About Vassar
Vassar College is a highly selective, coeducational, independent, residential liberal arts college founded in 1861.
Matthew Vassar founded Vassar College in 1861 with the fortune he made mashing the barley. More than a brewer, he was an unconventional fellow who lacked a formal education but had the smarts to teach himself. Read more about Matthew Vassar and the history of the college.
Location In the scenic Hudson Valley, 75 miles north of New York City, in Poughkeepsie (area population, about 100,000). Vassar is in a residential area three miles from the city center.
Vassar Facts
- 2,400 students
- More than 290 faculty members; more than 70% of the faculty live on campus or nearby; one or two faculty families live in each residence hall as house fellows.
- All classes are taught by faculty members
- Student-faculty ratio is 8:1
- Average class size: 17
- Campus 1,000 picturesque acres ranging from the manicured lawns and formal gardens of the main campus to the meadows and woodlands of the Vassar Farm.
- Over 100 academic and residential buildings ranging in style from collegiate gothic to modernist, including two National Historic Landmarks.