Getting in
For Fall 2025, 11,118 first-year students applied to Vassar, 2,327 were admitted and 697 enrolled: an acceptance rate of 20.9%.
Source: Vassar Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C1. Read Oct 1, 2026.
By residency, first-year applicants, Fall 2025
| Applicants | Applied | Admitted | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| In-state | 2,194 | 616 | 28.1% |
| Out-of-state | 5,219 | 1,526 | 29.2% |
| International | 3,705 | 185 | 5% |
Source: Vassar Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C1, residency table. Read Oct 1, 2026.
By school or major. Vassar's Common Data Set reports one first-year acceptance rate for the whole college, with no rate by major.
Source: Vassar Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Early decision. The Common Data Set reports both early decision rounds together, for the fall 2025 entering class. They are part of the totals above. Vassar has no early action plan.
Early decision, Fall 2025
| Plan | Applied | Admitted | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Decision I and II | 1,046 | 402 | 38.4% |
Source: Vassar Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), sections C21 and C22. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Programs with extra requirements
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
Everyone applies to Vassar the same way. One option is open to artists:
- Music, art and dance (optional). If you have a well-developed talent in music, art or dance and plan to keep at it at Vassar, you may send a portfolio through SlideRoom; faculty in the discipline evaluate it and share their view with the Office of Admission.
Portfolios are due November 17 for Early Decision I and January 5 for Early Decision II and Regular Decision.
Source: Vassar Admission, Music, Art, and Dance Portfolios (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Majors
51 majors across 1 school. Every major on Vassar's official list of majors, as the Academics pages give it. Vassar is a single college, so the majors are one group; correlate sequences (Vassar's minors) and graduate programs are left out. The list does not name degree types.
Vassar College51
- Africana Studies
- American and Native American Studies
- Anthropology
- Art History
- Art, Studio
- Asian Studies
- Astronomy
- Biochemistry
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Chinese
- Cognitive Science
- Computer Science
- Dance
- Drama
- Earth Science
- Earth Science and Society
- Economics
- Education
- English
- Environmental Studies
- Film
- French and Francophone Studies
- Geography
- Geography-Anthropology
- German Studies
- Global Nineteenth-Century Studies
- Greek and Roman Studies
- Hispanic Studies
- History
- Independent Program
- International Studies
- Italian
- Japanese
- Jewish Studies
- Latin American and Latinx Studies
- Mathematics
- Media Studies
- Medieval and Renaissance Studies
- Music
- Neuroscience and Behavior
- Philosophy
- Physics
- Political Science
- Psychological Science
- Religion
- Russian Studies
- Science, Technology and Society
- Sociology
- Urban Studies
- Women, Feminist, and Queer Studies
Source: Vassar College Academics, Majors (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Deadlines for Fall 2027
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
| Plan | Apply by | Decision | Binding |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Decision I | November 15 | not published | Yes |
| Early Decision II | January 1 | not published | Yes |
| Regular Decision | January 1 | not published | No |
The application fee is $65, or a fee waiver. Early decision applicants also send the Early Decision Agreement. Vassar's admission pages do not publish decision dates; its Common Data Set 2025-2026 lists December 15 for Early Decision I, February 1 for Early Decision II and April 1 for Regular Decision.
Source: Vassar Admission, First-Year Applicants (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Both early decision rounds are binding. You commit to Vassar when you apply and, if admitted, agree to enroll and promptly withdraw your other applications. You may apply to other colleges meanwhile but may have only one early decision application pending at a time. If you apply for financial aid and the award does not make attendance possible, you may decline and be released from the commitment.
Source: Vassar College, Early Decision Agreement (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Testing
For students applying in fall 2026, entering fall 2027
Vassar does not require SAT or ACT scores. You choose whether to include testing by completing the test optional form in the applicant status portal: by November 22 for Early Decision I, or January 8 for Regular Decision and Early Decision II. Vassar accepts scores you list yourself and superscores; if you enroll, official score reports are required in the spring.
Source: Vassar Admission, First-Year Applicants (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
The Common Data Set also marks the SAT or ACT as not required for fall 2027 applicants, but considered if submitted, with scores due by January 15.
Source: Vassar Common Data Set 2025-2026 (opens in a new tab), section C8. Read Oct 1, 2026.
Applying next year?
For students applying in fall 2027, entering fall 2028
Not announced yet. When we checked Vassar's admission pages on October 1, 2026, we found no announced changes for fall 2028 entry. The deadlines and rules above are for fall 2027 entry.
Source: Vassar Admission, First-Year Applicants (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Cost, and what families paid after aid
The published cost of a year at Vassar, 2026-2027:
| Tuition | $76,140 |
|---|---|
| Fees | $1,020 |
| Food and housing (on campus) | $19,800 |
| Books, supplies, personal expenses and transportation | $2,250 |
| Total | $99,210 |
Tuition, fees and housing and dining are Vassar's 2026-2027 charges; the last line is the amount Vassar says to budget.
Source: Vassar Admission, Tuition & Fees (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Average net price per year, by family income, 2023-24:
| Family income | Paid after grants |
|---|---|
| $0 to $30,000 | $15,953 |
| $30,001 to $48,000 | $14,548 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $14,126 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $25,773 |
| Over $110,000 | $56,615 |
| All incomes | $39,343 |
What first-year, full-time students who received federal aid paid after grants and scholarships, by family income, in 2023-24, the latest year the Department of Education publishes. Your own price comes from Vassar's aid offer.
Source: College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education (opens in a new tab). Read Oct 1, 2026.
Similar schools
Chosen for how close each is to Vassar College on acceptance rate, public or private, location and majors offered.
Skidmore CollegeSaratoga Springs, NY · Private23.8% admitted$32,297 average net price
Colgate UniversityHamilton, NY · Private17.5% admitted$28,786 average net price
Wake Forest UniversityWinston-Salem, NC · Private20.8% admitted$28,719 average net price
University of RichmondRichmond, VA · Private22.2% admitted$31,309 average net price
Carleton CollegeNorthfield, MN · Private21.8% admitted$25,407 average net price
Admitted: each school's latest first-year acceptance rate, so the year can differ from school to school; each school's page names its year and source. Average net price: what federal aid recipients paid per year after grants, 2023-24, and the in-state figure for a public university.