College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
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2024 Best Colleges in Vermont

11 Colleges
$51,001 Avg Salary*
54% Avg 4-Year Grad Rate*

It's not easy to decide which college to attend when you have so many options available. College Factual has developed its Top Vermont Colleges ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.

After analyzing 11 schools in Vermont, we came up with our list of those that offered the highest quality education. Our ranking is based on over 20 objective factors, including post graduate earnings, freshman retention, and graduation rate. We steer clear of subjective measures since they don't give a clear picture when determining how one school compares to another.

Get more details on our ranking methodology.

Customizing Your List

We know that one set of rankings doesn't always help you determine the best school for you, so we've created the ability to narrow your list by location and field of study as well as alternative rankings that prioritize different factors such as those of importance to veterans and returning adults or those who value diversity and value for your money.

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One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. We encourage you to try it out and pit your favorite colleges and universities head to head!

Top Colleges in Vermont

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

1
Middlebury crest
Middlebury College
Middlebury, Vermont

Our analysis found Middlebury College to be the best school for overall quality in Vermont in this year’s ranking. Located in Middlebury, Vermont, the small private not-for-profit school handed out 862 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The student-to-faculty rate of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Middlebury go into careers with an average salary of $65,933 during the early years of their career.

Read full report on Middlebury College

2
Bennington crest
Bennington College
Bennington, Vermont

Out of the 11 schools in Vermont that were part of this year’s ranking, Bennington College landed the #2 spot on the list. Located in Bennington, Vermont, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 270 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. During the early years of their career, graduates from Bennington make an average of $44,196 a year.

Read More…

3
Champlain crest
Champlain College
Burlington, Vermont

A rank of #3 on our Best Colleges in Vermont list means Champlain College is a great place for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Burlington, Vermont, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 1,642 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Champlain go into careers with an average salary of $60,024 during the early years of their career.

Read full report on Champlain College

4
UVM crest
University of Vermont
Burlington, Vermont

Out of the 11 schools in Vermont that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Vermont landed the #4 spot on the list. Located in Burlington, Vermont, the fairly large public school handed out 3,402 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low student loan default rate of 1.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from UVM make an average of $58,245 per year during the early years of their career.

Read full report on University of Vermont

5
Saint Michael's crest
Saint Michael's College
Colchester, Vermont

Out of the 11 schools in Vermont that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Michael’s College landed the #5 spot on the list. Located in Colchester, Vermont, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 486 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $54,401 during the early years of their career..

Read More…

6
Goddard College crest
Goddard College
Plainfield, Vermont

Goddard College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in Vermont ranking, coming in at #6. Located in Plainfield, Vermont, the small private not-for-profit school awarded 143 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.

With a student-to-faculty rate of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Goddard College go into careers with an average salary of $36,670 during the early years of their career.

Full Goddard College Report

7
Norwich crest
Norwich University
Northfield, Vermont

Norwich University landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Vermont ranking. Norwich University is a small private not-for-profit school located in Northfield, Vermont that handed out 1,226 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The low student loan default rate of 4.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1% Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from Norwich go into careers with an average salary of $59,819 during the early years of their career.

Read full report on Norwich University

8
Castleton crest
Castleton University
Castleton, Vermont

Castleton University did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in Vermont ranking, coming in at #8. This small public school is located in Castleton, Vermont, and it awarded 455 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Castleton make an average of $46,876 per year during the early years of their career.

Read full report on Castleton University

9
Vermont Tech crest
Vermont Technical College
Randolph, Vermont

Vermont Technical College did quite well in the 2024 Best Colleges in Vermont ranking, coming in at #9.Randolph, Vermont is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 576 students in 2020-2021.

With a student-to-faculty rate of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. Graduates with a bachelor’s degree from Vermont Tech make an average of $55,792 per year during the early years of their career.

Read full report on Vermont Technical College

10

Northern Vermont University landed the #10 spot on the 2024 Best Colleges in Vermont ranking. This small public school is located in Johnson, Vermont, and it awarded 544 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Northern Vermont University is $40,580 during the early years of their career.

Read full report on Northern Vermont University

11
CCV crest
Community College of Vermont
Montpelier, Vermont

Community College of Vermont came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Colleges in Vermont ranking.Montpelier, Vermont is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelor’s degrees to 516 students in 2020-2021.

Those who receive a bachelor’s degree from CCV go into careers with an average salary of $38,474 during the early years of their career.

Read full report on Community College of Vermont

Best Colleges in the New England Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 11 schools only.

References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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