Campus Information

Founded in 1861, Vassar College is a residential, coeducational liberal arts college. Consistently ranked among the top liberal arts colleges in the country, Vassar is renowned for pioneering achievements in education, for its long history of curricular innovation, and for the beauty of its campus.

Located in the heart of the scenic Hudson Valley, Poughkeepsie is a city of about 75,000 people and is approximately 75 miles north of New York City. There are numerous cultural attractions and opportunities for entertainment within Poughkeepsie and the surrounding area including the Walkway Over the Hudson, the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Home, Library and Museum, Locust Grove Estate, the Culinary Institute of America, the Bardavon 1869 Opera House, the oldest continuously-operating theater in New York State, and the Mid-Hudson Civic Center. There are also numerous music venues, shopping malls, movie theaters (two of which are drive-ins), roller-skating rinks, an ice-skating arena, and bowling alleys.

There are loads of delicious and affordable restaurants in the area, as well as several local breweries.  (Matthew Vassar, the College’s founder, was an ale-maker in his day!). There are also great opportunities for recreational and outdoor sports including hiking, skiing, kayaking, rock climbing and camping. There is definitely stuff to do—both on and off campus.

Additionally, we are a short (under two hours) commuter train ride from New York City. Poughkeepsie is a great place to go to college. The city itself provides access to any social, dining, educational, and recreational needs you might have.

The student body numbers 2,450 undergraduate students from all regions of the United States and 55 foreign countries. Vassar's students choose from 49 majors and 40 minors with an open core curriculum.  65% of our students come from public high schools and 35% from private/parochial schools. Our campus is 1,000 acres and is maintained as an arboretum with over 200 species of trees. The campus includes the Vassar Farm and Ecological Preserve, a nine-hole golf course, Sunset Lake, the Shakespeare Garden, an astronomical observatory, and the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, as well as athletic facilities, residence halls, and academic/administrative buildings.