Vassar is a small (around 2,500 students) liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, NY, about a two-hour drive from New York City. Vassar was the second-ever all-women’s college, and the first all-women’s college to become co-ed. Vassar is known for being one of thee classic liberal arts schools, with a broad educational foundation and classes that encourage you to become a better thinker. Vassar is also part of the Liberty League, which is comprised of colleges in New York that compete at the NCAA D3 level. If you want to go to Vassar and are good at your sport, you might want to know if that sport can help you get in. Our answer? Maybe.
The Liberty League isn’t made up of as many impressive schools as NESCAC, but you’re still competing against schools like Skidmore, Wellesley, Mount Holyoke, and NYU (in some sports). But, because the schools in the Liberty League are D3, that means the emphasis is always going to be on the student part of student-athlete. Being D3 also doesn’t discount the competitive nature of being recruited. Since academics are the priority at Vassar, your academic profile is going to be the most important part of your application. You might have the skillz (with a z) to get recruited, but you also need to have the grades, scores, and extracurriculars to get into Vassar on your own.
Grades
Vassar published the admissions data of the Class of 2026, so we know the average GPA of an admitted student was a 3.9 unweighted GPA. So just like, basically perfect. Got it. Even though that scale is unweighted, that doesn’t mean you can just take regular classes. You need to be getting the best grades possible in the hardest classes your school offers. So, get to studyin’.
Scores
Vassar also published the testing data of their admitted students. We know that 51% of students did not submit test scores, but for the 49% that did, they had a 1475 average SAT and a 33 average ACT. Now, that’s average, which means you should be aiming higher than that to be competitive. Like other liberal arts colleges in the same vein as Vassar, we recommend 1500+ and 34+ for your standardized tests.
Extracurriculars
Being team captain of your sport and also on the traveling club team isn’t enough for your application if you want to be competitive. Although, according to them, 21% of admitted students in 2026 were captains of a varsity sport, so it’s not useless. Students who go to Vassar know what they want to study and have taken the steps to make it a reality. This means if you see yourself as a historian, you’ve done summer programs, internships, job shadowings, research, etc. that prove you want to study history.
A Stellar Essay
We help students write creative, fun essays, and no school loves a creative and fun essay as much as Vassar. You’ll need a great Common App essay to help yourself stand out from the crowd, and good news–you can write about pretty much whatever you want. However, we def don’t recommend writing about your sport.
You’ll also need a good supplemental essay. Vassar only has one required one, but we strongly encourage you to write the optional ones as well.
Athletic Talent
To get recruited for a sport, you do need to actually be good at it. Very few students get recruited to play sports every year, even at the D3 level, and even fewer get into Vassar. Getting recruited is a long shot, so if you’re not confident, ditch the cleats and use your time to build out your extracurriculars.
Getting recruited to play an NCAA sport is tough, even if it's just D3. On top of talent, you also need to have the grades, test scores, extracurricular activities, and essays to get into Hamilton on your own merit. Make sure you're choosing Vassar because it's the right fit for you and your future, not just because they want you on their team.
If you need help strategizing for college admissions, navigating the process, or writing your essays, reach out to us today.