Applying as an International Student

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Application Requirements

If you are not a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, you are considered an international student. You will complete the same application and be evaluated the same way all Bennington applicants are evaluated. However, as an international student, there are a few additional steps.

English Language Proficiency

Any applicant (U.S. citizen or international) must demonstrate English proficiency unless one of the following describes you:

  • You are a native speaker of English.
  • You will have been taught fully in English for at least three (3) years by the time you graduate secondary school.

If you do not meet the above criteria, you must submit one of the following to demonstrate English proficiency:

While Bennington does not a have a minimum score for these exams, successful applicants typically have at least 100 on the TOEFL, 7 on the IELTS, 130 on the DET, or 70 on the PTE Academic. In addition to these exams, we will use any writing samples in the application or interviews to further assess a student's English skills.

You must demonstrate competence in English before you will be considered for admission. The College does not offer courses in English as a Second Language (ESL).

Transcripts

Your official transcripts from all years of high school must be submitted directly from your school. If your transcripts aren't in English, an official translation should be submitted along with the originals. The equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma is required.

Standardized Test Scores | Optional

SAT and ACT are optional for all applicants. If you would like to include scores but are unable to have official scores sent directly to Bennington, you may request that your school official either submit them with the Common Application school report or email them to admissions@bennington.edu.

Interviews

Interviews will be offered by invitation each admissions round. If there is further information we need from you or questions we would like to ask, you may receive an invitation to interview after you submit your completed application with all supporting documents. To learn more about Bennington before you apply, please sign up for one of the internationally-focused virtual events on our calendar.

Bennington accepts, but does not require, InitialView interviews. If you have completed an InitialView interview, we encourage you to share it with Bennington!

Scholarships and Financial Aid for International Students

International students may receive need-based and/or merit-based financial aid from Bennington. Financial aid is available to applicants in all decision rounds: Early Decision I, Early Decision II, Early Action, and Regular Decision. You must submit a financial aid application in addition to your admission application to be considered for need-based aid. 

Required Forms and Important Notices

  • If you intend to apply for financial aid, please review and follow the instructions. Financial Aid deadlines are the same as Admissions deadlines.
  • Regardless of whether or not you will apply for financial aid, if you enroll at Bennington, you are required to submit an International Student Certification of Finances. This form, which must be received and approved before the College issues an I-20 Form, verifies that you have the financial resources for all coming years at Bennington to meet expected education costs not covered by financial aid. Financial aid recipients complete the Certification after accepting Bennington's offer of admission.