Bennington College

It is very difficult to get into Bennington College. The acceptance rate at Bennington College is 45%. Out of 2,801 applications received in 2023, 1,269 students were offered admission.

If you want to apply to Bennington College, the deadline for Fall 2024 admissions is 1/15 and there is no application fee, which means it is free to apply.

Students who apply to Bennington College for the fall semester should receive an admissions decision no later than March 21.

Bennington College Admissions Stats at a Glance

The following is an overiew of some of Bennington College's admissions stats.

Bennington College 2023	Admissions Statistics
Mean Unweighted GPA	3.6
Admitted Students in Top 10% of Graduating Class	25%
Mean SAT Score	1340
Admissions Test Policy	Test Optional
Applicants Who Submit SATs	13%
Applicants Who Submit ACTs	5%
Waitlist	Yes

Bennington College Application Deadlines

These are the application deadlines for Bennington College.

Application Type	Offered	Application Deadline	Notification Deadline
Early Decision I	Yes	November 15	December 11
Early Decision II	Yes	January 15	February 5
Early Action	Yes	December 1	January 31
Regular Decision	Yes	1 15	March 21

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Applying Early to Bennington College?

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Bennington College offers early decision and also offers early action. Early decision is binding, which means you must attend if you are admitted, while early action allows you to apply early without committing.

🗓️ Early Decision I applications are due by November 15 EDI applicants should receive a decision by December 11.

🗓️ Early Decision II applications are due January 15. ED II Applicants will recieve their decision before February 5.

🗓️ The Early Action deadline is December 1. Bennington College will release EA admissions decisions no later than January 31.

The early decision acceptance rate at Bennington College is 30%, compared to an overall acceptance rate of 45%.

Bennington College accepts about 55% of early action applicants and 45% all applicants for all deadlines. In 2022, Bennington College admitted 37 of the 123 students who applied early decision. In 2022, Bennington College admitted 56 of the 922 who applied early action.

Some students apply early because they believe it will increase their chances of getting in. When you apply early, your application is considered before all the regular decision applicants apply. Applying early may increase your chance of being admitted, since it demonstrates that you are very interested in a school.

➡️ Discover a list of some competetive colleges that admit significantly more applicants during early decision or early action than during regular admission.

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More on Bennington College Admissions

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Transferring to Bennington College

Transfer student admissions is very difficult.

For Students Waitlisted to Bennington College

In 2022, Bennington College waitlisted 88 students and 58 accepted a place on the waitlist. Of those, 23 eventually were offered a spot.

What Does Bennington College Look For in an Applicant?

Colleges consider a range of factors when determining who to admit for their next incoming class. Each college determines which factors are are most important when choose which applicants to admit, and which to deny. When assembling your list of schools to apply to, you may want to consider your strengths and any possible weaknesses in your application, and choose schools that put the most emphasis on the admissions factors where you're strong.

Admissions Factors at Bennington College

What does Bennington College consider during the admissions process? Take a look at the list below to see which factors are most important during the admissions process.

Admissions Factor	Level
Character/Personal Qualities	Very Important
Application Essay	Very Important
Interview	Very Important
Recommendation(s)	Very Important
Talent/Ability	Very Important
Academic GPA	Very Important
Rigor of Secondary School Record	Very Important
Class Rank	Considered
Extracurricular Activities	Considered
Racial/Ethnic Status	Considered
Standardized Test Scores	Considered
Volunteer Work	Considered
Work Experience	Considered
First Generation	Considered

Make sure to check with Bennington College for more information on admission factors.

Bennington College Application Requirements

To apply to Bennington College, all applicants must submit the following items. Check with Bennington College's admissions department to confirm all application materials and requirements.

Area	Required	Recommended	Required for Some	Details (If Any)
Interview	–	√	–	–
Letter(s) of Recommendation	2	–	–	–
Written Essay or Personal Statement	√	–	–	–
Other Requirements	√	–	–	graded analytic paper
Transcript of High School Record	√	–	–	–

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GPA and Testing

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What GPA Do I Need To Get Into Bennington College?

Students admitted to Bennington College have an average unweighted GPA of 3.6.

Out of all students that were admitted, 22.3% submitted a class rank. At Bennington College 25% of students ranked in the top 10% of their graduating class in high school, 65% were in the top 25% and 96% were in the top 50%.

GPAs of Admitted Students

At Bennington College, student GPAs fall in the following ranges.

GPA	Percent of Students
4.0 GPA	6.2%
3.75 and 3.99	31%
3.50 and 3.74	29.7%
3.25 and 3.49	20%
3.00 and 3.24	9%
2.50 and 2.9	4.1%
2.00 and 2.49	–

This chart depicts the percentage of all enrolled, degree-seeking, first-time, first year (freshmen) students who had high school grade point average within the given ranges.

Note: Some schools choose not release this information. If you have any questions regarding missing numbers, be sure to reach out to Bennington College directly.

About GPAs

Your high school grade point average (GPA) is a number that reflects your high school academic performance. A weighted GPA or an unweighted GPA are the two possible GPA scores considered by colleges.

An unweighted GPA is an average of your scores from each class on a four-point scale. Unweighted GPAs range from 4.0 to under 1.0. A weighted GPA considers your average grade and the difficulty of your classes. A weighted GPA boosts your average by adding extra points for honors or Advanced Placement courses.

Standardized Test Scores

Bennington College is a test optional school. Test optional schools allow students to choose if they want to submit ACT or SAT scores with their applications or not.

In 2022, 13% of Bennington College's first-year students submitted their SAT scores with their application. 5% of admitted applicants sent ACT scores.

What is a Good SAT Score for Bennington College?

To be competitive with other Bennington College applicants, you should aim to score between 1260 and 1370 (or higher!) on the SAT. At Bennington College 25% of admitted students scored higher than 1370 and 25% of scored lower than 1260, but the majority of students scored somewhere in between these two numbers.The mean composite SAT score for a Bennington College student is 1340.

On the SAT Math Section, 25% of Bennington College students scored 670 or higher and 75% of students scored 660 or higher. On the SAT Critical Reading section (formerly called the Verbal section), 25% of Bennington College students scored 700 or higher, and 75% scored a 660 or higher.

To be most competitive at Bennington College, you should strive to earn between 29 and 31 on the ACT.

An ACT score of 31 means you fall in the 75th percentile for Bennington College's admitted students. One out of every four students scored above a 31, and three out of four students scored lower than 31 on the ACT.

A 29 on the ACT is the 25th percentile for Bennington College students. Only one out of every four students scored below 29.

More Information on Transferring to Bennington College

For transfer students, it is very difficult to get admitted to Bennington College.

For transfer students wishing to start in the fall, the deadline to apply is March 15. Applicants should hear back by May 1.

Transfer students can enroll in Bennington College during the following terms:

• Fall Term

• Winter Term

• Spring Term

• Winter Term

• Summer Term

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Bennington College Admissions FAQs

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Can I defer my acceptance to Bennington College?

✅ Yes, admitted students can defer their admission to Bennington College.

Does Bennington College accept transfer credits?

✅ Bennington College accepts eligible transfer credits from accredited institutions.

Does Bennington College accept Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) credits?

✅ Bennington College accepts International Baccalaureate credits (IB) credits.

Do I have to submit test scores to Bennington College?

❌ No, Bennington College is test optional, so it's up to you if you want to submit test scores or not. If your scores are higher than the school's average, you probably want to include them. If your scores are average or below average, you it might make sense to leave them out of your application.

What is Bennington College's acceptance rate?

✅ Bennington College's acceptance rate is 45%.

What is the early decision acceptance rate at Bennington College?

✅ Bennington College's early decision acceptance rate was 30% in 2021.

What is the early action acceptance rate at Bennington College?

✅ The early action acceptance rate at Bennington College was 55% in 2021.

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