---
title: Vassar College — cost, debt & earnings (College Scorecard)
location: Poughkeepsie, NY
control: Private nonprofit
source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2026-06-10 release)
sourceUrl: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/
---

# Vassar College

Poughkeepsie, NY · Private nonprofit · Bachelor-granting

> Federal College Scorecard institution **medians** — not a prediction of any one student's outcome, and not a figure for any single program. Earnings/debt cover federally-aided students.

## The bottom line

| Figure | Value | Status |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Typical earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $71,366 | recorded |
| Earnings range (25th–75th pct) | $47,264 – $105,378 | recorded |
| Typical federal debt | $17,500 | recorded |
| Debt of students who withdrew | $5,500 | recorded |
| Completion rate | 91% | recorded |
| Average annual net cost | $87,419 | recorded |
| % earning above a $28k HS-grad wage | 82% | recorded |
| Debt ÷ a year's earnings | 0.24× | derived |
| Earnings premium vs $28k HS benchmark | $43,366 | derived |

**91% of students finish** — the loans are owed whether or not you graduate, so read every figure below next to this number.

Typical **federal** loan debt is $17,500 (≈ 25% of a year's typical earnings here). Note: this counts federal loans only — not private loans, Parent PLUS, or family savings — so true borrowing is usually higher; and because dropouts borrow less, low-completion schools can show a deceptively low debt figure.

## Earnings by major (the number that decides "worth it")

> **Different measure — read on its own terms.** These are median earnings **1 year after completing the program** (early career, graduates only) — NOT the 10-years-after-entry school-wide figure above. Do not compare a program figure to the school figure; compare majors to each other. The Dept. of Education omits programs with too few graduates.

By program, early-career pay ranges from $13,908 to $64,930 across 20 program(s).

| Major | Credential | Pay (1 yr out) | Median debt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $64,930 | $17,037 |
| Economics. | Bachelor's Degree | $64,665 | $19,000 |
| Mathematics. | Bachelor's Degree | $59,871 | $19,000 |
| Neurobiology and Neurosciences. | Bachelor's Degree | $40,712 | $16,000 |
| English Language and Literature, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $39,175 | $19,000 |
| Political Science and Government. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,929 | $17,500 |
| Science, Technology and Society. | Bachelor's Degree | $38,747 | $19,000 |
| Cognitive Science. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,926 | not reported |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics. | Bachelor's Degree | $35,344 | $19,000 |
| Biology, General. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,836 | $19,000 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,713 | not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $32,522 | $18,985 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities. | Bachelor's Degree | $29,092 | $18,650 |
| Research and Experimental Psychology. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,914 | $19,000 |
| Urban Studies/Affairs. | Bachelor's Degree | $28,521 | not reported |
| Drama/Theatre Arts and Stagecraft. | Bachelor's Degree | $20,008 | $20,000 |
| Film/Video and Photographic Arts. | Bachelor's Degree | $19,233 | $17,993 |
| Communication and Media Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $18,701 | $16,750 |
| History. | Bachelor's Degree | $18,009 | $19,000 |
| Area Studies. | Bachelor's Degree | $13,908 | not reported |

## What this is — and is NOT

Institution-wide medians from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. **Not** a prediction of what you would earn or owe, **not** a figure for any single program (a CS and a fine-arts graduate of the same school diverge enormously), **not** proof the school caused the outcome (selection, not causation), and **not** a "best college" ranking. Explore Vassar College by field of study at the official Scorecard: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school/?197133

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Structured data (JSON-LD), each figure labeled by epistemic status: `/education/vassar-college-ny.jsonld` · all schools: `/education`