2023 Best Value Colleges in Vermont

• Middlebury, VT•

• 4 Year

• •
  Rating 3.8 out of 5  514 reviews

Freshman: Middlebury is an interesting school for sure. On the one hand, the experience so far has been extremely eye-opening. Courses can be hard to get into, just seating wise, but sometimes the classes you panic register for turn out to be your favorite. The professors are knowledgeable. Administration can be kinda top-down organizationy, especially in infrastructure decision making. There are niches for so many different interests at the school, so it feels less like everyone is smarter than you and more than everyone has really cool interests that are different than yours.... Read 514 reviews

• grade A+

• grade A+

• Acceptance rate 22%

• Net price $24,517

• SAT range 1340-1520

• Burlington, VT•

• 4 Year

• •
  Rating 3.61 out of 5  1,872 reviews

Alum: Beautiful location; Burlington is the perfect college town. There's always something to do or new to try on or around campus! Academics were rigorous and most professors were incredibly kind and approachable. I made lifelong friends at UVM, and at the foreign university I was able to attend through UVM's exchange program. The student body is largely very friendly, outdoorsy, and active in social justice movements.... Read 1,872 reviews

• grade B+

• grade A minus

• Acceptance rate 71%

• Net price $20,235

• SAT range 1160-1350

• Randolph, VT•

• 4 Year

• •
  Rating 3.75 out of 5  206 reviews

Sophomore: The school here is great! The teachers here care about every individual student, and the staff around here is amazing. Vermont Tech has many connects to intern jobs and a high success rate after graduating.... Read 206 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade B+

• Acceptance rate 58%

• Net price $21,279

• SAT range 840-1050

• Northfield, VT•

• 4 Year

• •
  Rating 3.39 out of 5  487 reviews

Senior: Norwich University is a rural military college in Northfield, VT. They offer Army, Navy, and Air Force ROTC as well as the National Guard with scholarships available for each branch. The school also offers civilian enrollment and classes are often intermingled with the Corp and Civilian side although residence halls and barracks are separated. The school specializes in cybersecurity and leadership courses but offers a large array of majors. Class sizes are usually small with no more than 20 to 30 students in a class with the exception of Corp leadership classes. The cafeteria, known as Chow, serves three square meals a day and is open everyday, often serving special meals on holidays. There is also a pub on campus and a student run grill known as The Mill. Dunkin Donuts is located adjacent to these two establishments right under Chow. There is plenty to do on campus with dozens of clubs available to join and an on campus gym called Plumley Armory.... Read 487 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade B+

• Acceptance rate 74%

• Net price $25,641

• SAT range 930-1160

• Castleton, VT•

• 4 Year

• •
  Rating 3.37 out of 5  506 reviews

Junior: I first graduated from Castleton University in 2015, with a Bachelor's of Science in Communications. But I had always secretly had a passion for medicine and working with the people. I continued my education, obtaining an Associate of Science in Medical Assisting, and I fell in love! Being able to perform vitals, different diagnostics, and making people feel comfortable, made my days worth while. Although I did not pursue a career in the Communications field, my background and frequent patient interaction came in handy. But since working as a medical assistant for about two years, I decided to go back to my alma mater, to pursue a career in nursing. Castleton University has been known to not only have a tough program, but an overall rewarding experience. Our nursing professors are very tough and understanding people, who only want to see us, as the future of nurses, succeed and change lives for the better. I hope when I graduate, I will be well prepared as a future nurse!... Read 506 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade B+

• Acceptance rate 88%

• Net price $17,528

• SAT range 940-1140

• Colchester, VT•

• 4 Year

• •
  Rating 3.76 out of 5  550 reviews

Sophomore: I really enjoyed my Professors and classes they are very dedicated and they truly care about the success of all their students. Good support systems. The campus is much smaller then you’d think and everyone knows everything about everyone, so it can be gossipy. However it is also close knit and supportive community because of it. BUT FOOD IS BAD, Freshman dorms are larger then average. Hard to get off campus if your a freshman, so can be limiting. But when you get to Burlington it’s a perfect college city!... Read 550 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade B

• Acceptance rate 88%

• Net price $31,096

• SAT range 1060-1290

• Burlington, VT•

• 4 Year

• •
  Rating 3.69 out of 5  781 reviews

Senior: Champlain staff and community is like a big family. They take care of each other with numerous resources to cater to individual needs. There are numerous engaging and random campus events, like creating a stuffed animal and retro arcade night, so that students can enjoy community spaces and or pick up a new skill or hobby!... Read 781 reviews

• grade B minus

• grade B minus

• Acceptance rate 85%

• Net price $35,870

• SAT range 1110-1320

• Johnson, VT•

• 4 Year

• •
  Rating 3.19 out of 5  337 reviews

Senior: The academic staff are amazing and will work with students to achieve their goals. Amazing psychology and theatre programs on campus. The campus is beautiful and easy to walk around. The food is decent, served buffet style. Covid certainly took a hit on the student population, but people are coming back. Some professors can be hard to work with, but every college has one or two. It is a very affordable school, and won't completely break the bank.... Read 337 reviews

• grade C

• grade C+

• Acceptance rate 76%

• Net price $16,800

• SAT range 870-1100

• Bennington, VT•

• 4 Year

• •
  Rating 3.52 out of 5  225 reviews

Sophomore: To anyone considering applying: please do so! It’s funny; I remember reading these reviews before applying and now am currently writing one. Honestly, some of these comments scared me, but I have had such a beautiful experience at this school. I genuinely love it. Not going to lie, it takes time to find your people, but once you do, you’re home. There’s no comparing the access to faculty and the ample resources available to you. Since class sizes are so small, you’re able to have conversations with professors and get direct feedback. Bennington is also doing a lot better with its approach to mental health and supporting underrepresented students. Our campus and houses (we don’t have traditional dorms, we live in houses!) are gorgeous. Also, the financial aid alone was reason enough for me to attend. Though there are some issues with Bennington, in my opinion, it’s a lot of the same problems you get at other schools :))... Read 225 reviews

• grade B

• grade C

• Acceptance rate 60%

• Net price $35,386

• SAT range —

• Lyndonville, VT•

• 4 Year

• •
  Rating 3.42 out of 5  279 reviews

Junior: What I like about Northern Vermont University Lyndon is the location of the campus and the natural landscape first and foremost. I am up there studying Atmospheric science so that aspect of it is very important to me. I love being able to take walks around campus and in the woods around campus given the natural features that that part of Vermont has to offer. I also love the Atmospheric science program there. It is the best one you will find in that region of the United states. Overall my experience with the entire campus, my major, location, professors, and food has been very satisfactory.... Read 279 reviews

• grade B

• grade B+

• Acceptance rate 97%

• Net price $13,304

• SAT range 930-1170

• Craftsbury Common, VT•

• 4 Year

• •
  Rating 3.85 out of 5  34 reviews

Alum: Great for a unique experiential education setting. Micro college with strong focus on climate action, community, and place based learning. Ideal for students who already have a passion for sustainability and an interest in the core majors: Ecology, Outdoor Education, Sustainable Agriculture, Environmental Humanities, or design your own major. Not your average college experience, which was why it was so great! Rural setting, small class sizes(12-15), local food systems, amazing field program opportunities. A good fit for students with clear goals and a desire for self directed learning.... Read 34 reviews

• grade C

• grade C+

• Acceptance rate 96%

• Net price $17,685

• SAT range —

• Plainfield, VT•

• 4 Year

• •
  Rating 3.86 out of 5  44 reviews

Alum: I am 68 years old and it was one of the most wonderful and enlightening experiences I ever encountered. Choosing what and how you are going to learn makes you a phenomenal researcher. It trains you to adapt to all sorts of experiences to your learning. The people were so extremely bright, wacky and quite unconventional. The collection of people there were all so different and accepting of others. It is a profoundly accepting and nonjudgemental place. The only downside is that people leave so frequently due to not being able to do much of their academic work on their own. I was there for all four years with only one other person who was a freshman. You either learned to motivate yourself or you dropped out. A lot of students dropped out. You would get close to people because of the dorm time and being far away from everything and having time to relax and talk together. It was one of the best experiences of my life and I am pretty old! I graduated in 1979.... Read 44 reviews

• grade unavailable

• grade C

• Acceptance rate 84%

• Net price $23,794

• SAT range —