Vassar was built to advance the notion of what a liberal arts college can be. They empower students to explore widely, delve deeply, and investigate every new idea with an open mind. Through their open curriculum, you’ll find the freedom and flexibility to embrace the subjects you’re most passionate about and let them shape the course of your education. There are no general education requirements, so you can take the courses that most interest you and know your classmates have chosen them as well.

Fostering real connections is key to creating an environment of dialogue and understanding, and that’s no different when it comes to student-faculty interaction. Since there are no teaching assistants or graduate student instructors at Vassar, you will get to know your professors and they will get to know you. You’ll have access to hands-on, mentored research and internship opportunities that will enable you to learn, lead, and improve the world around you. 90% of Vassar students complete an internship. Through Vassar’s Community-Engaged Learning program, you can gain experience in a non-profit organization, government agency, or business while receiving course credit. 

Under the Vassar-Dartmouth Dual-Degree Program in Engineering, Vassar students spend their junior year at Dartmouth's Thayer School of Engineering. They return to Vassar for their senior year to finish their bachelor of arts (BA) degree requirements, and then complete a fifth year at Dartmouth to obtain the second degree, a bachelor of engineering (BE). The Vassar/Columbia BA/MPH dual-degree program allows students to earn a BA from Vassar and continue on to an accelerated Masters program in Public Health at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Students spend the fall semester of their senior year at Mailman, return to Vassar for the spring semester, then enter the Masters program which includes a practicum, a year of coursework, and thesis work.   

Vassar will help shape the path of your life; and along that journey, there’s no need to lose sight of who you are. Vassar aims to create a space that can be inclusive of all perspectives and backgrounds through their philosophy of engaged pluralism. Through engaged pluralism, Vassar strives to give every voice a platform because it's those differences that make their community strong.

Fun fact: In 1969, Vassar was one of the first colleges in the country to establish a Black Studies program, which is now called Africana Studies. The program offers both a major and a minor.