Vassar College: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Utica, New York · Private nonprofit · Open access
Vassar College is a private nonprofit university in Utica, New York that admits about 87% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $21,869 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Homeland Security and Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 0.0 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Vassar College is a private institution located in Utica, New York. For the most recent reporting cycle, Vassar College admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 87%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT around 1130. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $21,869 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Vassar College is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Vassar College?
Vassar College has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
SAT and ACT scores Vassar College typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 520–610, with an EBRW midpoint near —. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
How much does Vassar College actually cost?
Published tuition is $24,308 for in-state students and $24,308 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $13,080 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $21,869 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 30% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
Most popular majors at Vassar College
The most popular undergraduate programs at Vassar College, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Homeland Security and Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. Across all programs, Vassar College confers roughly 614 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing program report a median income of about $95,160 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 267 | $95,160 |
| Homeland Security | 99 | $65,308 |
| Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General | 85 | $57,065 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | 53 | $67,051 |
| Construction Management | 36 | — |
| Research and Experimental Psychology | 27 | $43,934 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 24 | $55,386 |
| Psychology, General | 23 | $57,873 |
Is Vassar College safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Vassar College disclosed 0 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 0.0 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 0 violent offenses and 0 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
Other colleges in New York parents ask about
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Vassar College
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Vassar College recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Vassar College
What GPA do I need for Vassar College?
Vassar College has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does Vassar College typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 520–610, with an EBRW midpoint near —.
How much does Vassar College actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Vassar College after grants and scholarships is $21,869 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Vassar College realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Vassar College is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Vassar College?
Vassar College accepts about 87% of applicants. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is Vassar College a public or private school, and where is it located?
Vassar College is a private nonprofit institution located in Utica, New York.
What are the most popular majors at Vassar College?
The largest undergraduate majors at Vassar College by annual graduates are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Homeland Security and Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, General. The school awards about 614 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Vassar College safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Vassar College reported 0 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 0.0 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
Data sourced from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.