Bennington College

Apply for first-year Apply for transfer

Bennington College

Apply for first-year Apply for transfer

Bennington holds a distinguished place among American colleges and universities. It was the first to include the visual and performing arts in a liberal arts education, and it is the only college to require that students spend a term-every year-at work in the world. Rooted in an abiding faith in the talent, imagination, and responsibility of the individual, Bennington invites students to pursue and shape their own intellectual inquiries, and in doing so to discover the interconnection of things.

Virtual Tour

Academic Programs

Art & Design
Communication
Design
Economics
Government/Political Science
Liberal Arts
Music
Performing Arts
Research
Science
Social Science
Technology
Visual Arts

Student experience

Co-op/Internship Opportunities
Disability Services
Intramural/Club Sports
LGBTQIA Services
On-Campus Housing
Study Abroad
Undergraduate Research

Application information

Find out about requirements, fees, and deadlines

First-year

First year applicants will have completed high school (or the equivalent) prior to enrolling. Applicants who have completed one semester or more at another college after high school completion are not eligible to apply as first-year students. Bennington College is test optional and does not charge an application fee. Application Deadlines: Spring: November 1 Fall: Early Decision 1 - November 15 Early Action - December 1 Early Decision 2 - January 15 Regular Decision - January 15

Transfer

Transfer students are an integral part of our community. Bennington values the unique perspectives and contributions that transfer students bring to campus. Approximately ten percent of our student body transferred here from four-year liberal arts colleges, universities, and community. If you have graduated from high school (or earned a high school equivalency) and subsequently went on to earn college credit, you are a transfer applicant. Please apply as a transfer even if you have withdrawn from your degree program or are not currently enrolled. Bennington does not charge an application fee.

Additional Information

Apply to one of the nation's most distinct colleges. At Bennington College you will:

Use Bennington's academic structure (known as the Plan process), to map an individualized territory of study and practice that goes beyond the bounds of a traditional major.
Hone your ideas in the classroom, then, through Field Work Term, test them through hands-on work in the world--every year.
Engage with a curriculum flexible enough to handle the most interesting questions you bring to it.
Work in close collaboration with faculty members who as teacher-practitioners, are themselves actively engaged in their fields. Through Bennington's advising process, faculty help students steer their work in the most compelling directions.

Visit us

Bennington offers personalized, student-led tours of the campus throughout the year. If you visit during fall or spring term, you’ll also get to sit in on a class and have lunch in the dining hall with a current student. Bennington College is rated in the top 10 by The Princeton Review for best college dorms, best classroom experience, most beautiful campus and best college theater. Please visit https://www.bennington.edu/admissions/apply/visit to schedule your visit.