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Pictured: Vassar Library. An old light colored brick building with a castle style towner in the center. There are green trees and grass in the foreground.

Community

The Israel-Hamas war has presented challenges for colleges across the country. Here’s how Vassar is supporting the members of its campus community. Read more
Photo: Karl Rabe

In a nave, a man with short dark hair, wearing glasses and a bright yellow short sleeve shirt, is looking intently at a camera view screen with pews in the background.

Arts

Architects responsible for restoring Notre-Dame of Paris talked about their efforts to rebuild the cathedral and how research by the late Professor Andrew Tallon has aided their efforts. Read more
Image courtesy of Marie Tallon.

A person sitting in a chair signing a book and talking to two standing people.

Alums

Journalist Chip Reid ’77 spoke about his book Battle Scars, which documents the experiences of the Iraq War veterans with whom he was embedded. Read more
Photo: Kelly Marsh

News

A person walking and waving to the camera at a polling site.

Campus Polling Site Aids Vassar Voters

A large group of people huddled together outside with one person holding up their phone for a group selfie.

Vassar Seeks to Help Other Colleges Launch ‘Exploring Transfer’ Programs

3 people sitting in chairs in front row and 7 people standing in the back in an office with several framed artwork on the walls.

Dede Thompson Bartlett ’65 Visits Campus to Talk Career Education

Vassar Everywhere

Exploring Transfer Program Manager Charlotte Gullick and Associate Dean of the College for Student Growth & Engagement Wendy Maragh Taylor write about “The Next Step in Equity Work” in Inside Higher Ed.

College Historian Ronald Patkus speaks to WAMC about the exhibition Elizabeth Bishop’s Postcards, now on view at Vassar’s Archives & Special Collections Library.

Peipei Qiu, Professor and Chair of Chinese and Japanese, spoke to China Daily about a project she is leading that uses AI to preserve the oral history of World War II “comfort women.”

Dara Greenwood, Associate Professor of Psychological Science and Director of Media Studies, writes about the death of Matthew Perry and “Coping Through Comedy and Connection” in Psychology Today.

Professor Paulina Bren, Vassar’s Director of Women, Feminist, and Queer Studies, discusses her book, The Barbizon: The Hotel that Set Women Free on the podcast This Is Love.

Academics & Faculty

Choose from 48 departments and programs, 50 majors, plus the Independent Program (interdisciplinary “design your own” major).

The Vassar faculty is a diverse community of scholars, artists, writers, scientists, musicians, and thinkers. Learn more about the faculty and their teaching and research interests.

Departments and Programs | Majors | Faculty

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Admission & Financial Aid

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A Vassar education opens minds and doors.

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Facts & Stats

Students: 2430
Faculty: 369
Student:Faculty: 8:1
Average AID Award: $55K
Majors: 50
Varsity Teams: 27

This is Vassar

Vassar is fueled by an abundant energy, a creative force, a curious spirit, propelling our pursuits, hobbies, studies, and artistic endeavors. As we feed off one another’s energy, we further ignite our own fascinations. We can be uncommonly motivated and passionately inspired. We can also be laid back, but we are never just one thing. We are people who live out loud and introspective old souls. And no matter who we are, how we’re feeling, or what we’re doing, we share that universal spark that illuminates the world around us. Come take a look.

This Is Vassar, our monthly email newsletter, has feature stories and news updates about our vibrant community. Browse the archive or subscribe!

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Philip Jefferson seated in the foreground talking to another person while two people in the background look at a phone screen.

Alums

Economist Philip Jefferson ’83 was sworn in as Vice Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System in September 2023 after President Biden nominated him for the post. Read more
Photo: Karl Rabe

Beowulf Boritt dramatically lit wearing glasses and a tuxedo thrusts a trophy forward and up.

Alums

Beowulf Boritt ’93 won the 2023 Tony Award for Best Scenic Design of a Musical for New York, New York. Read more
Photo: Cindy Ord

Amina Luqman-Dawson smiling with arms folded standing in front of a treeline.

Alums

Amina Luqman-Dawson ’97 won the 2023 Newbery Medal for her middle-grade historical novel, Freewater. Read more.
Photo: Matt Mendelsohn

Alums

Veteran CNN executive Amy Entelis ’71 was tapped to run the news outlet for the second time in as many years during a tumultuous time for the company. Read more
Photo: CNN/Jai Lennard

Sasha Velour seated with a book in the spotlight reading aloud.

Alums

Drag artist Sasha Velour ’09 published her memoir, The Big Reveal: An Illustrated Manifesto of Drag, in 2023 and landed on the cover of the New Yorker. Read more
Photo: Allyse Pulliam

Athletics

Vassar College Men’s Rugby pulled off an incredible upset against Hofstra University to capture the Fall 2023 Tri-State Conference Small College 15s championship. Read more

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Campus Life

We at Vassar are committed to attracting, supporting, and retaining a strong and inclusive campus community.

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The Arts

There are over 1,000 campus-wide events annually. You will find arts-related events sponsored by the departments of Art, Music, Dance, Drama, and Film; exhibitions and events at the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, the Palmer Gallery, and the Archives and Special Collections Library.

Background image: detail of Testimony [Figure on a horse with hands controlling the puppet], Photogravure on Hahnemühle paper, Artist: Kara Walker (American, b. 1969), Purchase, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation Fund, 2009.25.5.

Experience