International Relations and National Security Studies at Bennington College

Bennington's international relations program comes with an estimated $21,500 in debt—right in line with national norms—but peer programs nationally suggest first-year earnings around $37,000. That's a manageable 0.58 debt-to-earnings ratio on paper, yet it tells only part of the story when you look at Vermont's landscape for this field.

Other international relations programs in Vermont paint a strikingly different picture. Middlebury graduates earn nearly double at $68,000, while even Norwich University produces $44,000 in first-year earnings—both substantially higher than what comparable programs nationally achieve. This gap matters because Bennington commands the same selective profile (48% admission rate, 1358 SAT average) and price point as its Vermont peers, yet the earnings trajectory for similar programs lags significantly behind state benchmarks.

The challenge here is uncertainty. Because actual outcomes for Bennington's program aren't available, you're weighing an expensive liberal arts education against national medians that may not reflect what this specific school delivers. Given Vermont's stronger track record in this field and Bennington's unconventional structure, talk directly with recent alumni about their career paths. The debt load is reasonable, but only if post-graduation outcomes align more closely with Vermont norms than national ones.