
Top 2%Vassar Dorm rooms per full-time student
Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
(vs. all colleges)
Top 3%Vassar Faculty/student ratio (full-time)
Student SAT scores
(vs. all colleges)
Top 3%Vassar Student SAT scores
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 liberal arts
(vs. all colleges)
Top 7%Vassar % of degrees in liberal arts
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 8%Vassar Number of degree programs
% of degrees in art studies
(vs. all colleges)
Top 10%Vassar % of degrees in art studies
% of degrees in drama and performing arts
(vs. all colleges)
Top 11%Vassar % of degrees in drama and performing arts
% of degrees in mathematics
(vs. all colleges)
Top 16%Vassar % of degrees in mathematics
% of degrees in music
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 17%Vassar % of degrees in music
% of degrees in therapy and counseling
(vs. colleges of similar size)
Top 18%Vassar % of degrees in therapy and counseling
% of degrees in photography and commercial art
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 18%Vassar % of degrees in photography and commercial art
% of degrees in science
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 19%Vassar % of degrees in science
% of degrees in conservation and resource management
(for colleges of its size and type)
Top 19%Vassar % of degrees in conservation and resource management
Explanation of the Highlights categories

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

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