Getting To Know: University of Vermont-Again

Published by Stuart Nachbar at December 18, 2024

Why UVM and not UVT?

UVM stands for the Latin: Universitas Viridis Montis, University of the Green Mountains. There’s some other interesting historical tidbits to this school, such as:

UVM is the fifth-oldest college in New England after Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth and Brown.
This was the first university in America to declare in its charter that no preferences be made on the basis of religion.
UVM admitted African-American students beginning in 1852 and women beginning in 1872.
This was the first university in the U.S. to induct women into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s most prestigious academic honor society.

The University of Vermont was one of the original Public Ivies.

In his 1985 book, The Public Ivys, Richard Moll, a writer and former admissions director at Bowdoin College (ME), Vassar College (NY) and the University of California-Santa Cruz, called UVM one of the eight public universities most likely to provide an Ivy League-education at a public university price. Moll selected UVM because of its emphasis on the liberal arts and undergraduate education.

The university still advertises itself as a Public Ivy.

UVM has every right to do that. The school got into a well-circulated book. College applicants also like to feel good about their choice of a college. Going to a school that calls itself a Public Ivy certainly doesn’t hurt. I can also see some similarities with Cornell, the only Ivy that is also a Land Grant university, such as:

UVM and Cornell are very well invested in education in agriculture and sustainability. There are, for example, multiple ways to study the biological sciences at both schools.
Both schools are in lakefront college towns that they share with other four-year colleges, and both are great places for those who like outdoor recreational activities such as hiking and skiing.
UVM and Cornell are true men’s and women’s “hockey schools” that have also had successes in men’s basketball. Both are about equally successful in attendance in women’s D-1 hockey, according to US College Hockey’s rankings.

Interesting to me: Cornell draws a smaller percentage of its student body from outside New York (63%) than the University of Vermont (74%) draws from Vermont though most of Cornell’s undergraduate schools are private. UVM is also more undergraduate focused than Cornell. Eighty-five percent of UVM students are pursuing an undergraduate degree versus 63 percent for Cornell.

But is the University of Vermont truly a Public Ivy by my measures?

I have to say no. Here’s why:

Those who attend an Ivy or similarly selective private university tend to stay all the way to their degree. A Public Ivy should retain at least 90 percent of a freshmen class. UVM retains just under that at 88 percent.
Those who attend an Ivy or similarly selective private university tend to graduate on time at very high rates. A four-year graduation rate of 70 percent or higher is excellent for a public institution. UVM just cracked that mark with the Class of 2023. Seventy-two percent of that class finished on time. UVM graduated about two-thirds of their classes on time in prior years.
A Public Ivy should have a cost of attendance for all students that is less than the lowest tuition and fees charged by an Ivy League school. UVM’s estimated non-resident total cost of attendance for 2024-25 is between $63,500 and $64,500. Harvard will charge the lowest tuition and fees (around $57,500) but is quite expensive for room and board. Princeton will charge $63,800.

However, the University of Vermont has become more selective.

Back when I visited UVM, the university accepted 78 percent of all applicants. That dropped to 60 percent for the Class of 2026. It bounced up to 67 percent for the Class of 2027. UVM first went test optional in 2020-21 during the great pandemic. The university has made no plans to return to test-mandatory admissions. While the percentage of enrolled students who submitted scores is low, the average SAT rose from 1190 in 2013 to 1350 in 2023. The average GPA is a 3.9. UVM has also been increasing the numbers of Vermonters in their past two freshman classes.

UVM invites prospective students to apply Early Action, Early Decision (I and II) or Regular Decision. Only about a fifth of a freshman class is filled through Early Decision, though Vermonters who could qualify for a generous award might want to do it, as well as those who seek to become a nurse. There’s no reason not to apply Early Action when a prospect is ready to complete their applications in the early fall. One suggestion: if you want to apply early, get the CSS Profile done as soon as possible if you want to apply for need-based aid. UVM has decided to use the Profile with prospective freshmen and transfer students in this admissions cycle as a result of past delays for the FAFSA.

There are many academic strengths to the University of Vermont.

Research opportunities typically offered to graduate students at larger schools are more open to undergrads at UVM. There are 1,000 Leahy Honors College students at UVM, a fairly large population considering the number of undergrads at the university. Those who opt for a major in the College of Arts & Sciences might also enter as Liberal Arts Scholars. These Scholars can apply to be Honors College students for their sophomore year.

Here are a few of the interesting academic opportunities at UVM.

The Pre-Medical/Pre-Health Enhancement Program (PEP) is quite thorough, including shadowing and independent study, for students who are seriously interested in the health professions. UVM Rescue, the main emergeny squad for the community, is also one of the best patient contact opportunities for students who are interested in a health career.
While UVM does not have a veterinary school, the Animal and Veterinary Sciences major offers four concentrations towards veterinary or animal health careers.
While many Land Grant schools combine studies in agricultural subjects with studies of the environment, UVM places them into their own schools. Collectively, the College of Agriculture & Life Sciences (1,300 undergrads)and the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources (1,100 undergrads) have over twice the undergraduate population of the business school. (approximately 900 undergrads).
Business students choose not only an academic concentration such as Accounting, Finance or Marketing; they must also choose a Theme between Entrepreneurship, Global Business and Sustainability. UVM is also the second school that I have covered (Rider University in New Jersey is the other) that sponsors a business pitch contest for high school students. First prize is a full tuition scholarship.
Entrepreneurial students in any major can work with faculty to help them commercialize their research discoveries through the Academic Research Commercialization (ARC) program.
UVM offers 29 accelerated paths to a masters degree.
There are three really good programs for students interested in law, politics and public policy: the Legislative Internship Program , the offerings within the Center for Research on Vermont and a service learning course with the Vermont Attorney General.

UVM has over 100 undergraduate majors. Among the more unique are Community-Centered Design, Community Entrepreneurship, Medical Radiation Sciences/Radiation Therapy and Sustainable Ecology & Policy.

UVM is a fairly expensive public school.

UVM first set non-resident tuition and fees to a rate of 250 percent of resident charges, by act of the Vermont Legislature in 1955. Today, Vermonters are asked to pay over $19,000 in tuition and fees before scholarships. Non-residents are asked to pay, on average, approximately $46,000. The 2024-25 charges represent the first significant tuition and fee increases since 2020. But there is some good news when it comes to merit-based aid. Forty-five percent of the incoming freshmen in the Class of 2027 received merit scholarships that averaged nearly $17,000. Vermonters can receive merit awards as large as $10,000. Non-residents can receive awards as large as $25,000. Through these scholarships Home State U becomes a good value for the strong Vermonters, and makes UVM a more attractive option for non-residents versus private universities and the out-of-state charges among the more selective large state schools. UVM met about 75 percent of need for the Class of 2027. Nearly a fifth of the graduates in the Class of 2023 had to take out private loans.

UVM is one of the more accommodating state universities when it comes to housing.

The school can now house 6,100 students, approximately half of the undergraduate population. UVM requires students to live on campus for two years. The university places every first-year student into a living-learning community. Two communities, the Honors College and the Liberal Arts Scholars, are tied to academic awards received when a student is admitted. UVM also has its own online off-campus housing board. Rents are quite high in Burlington relative to other college towns. This happens when a community is as desired by adults of all ages as well as college students. But as rents and sales prices have risen in Burlington, so has homelessness.Greek life is not especially important at UVM compared to other flagship state universities. There are only seven fraternities and six sororities; they house less than ten percent of the student body. UVM has a smaller Greek population than the University of Maine or the University of New Hampshire, and both schools have fewer undergrads than UVM.

Burlington is a very nice college town.

If someone called Burlington the “Berkeley of New England,” they would probably be right. US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) began his political career as Mayor of Burlington and he was relatively effective in the role. Downtown Burlington has a retail vibe similar to Berkeley, though there’s also more of a “foodie culture” in this community. The Church Street pedestrian mall is one of the nicer retail centers that I have ever seen in a college town. I’ve dropped a couple of photos below. It’s a little bit of a schlepp to walk into downtown or to Lake Champlain from campus, but buses and bikes are also available. UVM has less than half the undergraduate population as UMass-Amherst, which also has a nice college town atmosphere. But Burlington, in my view, has more curb appeal.

There’s a lot of spirit to the University of Vermont, but its not really about spectator sports.

UVM competes in 18 NCAA D-1 (scholarship) sports. However, it is one of a very small number of flagships that do not play football. Binghamton University (NY) and six of the nine University of California campuses are the others. While those schools have never played football, UVM last fielded a team in 1974. UVM competes in Hockey East for hockey and America East for other sports outside of skiing. The university has received a $15 million gift to construct and open the Tarrant Center for basketball and will renovate the Guterson Fieldhouse for hockey.

UVM has some athletic successes since 2000.

The men’s basketball program has won ten conference championships since 2000 and made ten post season appearances in the NCAA Tournament.
The men’s ice hockey team has made four NCAA tournament appearances since 2000, reaching the Frozen Four in 2009.
Men’s soccer has done better with seven conference titles and seven NCAA Tournament appearances.
The women’s basketball program has won five conference titles with four NCAA post season appearances.
UVM’s co-ed ski team won national championships in 2012 and 2014.
Despite a losing season, the women’s hockey team set the conference record for attendance at a single home game in 2023.

However, my feeling, based on my trips to Burlington, is that UVM is more of a participatory community when it comes to sports. Those who love the outdoors or are at least curious to learn more about boating, biking, hiking, climbing or skiing will love this school. This might be the only school where every student is considered a member of the Outing Club!

Conclusions

The University of Vermont has a more liberal vibe on and near campus than several other flagship state universities I have covered or visited since I started this site. But I’ve honestly enjoyed my past trips to this area. I also like several of the approaches to the academics. As someone who studied Political Science and Urban Planning, I felt that I would have found several career prep opportunities at UVM. I also felt that this was a nice place to be studying STEM, preparing for a health career or an interest related to the environment.

However, being Jewish, it bothers me that liberal views extended to student support for pro-Palestinian encampments as they have at other schools. UVM’s encampment ended after ten days because the spring semester was coming to an end. However, the demands of Pro-Palestinian participants were no less unreasonable. Their actions led the university to cancel the appearance of the commencement speaker, Linda Thomas Greenfield, US Ambassador to the United Nations.

When I visited Burlington before, during, and after seeing UVM I had the feeling that this university was a place where any student could feel at home, provided that they made the effort to find their friends. UVM has a fairly large Jewish community. So, I want to believe that the university community will take anti-Semitism as seriously as it would take hateful actions against other communities within the campus and the town.

Report Card: University of Vermont

Four-Year/Six-Year Graduation Rates: A/A
Freshman Retention: B+
Costs: B
Curriculum: A
Community: A
Comforts: B+
Connections: A (Boston, NYC, DC, VT)/B (California and Denver)/C (elsewhere)

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