Visual and Performing Arts, General bachelor's degree outcomes at Bennington College
Bennington, VT · Private nonprofit · Federal field 5001
Data scope
Federal records group outcomes by college, four-digit field and credential level. A record may cover several catalog programs or concentrations.
The short version
Reported earnings are close to the same-degree benchmark.
$1,730 below the national median for the same field and credential.
Debt pressure
67.6% of annual earnings
Positive-payoff price ceiling
Not reached
10-year scenario
−117% · Negative payoff
Price evidence
College-wide context only
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$230,420
$10,000Annual price−$270,420
$20,000Annual price−$310,420
$30,000Current college-wide context−$350,420
$31,000Current college-wide context−$354,420
$40,000Annual price−$390,420
$50,000Annual price−$430,420
OUTCOME SIGNALS
Graduate outcomes from several angles.
Follow earnings over time and inspect the cohort behind each federal measure.
-0%Earnings growth, year 1 → 5$20,809 → $20,724Not availableEarn above high-school thresholdGraduate count in the year-4 cohortNot availableWorking in the college’s stateGraduate count in the year-4 cohort22Year-5 earnings observationsCohort behind the year-5 median41Borrowers representedCohort behind the debt medianNot availableAwarding-school debtDebt attributed to the college granting the credentialNot availableRecent awardsIPEDS 2023–24 first-major completions in this field and credential
NEW FEDERAL PROGRAM CONTEXT
Size, aid and an earnings floor.
The Department of Education’s 2026 informational preview adds current program participation and a preliminary earnings comparison. It does not make a final eligibility determination.
96Students receiving federal aid2024–25 Title IV enrollment22Federal-aid completers2024–25 program completers50Pell Grant recipients2024–25 program count83Federal loan borrowers2024–25 unduplicated count
Preliminary federal earnings benchmark$34,808Informational preview, not a final accountability result
Observed year-4 earnings$39,958$5,150 above the preliminary benchmark
Source: U.S. Department of Education PPD:2026 informational preview. Program categories use OPEID, four-digit field and credential level; federal-aid counts do not represent every enrolled student.
01 · PRICE CONTEXT$30,947
Institution-wide annual average net price, not this program’s price.
02 · BORROWING$27,000
Median federal debt across schools attended at this academic level.
03 · EARNINGS$39,958
Observed median earnings four full years after completion.
04 · REPAYMENT$286/mo
Estimated standard 10-year federal payment.
WHAT WILL IT COST?
Published college costs provide the starting point.
Your exact offering, aid, residency and time to finish determine the price you actually pay.
Each point may represent a different federal cohort. A missing bar means the figure was unavailable or suppressed.
$20,809Year 1
$39,958Year 4
$20,724Year 5
CAN THE EARNINGS SUPPORT THE DEBT?
8.6% of gross monthly earnings
Estimated monthly payment divided by observed gross monthly earnings. This excludes taxes, other debts and income-driven repayment.
Gross monthly earnings$3,330
Estimated loan payment$286
41borrowers represented where reported
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?
$39,958 vs. $41,688
$1,730 below the national median for the same field and credential.
Same-field national median
WHAT WORK CAN IT LEAD TO?
Related occupations, wages and outlook.
Official CIP–SOC links show careers the curriculum may prepare students for, not observed jobs held by this school’s graduates. BLS wages describe everyone working in an occupation.
BLS May 2025 wage estimates and 2025–35 employment projections.
Art, Drama, and Music Teachers, Postsecondary$97,980 median wageVT estimate · 180 jobs · 25-1121+2.2% projected U.S. growth · 8k openings/yrTypical entry: Master's degreeArtists and Related Workers, All Other$71,240 median wageU.S. estimate · 6,930 jobs · 27-1019+2.0% projected U.S. growth · 1.1k openings/yrTypical entry: No formal educational credentialPhotographers$44,660 median wageU.S. estimate · 60 jobs · 27-4021-0.7% projected U.S. growth · 10.7k openings/yrTypical entry: High school diploma or equivalentArt Directors$129,260 median wageVT estimate · 80 jobs · 27-1011+4.2% projected U.S. growth · 12.2k openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeSpecial Effects Artists and Animators$102,030 median wageU.S. estimate · 19,970 jobs · 27-1014-0.3% projected U.S. growth · 4.2k openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeGraphic Designers$65,690 median wageVT estimate · 410 jobs · 27-1024-1.7% projected U.S. growth · 16k openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeFine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators$55,490 median wageU.S. estimate · 11,220 jobs · 27-1013-2.9% projected U.S. growth · 2.2k openings/yrTypical entry: Bachelor's degreeCraft Artists$46,080 median wageU.S. estimate · 4,580 jobs · 27-1012+2.0% projected U.S. growth · 1k openings/yrTypical entry: No formal educational credential
Possible alternatives
Same degree, stronger on at least one reported measure.
Every option below reports higher earnings, lower federal debt or a lower college-wide net price. Same-state options appear first.