Exploring the University of Vermont: Rankings, Academics, and Campus Life

The University of Vermont (UVM), officially the University of Vermont and State Agricultural College, stands as a public land-grant research university. Founded in 1791, it holds the distinction of being the oldest university in Vermont and the fifth-oldest in New England. Located in Burlington, the most populous city in Vermont, UVM offers a blend of academic rigor and vibrant campus life.

A Glance at the Rankings

In the edition of Best Colleges, University of Vermont is ranked among national universities. Specifically, in the edition of Best Colleges, University of Vermont is ranked No. #132 in National Universities. It's also ranked No. #68 in Top Public Schools. These rankings offer a general overview of the university's standing among its peers, considering factors such as academic reputation, student selectivity, faculty resources, and financial resources.

Admissions and Enrollment

UVM's admissions process is test-optional, and the university accepts the Common Application. For the class of 2026, UVM received 28,236 applications, accepting 16,947 (60.0%). Of those accepted, 2,896 enrolled, a yield rate of 17.1%. Of the 35% of the incoming first-year class who submitted SAT scores; the middle 50% composite scores were 1270-1410. Of the 11% of enrolled first-years in 2023 who submitted ACT scores; the middle 50% composite scores were between 29 and 32. The university has a total undergraduate enrollment of 12,276 (fall 2024).

Tuition, Fees, and Financial Aid

The cost of attendance is a significant factor for prospective students. At UVM, the in-state tuition and fees are $19,514, while out-of-state tuition and fees amount to $47,554. Recognizing the financial needs of students, UVM provides financial aid opportunities. Forty-three percent of first-year students receive need-based financial aid, and the average net price for federal loan recipients is $20,795.

Academic Structure and Programs

UVM comprises ten colleges and schools, offering a wide array of academic programs. These include more than 100 undergraduate majors along with various graduate and professional programs. Graduate education at the University of Vermont (UVM) is dedicated to advancing the aspirations of our students while addressing the needs of society and our planet. With over 100 programs, we combine the academic excellence of a premier research university with a student-centric, collaborative spirit and a strong commitment to interdisciplinary study. The Graduate College empowers students' success by providing resources to support their research, professional and career development, and wellness. Through scholarship and professional and civic engagement, our students are prepared to lead change for a healthier, more just, and regenerative world.

The academic colleges at UVM are:

College of Arts and Sciences: The College of Arts and Sciences is the largest college, with the greatest number of students, faculty, and staff. The college also offers the bulk of the foundational courses to help ensure that students all over campus have the tools to succeed in all academic endeavors.
College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS): CEMS is home to five ABET-accredited engineering programs-Biomedical, Civil, Environmental, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering-in addition to the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. It also features three research centers: the Transportation Research Center, the Complex Systems Center and the Vermont Advanced Computing Center.
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS): The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) offers programs in animal science (early admission to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University is available); biochemistry; biological science; community entrepreneurship; community and international development; dietetics, nutrition and food sciences; ecological agriculture; environmental science; environmental studies; microbiology; molecular genetics; plant biology; public communication; and sustainable landscape horticulture. The college also offers programs in conjunction with the college of arts and sciences.
College of Education and Social Services (CESS): UVM's College of Education and Social Services (CESS) offers degrees in teacher education, human development & family science, and social work. Minors are also available in American Sign Language, special education, and education for cultural and linguistic diversity. The college comprises the Department of Leadership and Developmental Sciences, Department of Education, Department of Social Work, and the Center on Disability and Community Inclusion. Studies leading to a master's degree or doctorate (Ed.D.)

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Robert Larner College of Medicine: In 1804, John Pomeroy began teaching students in his house in Burlington, as the first medical department at a state college or university. UVM enrolls approximately 100 medical students in each class; there are approximately 400 medical students.
College of Nursing and Health Sciences: The College of Nursing and Health Sciences at UVM comprises four departments: Biomedical and Health Sciences, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Nursing, and Rehabilitation and Movement Science, as well as the Institute of Integrative Health, a shared program with the Robert Larner College of Medicine offering a Certificate in Integrative Healthcare. Some of these undergraduate degrees prepare students to enter graduate degree programs for Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology, or a doctorate of physical therapy program.
The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (RSENR): From its origins in the School of Natural Resources (originally established in 1973), the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (RSENR) was created in 2003. The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources seeks to cultivate an appreciation and understanding of ecological and social processes as well as values that are aimed at maintaining the integrity of natural systems and achieving a sustainable human community in harmony with the natural environment. The Rubenstein School targets three general areas of emphasis for scholarly pursuit: 1. Applied Ecology; 2. Environment & Society; and 3. Development & Use of Innovative Tools (e.g.

The University of Vermont is a public research university offering more than 100 majors and a "wide variety of courses that are all highly regarded," as well as numerous research opportunities, even for first-years. In addition, "the school does a wonderful job of supporting their students" in a variety of ways, including mental health and wellbeing, with "a wellness center and counseling available to everyone." Faculty members "really ensure a positive and curious environment" and they "make it a point to learn students' names and get to know them." The professors are "all highly qualified and are leaders of their field" and they "have flexibility with how they design curriculums," which means they "tend to teach in a style and format they enjoy" and are more willing to "meet outside of class and ensure you're on the correct path for success." The faculty are genuinely invested in their subjects "and make their lectures engaging and interesting," often employing unique pedagogical techniques.

Campus Setting and Resources

The University of Vermont's campus spans 460 acres. The city itself is the most populous in Vermont, hosting cultural events such as dragon boat racing and the South End Art Hop, and in 2015 became the first city in the United States to run entirely on renewable energy. The UVM Medical Centre, has a main facility on campus affiliated with the College of Medicine.

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Library Resources

The Charles A. Dana Library, is the largest medical library in Vermont and serves as the Vermont Resource Library of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, providing for information needs of the Academic Health Center at the University of Vermont. The Academic Health Center is composed of the faculty, staff and students at UVM's College of Medicine and the College of Nursing and Health Sciences, as well as the physicians, and other health care providers at the University of Vermont Medical Center.

Accessibility

Burlington International Airport is less than three miles from campus. Taxis, local buses, and rental cars are available for the trip from the airport to campus.

Student Life and Activities

UVM provides a vibrant campus life with a wide array of extracurricular activities and organizations. The student-faculty ratio at University of Vermont is 17:1, and it utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Students can engage in various clubs, sports, and cultural events, fostering a strong sense of community.

Athletics

The athletic teams at UVM are known as the Catamounts. The university offers 18 varsity sports. Women's teams include basketball, cross country, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, skiing, soccer, swimming and diving, and track and field (indoor and outdoor). Men's teams include basketball, cross country, ice hockey, lacrosse, skiing, soccer, and track and field (indoor and outdoor). All teams compete at the NCAA Division I level. Most teams compete in the America East Conference. Men's and women's hockey teams compete in the Hockey East Association. UVM's athletic teams won seven straight America East Academic Cups (2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011) for the best overall combined GPA among its student-athletes. Highlights of recent varsity athletic seasons include the men's hockey teams trip to the Frozen Four in 2009; the women's and men's basketball teams advancing to the 2010 NCAA Tournament following America East Tournament titles; the ski team winning its sixth NCAA National Championship in 2012 in Bozeman, Montana; in 2014, the men's hockey team earned its third trip to the NCAA Tournament since 2009 and the men's basketball team won the America East Regular Season title for the sixth time. On December 16, 2024, the UVM men's soccer team defeated the Marshall University to win the 2024 NCAA Division I men's soccer tournament.

UVM sponsors many club sports teams. The UVM sailing team was competitively ranked 8th in the nation as of November 15, 2009. UVM crew competes in the Head of the Charles Regatta and Dad Vail Regatta, winning bronze for the men's coxed four in the 2015 ACRA national club rowing championship.

Arts and Culture

UVM's School of the Arts sponsors instrumental and choral performances throughout the year. The Royall Tyler Theatre presents theatre productions on its mainstage. The Lane Series, the university's public performing arts program, began in 1955. Presenting nationally and internationally-known artists, the series offers twenty-five events per academic year, including performances in classical, jazz, folk, chamber, and choral music, as well as theater, film, and dance. The Fleming Museum of Art is the university's museum. Its permanent collection of 24,000 objects includes works of art as well as anthropological and ethnographic artifacts.

Student Organizations

Student clubs and organizations, totaling more than 250, span student interests and receive sponsorship from the Student Government Association. Clubs with longstanding history and the largest memberships include: Volunteers in Action, the UVM Outing Club, Ski & Snowboard Club. The UVM Outing Club was established in 1913 and is the largest outing club in the country. UVM Program Board (UPB) is responsible for bringing campus events and activities to the UVM community.

Greek Life

The University of Vermont Greek community is one of the oldest in the nation, with the first fraternal organization starting in 1836. 5% of male students and 5% of female students join Greek life.

Wellness Resources

RA programming. This is called the wellness environment. Other wellbeing classes. Graduate programs about wellbeing. Much programming offered out of student engagement from Center for Health and Wellbeing. CAPS offers programming.

Graduation Rates and Outcomes

The four-year graduation rate is 70%. Six years after graduation, the median salary for graduates is $48,164. Graduates of the University of Vermont (UVM) attribute their successes in the workforce to a unique brand of learning and experiences that “prepares us for career leadership later in life.” The Career Center guides students through internships, job shadowing, and “many opportunities for high quality undergraduate research.” Students identify how to advance in their field with yearly career quizzes and connect with future employers via Handshake and UVM Connect. The prevalence of interprofessional education, practical classes, and service-learning-particularly for medical students at the on-campus hospital-“means you are getting hands-on experience while still in school and learning to…create professional connections while you’re at it.” Additionally, students find that UVM’s intimate size puts them at “a huge advantage [for] internships and jobs across the state.

Notable Alumni

Four centuries of alumni include novelist Annie Proulx, founder of the New York Times; Henry Jarvis Raymond, hockey player; Martin St. Film producer nominated for Oscar and winner of Golden Globe for Babel in 2007. Credits include Alexander, Dead Man Walking, Malcolm X, Pollock, Mo' Better Blues, and Do The Right Thing. Dr. E. Winner of the 1994 Pulitzer Prize for Literature, the National Book Award for Fiction, and the PEN/Faulkner Award in 1993. UVM Phi Beta Kappa. Martin St. Three-time NCAA All-American winger. Four-time NHL All-Star and NHL Hart Trophy and Lady Byng Trophy winner.

A History of Progress and Activism

Opened in 1791, UVM is one of the oldest universities in the nation. Much of the initial funding and planning for the university was undertaken by Ira Allen, who is honored as UVM's founder. Allen donated a 50-acre (20 ha) parcel of land for establishment of the university. The citizens of Burlington helped fund the university's first edifice. When it was destroyed by fire in 1824, they also paid for its replacement. This building came to be known as "Old Mill" for its resemblance to New England mills of the time. The Marquis de Lafayette, a French general who became a commander in the American Revolution, while in Vermont laid the cornerstone of Old Mill, which stands on University Row along with Ira Allen Chapel, Billings Library, Williams Hall, Royall Tyler Theatre, and Morrill Hall.

In 1871, UVM defied custom and admitted two women as students. In 1924, UVM's WCAX, now called WVMT, sent out the first radio broadcast in Vermont. It was run by UVM students and faculty before being sold in 1931. WCAX is now the call sign of a commercial television station. A new radio station was set up in 1955, dubbed WRUV. It currently runs an FM broadcast at 90.1 MHz and an internet stream at wruv.org. The station, run by students, faculty, and local community members, dubs itself Burlington's Better Alternative

In the second half of the 20th century, UVM gained a reputation for its political activism, and struggles ensued on campus between student and faculty activists and the university administration. In 1953, the university's board of trustees ousted Alex B. In 1972, the board of trustees intervened again to deny tenure to Michael Parenti, a popular Marxist political science professor who drew ire from the authorities due to his participation in anti-war demonstrations. The board overrode the recommendation of the faculty, the deans' council and the administration. In the 1980s, the university faced increasing pressure from the student body to divest from companies doing business in apartheid South Africa. Student protests against investment in apartheid culminated in the construction of a "shantytown" on the green across from the Waterman building on October 12, 1985.

Commitment to Sustainability

In 1995, the Environmental Council at UVM was established to fill a gap regarding a bridge between operations and academics on campus greening issues. The council's first project was to hear presentations from the various environmental programs on campus to provide a baseline scan of campus operation environmental impact. Greening UVM was published in 1998 by the council to establish a baseline on the environmental impact of the campus' operations. During the same year, a recycled paper policy was created and was implemented in 1999. As a community stakeholder in the Lab-XL project, the Environmental Council received an EPA grant to support the Tracking UVM project and publication to assess the relative environmental impact and community interest in laboratory chemical waste. Tracking UVM, a follow-up to the Greening UVM report, was published in 2002 and reported on the environmental progress of the university from 1990 to 2000. The University of Vermont's commitment to tracking its environmental performance was recognized in 2004 with Vermont's Governor's Award for Environmental Excellence for this 2002 environmental report card. In 2005, UVM's President Daniel M. In 2011, UVM released its Climate Action Plan to the American College & University President's Climate Commitment. The Climate Action Plan focuses on the direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions from the institution's operations. In 2012, UVM became one of the first institutions nationwide to end the sale of bottled water on campus and mandate that one third of drinks offered in vending machines…

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