Transfer Students

• Must fall within the liberal arts curriculum as determined by Bennington.
   
• Courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher (C- does not transfer).
   
• Pass/Fail or ungraded courses may transfer only if your transcript shows that a passing grade = C or better.
   
• If you’ve earned several C’s, your Plan Committee may require you to spend additional time at Bennington before graduating.

• Technical engineering
   
• Basic/pre-college math
   
• Nutrition
   
• Physical education
   
• Speech
   
• Study skills (including many first-year seminars)
   
• Most pre-professional courses (like business) — rarely transferable
   
• “Life experience” credit
   
• Internships
   
• Credit by exam (outside AP, IB, or A-levels as outlined earlier)

• Independent study
• Online or distance learning courses
  (Credit depends on review of a syllabus and other supporting materials.)

• Coursework from foreign institutions may need a Center for Educational Documentation (CED) evaluation.
   
• If required, you’ll be notified after we receive your transcript.
   
• Students are responsible for covering costs and submitting materials to CED.
   
• Processing usually takes about one month.
   
• Bennington makes the final decision on what credits transfer.

Bennington has two terms per academic year.  A typical course load at Bennington is 16 credits per term, 32 credits per year. Transfer students may enter as first- or second-term first-years or sophomores, or as first-term juniors. Students may carry a deficit of up to 8 credits, which must be added during their time at Bennington. Students transferring from institutions using the quarter system will have their credit evaluated proportionally

0–7  | 1st term First-years

8–23 | 2nd term First-years

24–39 | 1st term Sophomore

40–55 | 2nd term Sophomore

56–64 | 1st term Junior

If you have graduated from high school (or earned a high school equivalency) and then gone on to enroll in another degree-granting institution, you will be considered a transfer applicant at Bennington. Please apply as a transfer even if you have withdrawn from your degree program or are not currently enrolled.

Bennington's transfer students tend to be drawn to the College's distinctive approach to education. Here students create their own courses of study, collaborate with their teachers—who are also their advisors—to plan an education with breadth and depth, unified and fueled by their own particular passions. They are challenged throughout their education to explore questions that matter to them, to pursue their curiosities wherever they may lead. By writing and rewriting their plans of study and by discussing evolving ideas with faculty planning committees, students design, chart, and defend their courses of study. Throughout this exceptional process, students learn to develop the structures they need to shape their education—and their lives.

To graduate from Bennington, we require 128 credits and at least two years of full-time campus residence. We accept most liberal arts and performing arts credits, as well as credit granted from technical courses such as computer science. We do not accept more than 64 credits from another degree program. Read more about our credit transfer policy.

Yes! Community college students often possess a strong degree of self-direction and ownership of their educational goals; they have experience shaping their educations based on their interests and future ambitions in ways that serve them well both in the application process and in the Plan Process at Bennington. In order to more fully support community college applicants, Bennington partners with RaiseMe, a scholarship platform, to help community college students earn scholarships as they prepare to apply.

Absolutely. Bennington’s innovative approach to a college education emphasizes flexibility, individualization, and the value of experiential learning. Students who have spent time away from college classrooms often bring to Bennington a deep, intuitive understanding of those values as well as rich experience reflecting on their own intellectual and creative practices. They also tend to have strong skills for reflection, self-direction, and interdisciplinary thinking, all of which serve them well both in the application process and in their educations at Bennington. We encourage students who have spent time away from college to share their experiences with the transfer admissions team in the optional admissions interview or by including a resume or CV in their application. Furthermore, college credit remains eligible for transfer to Bennington regardless of when it was earned.

Yes. Whatever the result of your first application, we look forward to working with re-applicants and encourage you to reach out to discuss any questions or concerns you may have. There are opportunities throughout the application process to demonstrate how you’ve grown and developed as a thinker, leader, and student since your previous application.

Field Work Term is a six-week period in January and February during which Bennington students explore work-integrated learning opportunities through internships, apprenticeships, field research experiences, and self-directed projects. Bennington students are required to complete one such experience for each full year of full-time enrollment, and students increasingly fulfill these requirements during the summer or during the school year itself. 

No. While competitive applicants sometimes have had work, research, or internship experiences that resemble Field Work Term experiences, there is no requirement to have completed any such experience before enrolling at Bennington. Transfer students are expected to complete one Field Work Term experience for each year of full-time enrollment at Bennington. Admitted students will receive further information about their Field Work Term requirements in their transfer credit award letter.

Yes! Bennington has an articulation agreement with the Community College of Vermont which supports CCV students in transferring to Bennington. The College also offers non-degree-seeking courses to members of the local community; these courses can be an excellent introduction to the Bennington community and the first step towards matriculating at Bennington. Finally, applicants who are residents of Vermont at the time of admission are considered for the Vermont Leaders Scholarship, which provides up to $20,000 in merit aid to qualified students.

Yes, every transfer applicant is automatically considered for merit scholarships up to $37,500 per year. Both domestic and international transfer students are also eligible for further need-based financial aid. For students applying from community colleges, Bennington also offers the opportunity to earn up to $20,000 per year in merit aid prior to applying through our partnership with RaiseMe.

Please visit the Office of Financial Aid’s page on Financing Your Education for more information

Submission of a professional course-by-course evaluation report is not required. However, on occasion, we may require supporting materials such as course descriptions, course syllabi, or course catalogs in order to conduct evaluation of credit transfer. Students who have completed college coursework at a college or university outside of the United States are required to submit official transcripts in the original language. If the transcripts are not in English, an official translation must be submitted along with the originals.

 International transfer applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency unless one of the following describes you:

• You are a native speaker of English
• You will have been taught fully in English at the secondary level for at least three (3) years or post-secondary level for at least two (2) years by the time you apply to Bennington.
• You have earned an Associate degree or its equivalent at an accredited U.S. college or university.
• You have completed two non-ESL courses in English composition and/or speech and earned a grade of B or higher at an accredited U.S. college or university.

If you do not meet the above criteria, you must submit a score from one of the following exams to demonstrate English proficiency: TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo English Test (DET), Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic). While Bennington College does not have a minimum score for these exams, successful applicants typically have at least 100 on the TOEFL, 7 on the IELTS, 130 on the DET, or 70 on the PTE Academic. In addition to these exams, we will use any writing samples in the application to further assess a student's English skills.

The Bennington score report code for TOEFL is 3080. There are no score report codes for IELTS, Duolingo English Test (DET), and Pearson Test of English (PTE Academic). Please note that competence in English must be demonstrated before you will be considered for admission. Bennington College does not offer courses in English as a Second Language (ESL).

International students currently in F-1 status who have been admitted to Bennington College and are coming from another U.S. college or university are considered F-1 program transfers. The students must complete the transfer in form and submit this form to International Student Services (ISS). They must also speak with the international student advisor at their current school and request that their SEVIS record be electronically released from their current school to Bennington. For assistance, please contact ISS at iss@bennington.edu.

• A completed Transfer Common Application or Apply Coalition (two different ways to apply, based on your preference), each of which will require the below items:

• Two Academic Evaluations from college professors.

• The Transfer College Report.

• Official transcripts from all colleges attended.

• The Mid-Term Report is required ONLY for those transfer applicants who are currently enrolled first term first-year students (for all other transfer applicants, this form is optional). This form must be filled out and signed by the instructor of each course in which the applicant is enrolled. Completed forms should be emailed directly to the Bennington College Office of Admissions.

• Complete high school transcript(s).

• English proficiency testing for students who have not been taught fully in English for at least three (3) years or more. Learn more about approved forms of demonstrating English proficiency here. 

• An interview. These are one-on-one conversations with an admissions counselor aimed at helping you better understand your transition to Bennington. Sign up for an interview today.

• Supplementary materials. When we receive your Transfer Application, we will email you instructions for accessing your personal application status page, which you can use to upload supplemental materials.

• Test scores, such as the SAT or ACT

• In addition to being test-optional, Bennington has a No-Harm Testing policy when considering SAT or ACT scores in your application. This means that the SAT or ACT scores you submit will only be used in our review if they will positively affect your chance of admission. SAT or ACT scores that might negatively impact an admission decision will not be considered in our review process.