2022 best colleges in Vermont

Vermont’s liberal arts colleges and flagship state university, the University of Vermont, reflect the progressive and eclectic vibe of the state. Located in the cozy city of Burlington, the University of Vermont boasts easy access to the Green Mountains and Adirondacks and a rising music and arts scene. Although often overlooked, Middlebury College is considered one of the “little ivies”, a nickname given to small colleges that are on par with ivy league schools. It also offers one of the best language programs in the country, with 11 different languages including Korean, Hebrew, and Arabic.

More Rankings

Net cost: The median annual cost of all students that receive any aid. This does not refer to the “sticker price”, the price listed by the college.

Earnings: The median earnings of all bachelor-level students 10 years after enrollment. This includes both students that do and do not graduate, across all majors.

Payback: The amount of time in years it takes to pay off the median net cost by the median earnings. For this calculation, the median earning of high school graduates (in the school’s home state) are deducted from the median earnings.

Degree premium: The difference between the school’s median earnings and the median earnings for all schools in the same state. This is called “Vs. state average” in school profiles below.

Ranking: The payback rate is divided by the degree premium (set as a percentage), the lower the number the higher the rank. (i.e. payback=1, degree premium 20% higher than state school median: 1/120% = .883.

Net cost

Earnings

Payback

Degree premium

Rankings

Ranking methodology

#1 in Vermont

Middlebury College

Middlebury, Vermont

Admission rate: 23%

Grad rate: 92%

Net cost: $25,656

Payback: 2.6 Years

Earnings: $65,933

Vs. state average: + $12,419

Economic score: 2.14

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#2 in Vermont

University of Vermont

Burlington, Vermont

Admission rate: 72%

Grad rate: 77%

Net cost: $18,982

Payback: 2.5 Years

Earnings: $58,245

Vs. state average: + $4,731

Economic score: 2.27

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#3 in Vermont

Norwich University

Northfield, Vermont

Admission rate: 75%

Grad rate: 64%

Net cost: $24,701

Payback: 3.1 Years

Earnings: $59,819

Vs. state average: + $6,305

Economic score: 2.75

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#4 in Vermont

Champlain College

Burlington, Vermont

Admission rate: 86%

Grad rate: 67%

Net cost: $33,561

Payback: 4.1 Years

Earnings: $60,024

Vs. state average: + $6,510

Economic score: 3.68

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#5 in Vermont

Castleton University

Castleton, Vermont

Admission rate: 89%

Grad rate: 60%

Net cost: $17,637

Payback: 3.6 Years

Earnings: $46,876

Vs. state average: - $6,638

Economic score: 4.11

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#6 in Vermont

Saint Michael's College

Colchester, Vermont

Admission rate: 88%

Grad rate: 77%

Net cost: $27,927

Payback: 5.0 Years

Earnings: $54,401

Vs. state average: + $887

Economic score: 4.93

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#7 in Vermont

Northern Vermont University

Johnson, Vermont

Admission rate: 76%

Grad rate: 44%

Net cost: $15,749

Payback: 4.7 Years

Earnings: $40,580

Vs. state average: - $12,934

Economic score: 6.21

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#8 in Vermont

Bennington College

Bennington, Vermont

Admission rate: 60%

Grad rate: 75%

Net cost: $29,325

Payback: 6.8 Years

Earnings: $44,196

Vs. state average: - $9,318

Economic score: 8.18

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#9 in Vermont

Goddard College

Plainfield, Vermont

Admission rate: 84%

Grad rate: 43%

Net cost: $23,873

Payback: 11.4 Years

Earnings: $36,670

Vs. state average: - $16,844

Economic score: 16.65

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SIT Graduate Institute

Brattleboro, Vermont

Admission rate: N/A

Grad rate: N/A

Net cost: N/A

Payback: N/A

Earnings: N/A

Vs. state average: N/A

Economic score: N/A

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Sterling College

Craftsbury Common, Vermont

Admission rate: 96%

Grad rate: 60%

Net cost: $22,734

Payback: N/A

Earnings: N/A

Vs. state average: N/A

Economic score: N/A

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Vermont Law School

South Royalton, Vermont

Admission rate: N/A

Grad rate: N/A

Net cost: N/A

Payback: N/A

Earnings: N/A

Vs. state average: N/A

Economic score: N/A

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