Computer Science at Bennington College

Based on peer programs in Vermont, computer science graduates typically earn around $63,000 in their first year—roughly $8,000 below the national median for CS bachelor's degrees. The estimated $25,000 in debt yields a reasonable 0.40 debt-to-earnings ratio, meaning the debt burden equals about five months of that first-year salary. This isn't alarming on its face, though it's worth noting that comparable programs at schools like Middlebury show considerably stronger earning outcomes.

The challenge here is uncertainty. With an estimated salary derived from just three Vermont programs and debt figures pulled from national patterns across similar liberal arts colleges, you're making a significant financial commitment without clear visibility into Bennington's actual graduate outcomes. Computer science programs vary enormously in their industry connections, curriculum rigor, and employer recognition—factors that directly affect whether graduates land $50,000 or $80,000 starting positions.

Given Bennington's selective admissions (48% acceptance, 1358 SAT average) and small program size, your child would likely receive personalized attention and flexibility in their CS education. But you need to press the school directly for graduate outcomes: where recent CS majors actually work, what they earn, and how many land technical roles versus adjacent positions. The financial picture looks manageable if those $63,000 estimates hold true, but without program-specific data, you're investing based on Vermont's broader CS landscape rather than Bennington's particular track record.